Community Corner

Dispatches: The Changing American Dream

Dispatches will chronicle the economic, social and political challenges of American life and the creative ways people are responding to them.

We're excited to inaugurate a new series for our Patch Readers: "Dispatches: The Changing American Dream."

Every day, the national media is full of stories about how American families, businesses and neighbors are adjusting to these trying times. There are so many changes happening so fast that it's dizzying: national debates about unemployment, foreclosures, debt, religion, government and private enterprise all touch on fundamental ways in which we see ourselves and our communities. At Patch, we want to explore that conversation on a daily basis so we can better understand how our neighbors are adjusting to the challenges and opportunities that surround us.

We don't think there’s one American Dream, but a multitude of American Dreams toward which a multitude of people are working. Looking out across nearly almost 900 Patch sites, we see businesses holding their breath deciding whether to expand; college graduates returning home because they can't find jobs, and senior citizens bringing boarders into their homes to help pay their bills. We also see bold new volunteer efforts, inspiring stories of local businesses that succeed because they innovated, and locals who've taken these trying times as a signal to engage more, not less, in their government.

At the purely local level, we want to know where we, as neighbors in Palmer and Forks townships, fit along these fault lines.

Find out what's happening in Palmer-Forkswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Nationally, there's a debate about which government building efforts are "shovel-ready." Locally, we know that as Forks Township continues to grow, several are in the works, including two and a at Newlins and Richmond roads. Both and townships also have the construction of new public works facilities planned.

Nationally, there's a debate about the education system, which is at the center of our dreams of a better life for our children. Locally, we know the Easton Area School District continues to grow. Several renovation projects to are slated and come 2012, almost a completely will be in place.

"Dispatches" will be built upon the compelling vignettes and snapshots we unearth across all of our Patch sites.

Find out what's happening in Palmer-Forkswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

And, of course, we want your help: Tell us what issues and what stories in Palmer and Forks townships go to the heart of your American Dream.


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