Is the American Dream alive and kicking or on its last legs?

The election in November 2008 of Barack Obama was an historic event on many levels. His message of hope and change struck a chord in the heart of an American electorate weary from eight years of George W. Bush. Since his inauguration, President Obama has fully leveraged the change mandate he believed his administration had been given – immediately kicking off reforms ranging from fiscal stimulus, cap and trade, climate change and health care to Guantanamo, Iraq and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, conservative grassroots movements such as the "tea partiers" and noisy townhall meetings across the country have come to symbolize an underlying discontent among some in America. Not everyone, it would appear, is happy about the direction in which the country is headed. One eventful year into Barack Obama's first term there are some key philosophical questions that need to be addressed. Is Barack Obama fundamentally changing the America founded more than 200 years ago? Are his administration's reforms what people really want? Are we witnessing the birth of a brand new America? Is the American Dream as we have known it a thing of the past? You are cordially invited to a discussion on these and other issues with the author of Can the American Dream Survive, Janerik Larsson, and United States Ambassador, Matthew Barzun. _________________________________________________________ * Janerik Larsson is Senior Vice President of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise. He has been an avid observer of American life for over 40 years. Mr. Larsson has published a number of books on various political and social issues since the 1960s. * Ambassador Matthew Barzun took up his post in Sweden in August 2009. Prior to becoming Ambassador, Mr. Barzun had a successful career in business. He was the president at BrickPath LLC, where he advised and invested in Internet media companies. Prior to BrickPath, Mr. Barzun served as the Executive Vice President for CNET Networks' Business Technology group. Ambassador Barzun has served on the boards of many non-profit civic organizations focused on education, public policy and interfaith relations. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in history and literature from Harvard College.