Introducing Dispatches: Changing the American Dream

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

Every day, the national media is full of stories about how American families and businesses are adjusting to life's changes — many kinds changes, coming at a dizzying pace.

Generally, we talk about unemployment, foreclosures, debt, religion, government, private enterprise and a host of national issues. Each of those affect us individually and collectively. Exploring those conversations daily helps clarify what those affects are, how they are changing who we are and what those changes are doing to the American Dream.

Speaking of the American Dream — we often talk as if there's just one dream. Truth be told, there are probably as many American Dreams as there are Americans.

Looking out across nearly 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're seeing , inspiring stories of Michigan businesses that succeed , and how have taken these trying times as a signal to engage more, not less, in their government.

The question that needs answering is how we, as Canton neighbors, fit into this puzzle.

Nationally, there's a debate about which government-building efforts are "shovel-ready." Locally, we know seven major Michigan projects just received federal funding — and that one man wants to change the rules at the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Haggerty Road, after his wife was killed in a crash.

Nationally, the education system is central in a debate about our dreams of better lives for our children. In Canton, we've watched pitched battles over teacher layoffs by Plymouth-Canton Community Schools — the third-largest district in the state — the proposed closure of Fiegel Elementary School and just who should lead the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, a question as yet unresolved, though an interim superintendent has been hired.

"Dispatches" will be built upon the compelling vignettes and snapshots we unearth across every Patch site in the country.

These conversations won't be complete without your voice, sharing what you know and feel about the issues — and which Canton stories speak to the heart of your American Dream.