The impossible navigation to "starting fresh"

Well, for my first "controversial blog" I think I have decided to explore the impossible navigation to a clean and fresh start from a former "dirty" life. 

So, what is it about this myth Americans tell others about starting fresh and turning over a new leaf.  Do we all not play into this ideological idea that a person can turn their life around?  As a former drug addict and all around deviant to society, I found myself in and out of jail a lot for minor but (still haunting) offenses.  Including, two (I swear to my god I am innocent) domestic assault charges, criminal damage, and theft of a vehicle.  Now, I spent altogether about 6 months in jail, spent a few thousand dollars in fines, and a year on probation (successfully completed).  Now then, it has been FIVE YEARS since then. I have gone to rehab, gotten married, started a family, owned a home, gotten my GED, gotten a undergraduate degree in social work, volunteered my time to many causes, started a Master's program....and for what?  I agree my life is much more desirable than it was five years ago and I am much happier...but when does my fresh start begin? I can't get a job for the life of me.  Everywhere I go they want to run a background check.  So I am upfront with them, tell them I am not the same person I was at 19, explain my accomplishments, and then....they show me the door.  Their policies won't allow them to hire me! WTF!  I just went in debt $60,000 so I don't want to hear that their policies won't allow them to hire me. 

This just makes me think of everyone else out there who has it worse off then me though.  The ones with felonies and no education at all.  They will be stuck in low paying jobs for the rest of their lives.  Sure they will lead a somewhat better life than they had before (if they clean up their lives under shitty circumstances and a system set for them to fail in), but will they ever lead fulfilling lives?  I want to live in the country that was promised to me from the time I could understand "you can do whatever you want to do as long as you work hard".  I have been working my ass off!

Now...the social worker in me says that I can't allow the helplessness to get the best of me.  I need to go out there and advocate for my rights.  I need to write letters, make calls, etc.  Frankly, I am tired of writing letters by myself.  Did you know that we imprison more people than any other industrialized nation (according to Dr. Humphries, maybe not more than Russia)?  Last I checked, it was two million, and that isn't including persons who are on probation or parole.  These felons have lost their right to vote in most states, and can be discriminated against for jobs and housing.  How am I, or anyone else for that matter supposed to change anything when the people I need to organize together can't even VOTE! Ughhh...