The American Dream is DEAD and What to Do About It

That's true folks! The so-called American Dream is dead. You know, the one that says study hard, go to college, get a good job, and work there for the next 40 years, retire with a pension, IRA, 401(k), Social Security, whatever - the proverbial nest egg - and live out the rest of your days in a warm climate (traditionally Florida...lol) with a summer home back in your home town, and get waited on hand and foot by those who are now working and contributing to the biggest Ponzi Scheme on Earth - Social Security - play some golf, spend time with your sons and daughters, grandchildren, (insert your own retirement wish list), etc. etc.

For the past 50 years, we've been sold the myth that is called RETIREMENT. Well, retirement is dead along with the American Dream. You don't believe me? Have you checked your 401K lately? Been laid off recently? To say that 2008 was a tough year is the largest absurd understatement in the history of understatements. It wasn't hard, it was devastating. And 2009 isn't going to be much better either. In fact, some say it's going to be worse. We're headed for another swath of residential foreclosures, as well as commercial foreclosures once the brick-and-mortar retailers go under and are forced to declare bankruptcy. With millions of illegal aliens crossing our borders every year unchallenged we are seeing the birth of a new labor dynamic - low cost, poorly-skilled/educated labor and no corporate accountability replacing a highly skilled/educated labor pool earning their historically hard-fought benefits and a loyal corporate structure. What's left of America's burgeoning manufacturing sector is a service economy. A "service" economy is a euphemism for "wage-slave" economy where the aforementioned cheap labor pool pushes wages downward and causes the general quality of life, that which Americans once held dear, down the crapper. By driving down wages, people's purchasing power is now decimated. They can longer pay their mortgages, they have to sacrifice time with family to work at a second and/or third job, they can no longer afford a reliable car, they can no longer find work that will provide health care coverage and they can't afford the ever-increasing health care costs, and sometimes they end up moving back home with family just to survive.

So what can you do about it??? What if you don't have a job and have no money???

There are many things you can do for money and all that are well within the legal limits of the law. You don't need to resort to drastic measures to survive. You can capitalize on your creative imagination. Here's a handy dandy list of what you can do to get started. You can use this as a way to spark that creative genious inside of you. Please feel free to comment and add suggestions of your own for the benefit of my readership.....

1. GROW A GARDEN AND SELL YOUR PRODUCE.
If you have a small plot of land this is doable. You can grow fruits and vegetables and sell them at local Farmer's markets. Plus, you'll be saving money on groceries and will be eating healthier. Hopefully that will translate into being a little bit richer and healthier at the same time.

2. BECOME A BARTENDER.
I did this last summer when I was strapped for cash. You can get certified in one week for about $400. In down times people turn to the social establishments like pubs and bars to stay close to friends and to drink their miseries away. It's sad but true. You can earn at least $100 per shift at a busy bar which will pay for your course in about 4 working days and give you a skill that's in high demand. I did this and I only work one night a week for 4 hours and make $100 cash tips alone. That's $5,200 in extra cash every year for basically having fun.

3. SELL STUFF ON EBAY.
I know....This is so cliche. But it works. Aside from what it costs to list the item, to pay Ebay's commission, and to give Paypal their cut, it's a sure way to make decent money. I sold alot of books and jewelry there when I needed quick cash. Believe me, even though you may have stuff you don't think will sell, it will!!! Trust me. For everything you have there's someone out there who wants it.

4. START A BLOG.
The idea behind this is to get involved with blogging about your hobbies and interests. Just like with Ebay, there's always someone out there who's interested in what you're interested in. Start up a blog with blogger - it's free and easy. Start writing effectively and often. Once you've got a bunch of postings, do some research online to figure out how to make money at it. You can sign up for Google Adsense and put ads on your blog where you can get paid every time someone clicks on your ad. Also, when you develop strong enough traffic you can look into selling advertisement space on your blog. There's virtually limitless ways of making money online.