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Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Here's How Kevin O'Leary Defines the American Dream in 2025 — Not Everyone Will Agree
People have different ideas of success and what it means to 'make it.' Historically, the U.S. has been seen as the land of opportunity, where anyone can succeed and make serious money if they put their mind to it. Explore More: Consider This: However, the idea of the American Dream has changed, and different people have spoken up about the state of it over time, including Kevin O'Leary, a well-known businessman and TV personality. GOBankingRates broke down his take on the American dream in 2025, and why some people disagree with his viewpoint. In the past, if you asked people what the American Dream is, you'd often get an answer with a family, a car, a dog and a house with a white picket fence. Another definition: People in the U.S. have an opportunity to be successful by working hard. While some in the U.S. may take it for granted, authoritarian governments, caste systems, corruption and bad economies have limited the success of citizens in other countries despite how hard they work. This has led many to view the U.S. as the land of opportunity, where anyone can become successful based on their effort and determination alone. Read Next: However, the idea of the American Dream has shifted and is causing some discussion. O'Leary recently made an appearance on CNN and got into a heated back-and-forth about the state of the American Dream. According to O'Leary, America's opportunity is the country's top export, and it involves people succeeding in gaining wealth. A panelist pushed back, saying the American Dream isn't just about becoming filthy rich and can also be about starting a family or building a strong community. O'Leary vehemently disagreed, saying those words tainted the American Dream itself. In O'Leary's opinion, the American Dream is about getting rich, but it wasn't always like that. Apollo 11 moon mission pilot Buzz Aldrin gave his two cents about how the American Dream has changed years after being in space. He explained that the dream used to center around succeeding in a field you're passionate about, whether that be becoming a doctor, painter or chemist. However, he now agrees with O'Leary's opinion that it has become more about the pursuit of money and getting rich. Part of this change is likely due to the higher cost of living. For example, between 2019 and 2024, the cost of renting rose 31%, per Rentec Direct, and housing prices increased 37.5%, according to Because it has become more expensive to live comfortably, the American Dream has become less about being successful in your preferred field and more about making as much money as possible, as Aldrin stated. Even with the changes, the U.S. remains a prime destination for becoming financially secure. Warren Buffett, one of the most successful investors, recently said in a meeting that the U.S. still has the best investment opportunities in the world, per Reuters. This means even though there are challenges in the U.S., the new dream to get rich is still attainable. More From GOBankingRates 5 Luxury Cars That Will Have Massive Price Drops in Spring 2025 8 Items To Stock Up on Now in Case of Tariff-Induced Product Shortages Clever Ways To Save Money That Actually Work in 2025 Are You Rich or Middle Class? 8 Ways To Tell That Go Beyond Your Paycheck Sources X, Acyn. Forbes, 'Buzz Aldrin On The American Dream.' Rentec Direct, 'New Data Shows the State of Rent in 2025 from Rentec Direct.' 'May 2024 Monthly Housing Market Trends Report.' Reuters, 'Buffett's quotes from Berkshire meeting: Stepping aside as CEO, trade, opportunities, United States.' This article originally appeared on Here's How Kevin O'Leary Defines the American Dream in 2025 — Not Everyone Will Agree Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Quakers march against Trump's crackdown on immigrants carrying on their long faith tradition
PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) — A group of Quakers are marching more than 300 miles from New York City to Washington, D.C., to demonstrate against the Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants. The march extends a long tradition of Quaker activism. Historically, Quakers have been involved in peaceful protests to end wars and slavery, and support women's voting rights in line with their commitment to justice and peace. Far more recently, Quakers sued the federal government earlier this year over immigration gents ability to make arrests at houses of worship. Organizers of the march say their protest seeks to show solidarity with migrants and other groups that are being targeted by President Donald Trump's administration. 'It feels really daunting to be up against such critical and large and in some ways existential threats,' said Jess Hobbs Pifer, a 25-year-old Quaker and march organizer, who said she felt 'a connection' to the faith's long history of activism. 'I just have to put one foot in front of the other to move towards something better, something more true to what Quakers before us saw for this country and what people saw for the American Experiment, the American dream," she said. Their goal is to walk south from the Flushing Quaker Meeting House — across New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania — to the U.S. Capitol to deliver a copy of the 'Flushing Remonstrance' — a 17th century document that called for religious freedom and opposed a ban on Quaker worship. Quakers say it remains relevant in 2025 as a reminder to 'uphold the guiding principle that all are welcome.' 'We really saw a common thread between the ways that the administration is sort of flying against the norms and ideals of constitutional law and equality before the law,' said Max Goodman, 28, a Quaker, who joined the march. 