Introducing Dispatches: The Changing American Dream

We're excited to be launching a new series for our Patch readers. It's called "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. There are so many changes happening so fast that it's dizzying: 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 , we want to explore that conversation on a regular basis so we can better understand just how those problems are playing out here and how our neighbors are adjusting to the challenges and opportunities that surround us.

We don't think there's one American Dream, but a multitude of American Dreams that a multitude of people are working toward. Looking out across our 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 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.

How do we, as Sonoma Valley residents, fit along these fault lines? How has your life, and that of your family, changed over the past few years? 

As politicians and pundits in D.C. trade barbs over the handling of the economy, we want to know how you're managing. We want to hear your stories and how your dreams and aspirations have changed, for better or worse.

Nationally, there's a debate about the education system, which is at the center of our dreams of a better life for our children. Locally, we know Sonoma’s schools are getting low grades from the state. And the most important person to turn that situation around is not a national politician, but our new and innovation from a new principal.

Tomorrow we kick this series off with story about Herb Golenpaul, who turns 90-years-old on the Aug. 16. A two-time veteran, Golenpaul's made his name in Sonoma by his vigilint attention to city politics: in almost a decade he's missed less than a handful of city council meetings.

But there's no limit to the types of stories that interest us. Our Dispatches series is simply a window into how these turbulent economic times are affecting us, from personal tales to a look at how our local institutions are faring.