nytimes.com — Places like New York and San Francisco appear to be richer and more dazzling than ever: crime remains low, new arrivals pour in, neighborhoods have risen from the dead. But middle-class city dwellers across the country are being squeezed by the rich as much, or more so, as by the poor .
Jul 23, 2006 View in Crawl 4
texnofobixJul 24, 2006
yay the reason to implement communism [/sarcasm]
joeydeaconJul 24, 2006
Firefighters work part time anyway and spend most of the day watching pRon waiting for the call.
jellygraphJul 24, 2006
Good article
babakshiraziJul 24, 2006
Classist? So rich hard working people are supposed to slow down for the lazy stupid people?Classist my ass. Wealth is a result of work. No work, no wealth. Period. If you're working hard and not getting anywhere, then you need to work smarter, get an education and move up.There are very few who have worked hard and smart for 40 years and ended up broke. Drive through any hood and all you see are people sitting around on the front porch. What aren't they in the library or studying?
judge373Jul 24, 2006
If you think wealth comes from hard work alone, then you're incredibly naive. So many other factors contribute, and most of those arise from luck - intelligence, appearance, personality, upbringing, etc... Let's face it, those who are lucky enough to have wealthy, educated and involved parents will have a much better chance to get a good education and find a decent job, and parents are only one of the factors to later earning power. There's a reason that fortune and luck have a similar meaning. Of course, hard work is necessary for everyone, but life is also ultimately a crap-shoot.
cedexJul 24, 2006
@crweaks23:$1000 rent per month? You forgot to mention how much space that rent gets you? I'm guessing that for that kind of money in NYC, you're either getting a place that is tiny, or located in the ghetto.Some people just can't live like that, especially if you have more than 2 people living together.
weaksnycJul 24, 2006
@CedExActually, my place is rather large - not huge, but very livable. I have a bigger room than I did before I moved here. Too many people outside of the city really don't know enough to comment on the situation. I live on the Upper East side, an area very safe and full of people my age (21-30 range). Studios can run a lot more, but if you get a roommate or 2, finding 2 or 3 bedroom with a living room and kitchen, 1 or 2 bath, you can find a place that costs between $1000 and $1500 easy. Trust me, I've done plenty of searching, and continue to search, as I am on a month-to-month lease. I have friends who pay even less for more space, one even with a mini back yard for grilling(!)I don't deny this is much more than almost every other area in the country... I'm just saying it's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be.