American Landscapes
Rich vs. Poor
The gap between the richest Americans and everyone else is at a historic high. 90 percent of American workers have watched their wages drop as the cost of living increases. The national average minimum wage is $7.25 an hour and it has not increased in four years. Studies show that a person living alone must earn at least $13.68 to make ends meet. While minimum wage stays low, the cost of rent increases. Rent has risen 3 percent in 2013 and continue to rise. Millions of people in America struggle with homelessness every year. There are about 18.5 million vacant homes in the U.S and about 3.5 million people without homes, meaning that empty homes outnumber the homeless 6 to 1. In the city of Philadelphia alone, there are an estimated 650 people living in the streets. We have become desensitized to seeing those less fortunate than us. We often do not notice the homeless sitting in the street as the privileged businessmen in corporate suits pass them on their lunch break.
“We are moving toward an America that none of us has ever lived in, a world of two Americas, a completely economically divided country.” — Robert Putnam
The gap between the richest Americans and everyone else is at a historic high. 90 percent of American workers have watched their wages drop as the cost of living increases. The national average minimum wage is $7.25 an hour and it has not increased in four years. Studies show that a person living alone must earn at least $13.68 to make ends meet. While minimum wage stays low, the cost of rent increases. Rent has risen 3 percent in 2013 and continue to rise. Millions of people in America struggle with homelessness every year. There are about 18.5 million vacant homes in the U.S and about 3.5 million people without homes, meaning that empty homes outnumber the homeless 6 to 1. In the city of Philadelphia alone, there are an estimated 650 people living in the streets. We have become desensitized to seeing those less fortunate than us. We often do not notice the homeless sitting in the street as the privileged businessmen in corporate suits pass them on their lunch break.
“We are moving toward an America that none of us has ever lived in, a world of two Americas, a completely economically divided country.” — Robert Putnam