'Even when they aren't breaking rules explicitly, they're really engaging in bad faith with the spirit of pluralism, tolerance and respect for human dignity that undergirds our founding documents as Americans and also shows up in this document that's really important in New York Quaker history.' A Quaker history of resistance The Religious Society of Friends — best known as the Quakers — originated in 17th century England. The Christian group was founded by George Fox, an Englishman who objected to Anglican emphasis on ceremony. In the 1640s, he said he heard a voice that led him to develop a personal relationship with Christ, described as the Inner Light. Fox taught that the Inner Light emancipates a person from adherence to any creed, ecclesiastical authority or ritual forms. Brought to court for opposing the established church, Fox tangled with a judge who derided him as a 'quaker' in reference to his agitation over religious matters. Following the faith's core beliefs in nonviolence and justice, Quakers have demonstrated for the abolition of slavery, in favor of the suffrage movement, against both World Wars, and the U.S. role in the wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan, said Ross Brubeck, 38, one of the Quaker march organizers. They also joined protests against the World Trade Organization in Seattle and the Black Lives Matter protests after the 2020 killing of George Floyd. 'Within the DNA of Quakerism is actions speaking out against authority,' said Brubeck, who was marching along a trail in New Jersey with companions waving an upside-down American flag — intended to serve as a signal of distress. 'Quakers have had a central role in opposition to repression within the United States since its founding,' Brubeck said. The basic unit of Quaker organization is the weekly meeting, which corresponds to the congregation in other churches. Quakers gather for silent worship in meeting houses, where they wait for a message from God to move through them until they speak. When Brubeck and his group reached downtown Princeton, they were met by members of the local Quaker group, who praised them for their effort and guided them to their meeting house. After taking their shoes off their blistery feet, some rested on wooden pews and later prayed in silence, holding hands in a circle in preparation for another long walk. 'I felt humbled by their presence knowing what a long way they've been walking,' said Casey Oware, a member of the Princeton Friends Meeting. 'And also a sense of connection knowing that we're fighting for the same thing.' Her friend, Marae McGhee, a retired teacher and member of the local Quaker group, agreed: 'It's such a disturbing time and I think a lot of people feel that there's little they can do. But these folks are doing it — they're giving their feet and their energy.' Quaker beliefs and a lawsuit challenge to Trump Quaker practices and beliefs vary from a more Bible-centered Christianity, with pastors as worship leaders, to a more liberal approach with less structured worship and a wide range of teachings. One the most well-known Quakers was William Penn, who founded Pennsylvania following the faith's emphasis on religious tolerance; the group became influential in cities like Philadelphia. But members of the group have also faced scorn for refusing to join wars due to their belief in pacifism and nonviolence. Some were persecuted and even killed for trying to spread their religious beliefs. Earlier this year, five Quaker congregations filed a lawsuit challenging a Trump administration move giving immigration agents more leeway to make arrests at houses of worship. The Quaker groups were later joined by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and a Sikh temple. Following that, more than two-dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans — ranging from the Episcopal Church and the Union for Reform Judaism to the Mennonites — filed a similar lawsuit, but a federal judge ruled against them last month. During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump insisted that immigrants were an existential threat to America. Immigration into the U.S., both legal and illegal, surged during President Joe Biden's administration, and Trump assailed that influx in ways that proved powerful with voters. Since returning to the White House, Trump has launched a campaign of immigration enforcement that has pushed the limits of executive power and clashed with federal judges trying to restrain him. 'Immigrants are the ones experiencing the most acute persecution in the United States,' Brubeck said. 'The message to Trump is that the power is not his to make.' __ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Hamilton Spectator
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Quakers march against Trump's crackdown on immigrants carrying on their long faith tradition
PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) — A group of Quakers are marching more than 300 miles from New York City to Washington, D.C., to demonstrate against the Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants. The march extends a long tradition of Quaker activism. Historically, Quakers have been involved in peaceful protests to end wars and slavery, and support women's voting rights in line with their commitment to justice and peace. Far more recently, Quakers sued the federal government earlier this year over immigration gents ability to make arrests at houses of worship. Organizers of the march say their protest seeks to show solidarity with migrants and other groups that are being targeted by President Donald Trump's administration. 'It feels really daunting to be up against such critical and large and in some ways existential threats,' said Jess Hobbs Pifer, a 25-year-old Quaker and march organizer, who said she felt 'a connection' to the faith's long history of activism. 