Introducing 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 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 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 neighbors, fit along these fault lines.

Bedford-Katonah Patch is already doing these stories simply as part of the way we cover life in and around Bedford.

For example, there's a national debate about the education system, which is at the center of our dreams of a better life for our children. Locally, we know Katonah-Lewisboro and Bedford Central students are on standardized tests, but there is  a trend of , and continue to be a challenge.

Is there anything left to consolidate in our local education system? What about our libraries, which this year?

We've covered the —and the usually say they or there just aren't enough customers. What does it take to sustain a local enterprise?

We know the part of the community that may need extra help in these challenging times is served by looking to and the extras that

Some may view Bedford as "an enclave of privilege," wrote Patch reporter Tom Bartley, in a recent story about the town board potentially . He quoted Councilman David Gabrielson as saying perhaps there were instead “two Bedfords.” One was inhabited by hedge-fund managers, doing well even in a difficult economy, he maintained, but the other was populated by people struggling—to meet the mortgage, to pay their taxes, to find a job. “I have a neighbor who’s been out of work since 2007,” Gabrielson is quoted as saying.

We want your help in chronicling both the negative affects of the financial crisis and the innovative ways people are responding to it. Tell us what issues and what stories in Bedford and Katonah go to the heart of your American Dream.