Land of Opportunity

United States of America Land of Opportunity? United States of America is known as the land of opportunity for many immigrants who dare to dream of a better life. Since the beginning of American history, United States has focused more about equal opportunity than any other country. There are many people who strongly believe that once they come to the United States it is almost guaranteed to find success. For example, my relatives in Korea always ask my parents how much my family has earned so far. Also, they believe that we live in a totally different world, living the American dream. However, it seems like this country is no longer the land of opportunity for those who are immigrants and the low class people. Many immigrants come to United States to achieve their America Dreams as my family did a few years ago. They think that they can get high-paying jobs easily, but the reality is not. According to an article, The Land of Opportunity? (Los Angeles business Journal, 1999), immigrants cannot get opportunities for high-paying jobs because: "The limited number of manufacturing jobs that they might have moved into in previous generations"; " The need for specialized training in many of jobs"; and "The lack of union-style apprentice program." The article also says that many Los Angeles ' poor families are concentrated among recently arrived immigrant groups, most of them Latino, 600,000 or so
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in Los Angeles county at or below the poverty line.
It is not easy for the poor to find success, neither. According to Still the Land of Opportunity? (Sawhill, 1999), incomes are less evenly distributed than they were 20 or 30 years ago. In 1973, the richest 5 percent of all families had 11 times as much income as the poorest one-fifth. By 1996, they had almost 20 times as much. Well-placed parents can pass on advantages to their children without even trying and they can provide better environments for their children, educationally and emotionally, when the poor