Is the American dream dead?  Breaking News  People are losing
faith in their ability to realize the American dream. While AIG
pays out $165 million in bonuses to people who arguably
contributed to the need for the federal government to hand them
$170 billion of our money, and while politicians lie about who
crafted the language that allowed this kind of stuff to happen
(Are you listening Chris Dodd?), the average American is seeing
his future disintegrate in front of his eyes.  Here are some
numbers that suggest we are losing hope:  A CNN-Opinion Research
Corp. poll shows 39 percent of those surveyed say they're very
confident they'll be able to keep up their quality of life.
That's down from 45 percent a year ago.  Fifty percent of
homeowners with a mortgage say they're very confident they can
keep making their house payments. Again, that's down from 58
percent a year ago.  Also down are the percentages of Americans
who are confident they can pay their other debts, things like
credit cards and car loans.  Wh