What is the American Dream? How is it Changing?

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. Changes come with dizzying speed; 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.

Nationally, a deep-rooted credit crunch put new construction and business development at a standstill several years ago, but in the last year, some local entrepreneurs have managed to build and renovate buildings in Whitefish Bay. After a year of struggling to obtain financing, to an enthusiastic audience last month. Additionally, on the far west end of Silver Spring Drive.

Wisconsin was the first of several state governments to balance its budget by reconsidering the relationships between government, public employees and their unions. In Whitefish Bay, we have seen from the school district, and to balance the budget, teachers have contributed more to their pensions while limiting their ability to bargain for higher salary. Non-union employees are also contributing more to their pension while .

These are fundamental changes in issues at the heart of the American Dream, issues that affect people in their pocketbook and in their nearest surroundings.

We don't think there's one American Dream, but a multitude of American Dreams which a multitude of people are working toward.

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 Whitefish Bay neighbors, fit along these fault lines. "Dispatches" will be built upon the compelling vignettes and snapshots we unearth across all of our Patch sites.

And, of course, we want your help: Tell us what issues and what stories in Whitefish Bay go to the heart of your American Dream by emailing jeff.rumage@patch.com.