'Dispatches' Series to Feature St. Michael-Albertville's Pieces of the American Dream

We're excited to inaugurate a new series for our Patch Readers: "Dispatches: The Changing American Dream."

Every day, the media is full of stories about how American families, businesses and neighbors are adjusting to these trying times. Whether it’s unemployment, the cost of education and healthcare, foreclosures, government budget cuts at all levels, the debate over raising taxes or the aging of America—as politicians and the media talk about these issues, we know they’re personally affecting the way many area residents live, think and feel.

At Patch, we want to bring the discussion to a local level and better understand 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 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 Oakdale neighbors, fit along these fault lines.

On the national level, urbanization is a trend revealed by the 2010 Census, but St. Michael and Albertville are both rooted in the rural economy.

On the national and state levels, politicians talk about preparing our students to compete with their peers in other countries, but locally the St. Michael-Albertville is looking to taxpayers for more money due to another “shift” in payments from the state.

"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 St. Michael-Albertville go to the heart of your American Dream.