Announcing Dispatches—Patch's Take on the American Dream

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

Every day, the national media are full of stories about how American families, businesses and neighbors are adjusting to an ever-changing world.

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 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.

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 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 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 Northeast Cobb neighbors, fit along these fault lines.

Nationally, there's a debate about what it takes to support small businesses and "grow the economy." Locally, we know that small business are struggling amid high rents and low spending.

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 Northeast Cobb’s schools are some of the best nationally, but our school board struggles. And the most important person to turn that situation around is not a national politician, but our new school superintendent.

Dispatches will be built on the compelling vignettes and snapshots we unearth across Northeast Cobb.

And, of course, we want your help: Tell us what issues and what stories in Northeast Cobb go to the heart of your American Dream.