And in the rubble of the housing bust, many will see this aspiration put on hold for years. They meant if you worked hard, were willing to adapt and apply yourself, you stood a very good chance of rising. But that, too, was changing for the better. The phrase "American dream" was long ago co-opted by the housing industry to mean homeownership. People sense it. In a Gallup survey, 55 percent of respondents said it was very or somewhat unlikely that today's youth would enjoy a better life than their parents'. A Rasmussen Poll last October found that only 37 percent of likely voters believed that America's best days were ahead. If one is of a certain age — a baby boomer or older — these words are not the slogan for a consumer product.