“(My) mission was to tell the story of a reimagined American dream through my own encounter with this country, first as a visitor more than fifty years ago, and then as an immigrant, resident, and finally, a citizen,” writes Bernard J. Mullin at the beginning of his new book, Reimagining America’s Dream: Making It Attainable for All. “…One strand of action I have taken has been the creation of the Aspire Difference Foundation, which seeks to make an immediate difference in the lives of young Americans who might otherwise be left behind by our system.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: https://berniejmullin.com/
This book is a second contribution toward that end (all net proceeds from the sale of the volume will be used to support the foundation). While Reimagining America’s Dream begins with my own journey through America, it ends with a series of essays encouraging the moderates of this nation to rally together to reclaim it from the forces pulling it toward the extremes. I suggest that by coalescing around a small number of simple, practical, and cost-effective policies that have majority support, we can lay the foundations that are needed to make the American dream accessible to all. The book ends with an ambitious prescription for changing America, in the medium and long term, into a more cohesive and happier society.”
He also states, “My personal story has intersected at many points with those of others who have had an important impact on my life, values, and thinking. Perhaps most decisively, I owe a debt of deep gratitude to my parents. My father, Bernard Francis “Ben” Mullin, taught me the two greatest lessons in life: the importance of unswerving honesty and integrity and the value of hard work. My mother, Mary “May” Mullin, was always at home to greet me when I arrived from school to listen and to teach me how to be a better person in all the little interactions that sum up to the totality of life. Two other relatives helped set me on the path toward my American dream: Great Uncle Pat and Uncle Percy. Who could have known that your inspiration at such a young age would so dramatically change my life?”
Part of what makes Mullin so accessible as a narrator for the content is his affability. He isn’t cold, flinty, and removed like a lot of bonafide experts presenting arguments for change. Mullin repeatedly highlights his personal stake in this, how he’s not just an elite telling you what to do – he’s in the trenches with you. “What makes this lack of national unity so dangerous is not that it is rooted in radically divergent ideologies and policy positions. After all, the deeply held political differences we see today are nothing new in America,” he writes. “What has changed is the way these views are understood and advanced. Disagreements about policy have become battlegrounds on which the forces of good and evil take to the field; legislative decision making is now treated by many as a war for the soul of America.
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Reimagining-Americas-Dream-Bernie-Mullin/dp/0960124101
The intensity of disagreement we see reflected back at us from our TV screens, talk shows, and social media has reached a level not seen since the civil rights era. And for an alarming number of activists and commentators on both the left and the right, victory is more important than unity. If winning means pulling the country apart, then that is a price that a significant proportion of Americans are now willing to pay.”
Cyrus Rhodes