'I just have to put one foot in front of the other to move towards something better, something more true to what Quakers before us saw for this country and what people saw for the American Experiment, the American dream,' she said. Their goal is to walk south from the Flushing Quaker Meeting House — across New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania — to the U.S. Capitol to deliver a copy of the 'Flushing Remonstrance' — a 17th century document that called for religious freedom and opposed a ban on Quaker worship. Quakers say it remains relevant in 2025 as a reminder to 'uphold the guiding principle that all are welcome.' 'We really saw a common thread between the ways that the administration is sort of flying against the norms and ideals of constitutional law and equality before the law,' said Max Goodman, 28, a Quaker, who joined the march. 'Even when they aren't breaking rules explicitly, they're really engaging in bad faith with the spirit of pluralism, tolerance and respect for human dignity that undergirds our founding documents as Americans and also shows up in this document that's really important in New York Quaker history.' A Quaker history of resistance The Religious Society of Friends — best known as the Quakers — originated in 17th century England. The Christian group was founded by George Fox, an Englishman who objected to Anglican emphasis on ceremony. In the 1640s, he said he heard a voice that led him to develop a personal relationship with Christ, described as the Inner Light. Fox taught that the Inner Light emancipates a person from adherence to any creed, ecclesiastical authority or ritual forms. Brought to court for opposing the established church, Fox tangled with a judge who derided him as a 'quaker' in reference to his agitation over religious matters. Following the faith's core beliefs in nonviolence and justice, Quakers have demonstrated for the abolition of slavery, in favor of the suffrage movement, against both World Wars, and the U.S. role in the wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan, said Ross Brubeck, 38, one of the Quaker march organizers. They also joined protests against the World Trade Organization in Seattle and the Black Lives Matter protests after the 2020 killing of George Floyd . 'Within the DNA of Quakerism is actions speaking out against authority,' said Brubeck, who was marching along a trail in New Jersey with companions waving an upside-down American flag — intended to serve as a signal of distress. 'Quakers have had a central role in opposition to repression within the United States since its founding,' Brubeck said. The basic unit of Quaker organization is the weekly meeting, which corresponds to the congregation in other churches. Quakers gather for silent worship in meeting houses, where they wait for a message from God to move through them until they speak. When Brubeck and his group reached downtown Princeton, they were met by members of the local Quaker group, who praised them for their effort and guided them to their meeting house. After taking their shoes off their blistery feet, some rested on wooden pews and later prayed in silence, holding hands in a circle in preparation for another long walk. 'I felt humbled by their presence knowing what a long way they've been walking,' said Casey Oware, a member of the Princeton Friends Meeting. 'And also a sense of connection knowing that we're fighting for the same thing.' Her friend, Marae McGhee, a retired teacher and member of the local Quaker group, agreed: 'It's such a disturbing time and I think a lot of people feel that there's little they can do. But these folks are doing it — they're giving their feet and their energy.' Quaker beliefs and a lawsuit challenge to Trump Quaker practices and beliefs vary from a more Bible-centered Christianity, with pastors as worship leaders, to a more liberal approach with less structured worship and a wide range of teachings. One the most well-known Quakers was William Penn, who founded Pennsylvania following the faith's emphasis on religious tolerance; the group became influential in cities like Philadelphia . But members of the group have also faced scorn for refusing to join wars due to their belief in pacifism and nonviolence. Some were persecuted and even killed for trying to spread their religious beliefs . Earlier this year, five Quaker congregations filed a lawsuit challenging a Trump administration move giving immigration agents more leeway to make arrests at houses of worship. The Quaker groups were later joined by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and a Sikh temple. Following that, more than two-dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans — ranging from the Episcopal Church and the Union for Reform Judaism to the Mennonites — filed a similar lawsuit , but a federal judge ruled against them last month. During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump insisted that immigrants were an existential threat to America. Immigration into the U.S., both legal and illegal, surged during President Joe Biden's administration, and Trump assailed that influx in ways that proved powerful with voters . Since returning to the White House, Trump has launched a campaign of immigration enforcement that has pushed the limits of executive power and clashed with federal judges trying to restrain him . 'Immigrants are the ones experiencing the most acute persecution in the United States,' Brubeck said. 'The message to Trump is that the power is not his to make.' __ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Winnipeg Free Press
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Quakers march against Trump's crackdown on immigrants carrying on their long faith tradition
PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) — A group of Quakers are marching more than 300 miles from New York City to Washington, D.C., to demonstrate against the Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants. The march extends a long tradition of Quaker activism. Historically, Quakers have been involved in peaceful protests to end wars and slavery, and support women's voting rights in line with their commitment to justice and peace. Far more recently, Quakers sued the federal government earlier this year over immigration gents ability to make arrests at houses of worship. Organizers of the march say their protest seeks to show solidarity with migrants and other groups that are being targeted by President Donald Trump's administration. 'It feels really daunting to be up against such critical and large and in some ways existential threats,' said Jess Hobbs Pifer, a 25-year-old Quaker and march organizer, who said she felt 'a connection' to the faith's long history of activism. 'I just have to put one foot in front of the other to move towards something better, something more true to what Quakers before us saw for this country and what people saw for the American Experiment, the American dream,' she said. Their goal is to walk south from the Flushing Quaker Meeting House — across New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania — to the U.S. Capitol to deliver a copy of the 'Flushing Remonstrance' — a 17th century document that called for religious freedom and opposed a ban on Quaker worship. Quakers say it remains relevant in 2025 as a reminder to 'uphold the guiding principle that all are welcome.' 'We really saw a common thread between the ways that the administration is sort of flying against the norms and ideals of constitutional law and equality before the law,' said Max Goodman, 28, a Quaker, who joined the march. 'Even when they aren't breaking rules explicitly, they're really engaging in bad faith with the spirit of pluralism, tolerance and respect for human dignity that undergirds our founding documents as Americans and also shows up in this document that's really important in New York Quaker history.' A Quaker history of resistance The Religious Society of Friends — best known as the Quakers — originated in 17th century England. The Christian group was founded by George Fox, an Englishman who objected to Anglican emphasis on ceremony. In the 1640s, he said he heard a voice that led him to develop a personal relationship with Christ, described as the Inner Light. Fox taught that the Inner Light emancipates a person from adherence to any creed, ecclesiastical authority or ritual forms. Brought to court for opposing the established church, Fox tangled with a judge who derided him as a 'quaker' in reference to his agitation over religious matters. Following the faith's core beliefs in nonviolence and justice, Quakers have demonstrated for the abolition of slavery, in favor of the suffrage movement, against both World Wars, and the U.S. role in the wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan, said Ross Brubeck, 38, one of the Quaker march organizers. They also joined protests against the World Trade Organization in Seattle and the Black Lives Matter protests after the 2020 killing of George Floyd. 'Within the DNA of Quakerism is actions speaking out against authority,' said Brubeck, who was marching along a trail in New Jersey with companions waving an upside-down American flag — intended to serve as a signal of distress. 'Quakers have had a central role in opposition to repression within the United States since its founding,' Brubeck said. The basic unit of Quaker organization is the weekly meeting, which corresponds to the congregation in other churches. Quakers gather for silent worship in meeting houses, where they wait for a message from God to move through them until they speak. When Brubeck and his group reached downtown Princeton, they were met by members of the local Quaker group, who praised them for their effort and guided them to their meeting house. After taking their shoes off their blistery feet, some rested on wooden pews and later prayed in silence, holding hands in a circle in preparation for another long walk. 'I felt humbled by their presence knowing what a long way they've been walking,' said Casey Oware, a member of the Princeton Friends Meeting. 'And also a sense of connection knowing that we're fighting for the same thing.' Her friend, Marae McGhee, a retired teacher and member of the local Quaker group, agreed: 'It's such a disturbing time and I think a lot of people feel that there's little they can do. But these folks are doing it — they're giving their feet and their energy.' Quaker beliefs and a lawsuit challenge to Trump Quaker practices and beliefs vary from a more Bible-centered Christianity, with pastors as worship leaders, to a more liberal approach with less structured worship and a wide range of teachings. One the most well-known Quakers was William Penn, who founded Pennsylvania following the faith's emphasis on religious tolerance; the group became influential in cities like Philadelphia. But members of the group have also faced scorn for refusing to join wars due to their belief in pacifism and nonviolence. Some were persecuted and even killed for trying to spread their religious beliefs. Earlier this year, five Quaker congregations filed a lawsuit challenging a Trump administration move giving immigration agents more leeway to make arrests at houses of worship. The Quaker groups were later joined by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and a Sikh temple. Following that, more than two-dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans — ranging from the Episcopal Church and the Union for Reform Judaism to the Mennonites — filed a similar lawsuit, but a federal judge ruled against them last month. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump insisted that immigrants were an existential threat to America. Immigration into the U.S., both legal and illegal, surged during President Joe Biden's administration, and Trump assailed that influx in ways that proved powerful with voters. Since returning to the White House, Trump has launched a campaign of immigration enforcement that has pushed the limits of executive power and clashed with federal judges trying to restrain him. 'Immigrants are the ones experiencing the most acute persecution in the United States,' Brubeck said. 'The message to Trump is that the power is not his to make.' __ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion: What does the American dream mean?
