American Dream Out of Reach

The vision of America as a county in which even the poorest can rise to riches with hard work alone is increasingly a myth, according to a recent study. The rags-to-riches life is easier to achieve in most other countries than in the United States.

The likelihood that a child born a poor family will make it into the top five percent is just one percent, according to "Understanding Mobility in America," a study by economist Tom Hertz from American University.

Children born rich, however, had a 22 percent likelihood of being richer as an adult, odds that are 22 times that of poor children. Still, say critics of the Bush administration policies, the president pushes tax cuts that favor the wealthy.

Those living in the United States have one of the lowest chances of rising to a higher economic class than people in other countries, according to the study.

The research was based on a panel of more than 4,000 children, whose parents' income were observed in 1968, and whose income as adults was reviewed again 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998.

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