Please lend me a hand - or at least, a vote!

I have entered a contest called "Name Your Dream Assignment". I need to land in the top 20 voted entries to have a shot at the grand prize. My entry is called America's Footprints, and this is my idea :

The impact of American ideals and culture not only on ourselves, but on the whole world - a portrait of the American people and those influenced by America around the globe.

What makes American culture so popular? Why do people embrace it if they've never been here? How does the American vision impact other parts of the world? Who are the people directly impacted by our country, even thousands of miles away? Who grows the food that ends up on our plates? Who makes the items that fill our lives? What does the face of America look like today?

Perhaps there is no better time than the present for this kind of look at American culture, as recession impacts not only our country but people around the world. As we embark on a new chapter in our history, with a new President, and a deep recession impacting our daily lives, we as a country are changing our habits: our eating habits, our spending habits, our driving habits. Our jobs, homes, and families are directly impacted.

But beyond our own borders, the world is impacted, as the country with some of the strongest spending power in the world stops spending its dollars, as people travel less, as they stay at home more, as there is lessened demand for products created overseas and shipped to the States.

There are plenty who would argue that America is self-absorbed and unconscious of its impact on the world. I want to draw direct attention to "the reach of the American dollar", for better or for worse - how American companies' policies and practices impact other nations, why people come to America as immigrants or as visitors, how expatriates fit into their adopted countries, the surprising places that you find American logos.

This isn't American-patriot-navel-grazing; this idea is to look at both the good and the bad, and to find as many places and ways as possible that "the American Dream" has impacted the world.

If I can get enough votes to make it into the top 20 by the end of the contest, then I get a shot at having my idea reviewed and just might win the money to do this dream assignment!

So, if you enjoy my work and you think my idea is a good one, then I would humbly ask for your vote for this contest. For those who vote for me, I thank you, your support means a lot!