We can champion the American Dream, so that each of us can truly shape our own destiny. And why not? Why would Americans settle for less, when broad prosperity is in our reach? We don’t have to let Counts keep the real American Dream for themselves and sell a cheap knock-off to Contributing Americans. We don’t have to accept the gulf in America created by extreme money.
Americans can say, “Enough!” to the out-of-control, extreme Money Counts of elite, entitled Counts. Contributing Americans can renew the promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, free from the corruption of extreme money, as we:
Rise to a fuller American Dream. The American Dream isn’t so small as “work hard and play by the rules,” just to get by with a small piece of what Counts leave for us. The true American Dream is richer. More than basic dignity, it’s also the hope to make some real contribution in life. It could be in business, art, family, science, service.
Get real about what it takes. The possibility of America doesn’t exist without real effort. We’ve got to protect the health of our Public Resources. Flex Public Extensions. Leverage the power of our Public Knowledge. Commit to Public Investment up to the American standards of equal freedom, equal security, and equal opportunity.
Regenerate the American Dream as our legacy. Counts act like the American Dream ends with them. They collect America’s Public Gains as Free Income and walk away. We know the American Dream should continue with new generations of young hope. Americans can reclaim our Public Gains and regenerate the American Dream.
On the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Big Woods Declaration (BWD) renews the call for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, free from the corruption of extreme money.
The BWD is a First Amendment petition to the American people and our government. It is not limited to any political party or group.
The BWD is a total of 60 pages: the Core Declaration (4 pages), the 13 Notes, the 27 Dangers to America, and the 16 Solutions for America.
The BWD may be shared and reused under the terms of the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. View a copy of this license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
The BWD was created without the use of any AI, opinion polling, or focus groups. The BWD draws on many core American ideas as well as the work of Thorstein Veblen, America’s visionary from the Big Woods of Minnesota.
All photos in the BWD were taken in the Big Woods. The BWD was framed by Erik Christopher Sahlin with Alyssa Beth Wulf.