Last night's conversation

Around the celebrations  and well wishes for Nate, we got into a conversation about the future of the American dream.  Will the new economic crisis have an impact on a significant number of people in this country so that the American dream of economic growth, home ownership, rising prosperity, more material goods, will no longer continue to be the driving force of our national vision?  What could replace this?  Are people too greedy at heart to give up the personal quest for riches to focus more on more communal needs and values?  What can the churches in this country do about this? and should they do anything?

What are your thoughts on this?