My wife likes to tell the story of how, as a girl in the 1970s, she carefully saved money over a period of time to buy a pair of shoes she had been admiring in a local store. Finally, the day came when she had exactly enough cash in hand. She eagerly went downtown — only to find that the price had gone up. The story has two morals. First, people who are under 50 today can't comprehend the relentless inflation of the '70s; and second, Americans haven't always enjoyed an overabundance of cheap clothing. Our children are full-grown, but the memories of endless T-shirts, shorts and, yes, shoes strewn across their bedroom floors remain vivid. So, when I read that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last month told the Economic Club of New York, 'Access to cheap goods is not the essence of the American dream,' I had to nod in agreement. But then he went on to say, 'The American Dream is rooted in the concept that any citizen can achieve prosperity, upward mobility, and economic security. For too long, the designers of multilateral trade deals have lost sight of this.' Which brought the subject back to tariffs and brought my nod to a halt. Upward mobility surely equates to home ownership and, perhaps, a car. Tariffs on Canadian lumber wouldn't make homes any cheaper, nor would tariffs on cars bring down what AAA says is the $39,000 average price of a new one. Neither would tariffs help the many people I met on a recent assignment to Bangladesh, a country with 4,000 garment factories competing to sell cheap clothing to the United States. The tariffs President Trump put on a three-month pause Wednesday included 37% on Bangladesh, which would undoubtedly lead to layoffs and pay cuts for millions of workers in a tiny nation with a struggling economy, and then create bad will toward the United States. Trump's 90-day pause this week may indicate an overriding aim to negotiate trade deals that eliminate the need to impose extra tariffs at all. Bangladesh, like many other nations, is anxious to do this. And so, I am back to nodding in agreement about cheap goods — until I look around my own home office, that is. The term 'American dream' was coined in 1930 by author and historian James Truslow Adams. According to the Jstor Daily, he defined this as 'a dream of a social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.' Note the absence of houses or cars, which were falling out of reach for many in 1930. Those things were added to the 'dream' by future generations of Americans. An illustrated book simply titled 'The West,' by Geoffrey C. Ward, contains an intriguing photo of a family posing in 1887 with an elaborate pipe organ, outdoors, amid livestock and farming implements. The caption says the family matriarch insisted on situating the organ, the family's prized possession, in a spot where family back East could see it and not the unfortunate sod house they called home. By contrast, several sources today estimate the average American home contains about 300,000 items. Which of them would we choose to pull outside to impress distant relatives? NBC News reports that 84% believe their houses aren't clean or well-organized enough, and 55% say this causes a great deal of stress. But those figures are eight years old, meaning we probably have a lot more now — both things and stress. More isn't always better, but we seem incapable of stopping ourselves. The Wall Street Journal this week said the U.S. is home to about 80% of the world's storage facilities, and many people stuff them full of things they can't throw away, but can't keep at home, either. Many soon forget what they put there. The Journal cites a survey by Storable that found 71% of Americans end up repurchasing things they own but can no longer find. It quotes Julie Hall, founder of an estate-clearance company, saying, 'We're battling a tsunami of stuff, and the stuff is winning.' And many, myself included, struggle to absorb things passed on by deceased relatives. I suspect I've touched on a problem here that's completely separate from any notion of the American dream. In the end, my wife had to save a little longer before buying those shoes. Delayed gratification was a bigger part of life back then. We didn't know it, but that wasn't a bad thing, especially compared to the unsatisfying regrets many experience today from impulse buying and clutter. Would a round of tariff-induced '70s-style inflation bring a return to those days and put a stop to our self-inflicted madness? I don't know, but I suspect the $1.21 trillion that Americans collectively owe in credit card debt offers a clue. We probably don't need someone in Washington telling us we're not living the dream.
