For anyone who has ever traveled to or lived in the third world, there are some unmistakable (and unsightly) signs that remind travelers how good they have it back home: crumbling, bumpy roads, poverty, stray dogs and cats roaming empty lots, machine gun-wielding guards, and corruption at every turn.
Staff Report
Heavily-Armed Guards“Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.” ― Thomas Jefferson Machine-gun toting police and military check points are common place in the third world. And ever since 9/11, more sightings of heavily-arm“Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.” ― Thomas Jefferson Machine-gun toting police and military check points are common place in the third world. And ever since 9/11, more sightings of heavily-armed guards have occurred at major transportation hubs in the U.S. Last year the NYPD deployed swarms of guards with full military gear, M16 assault rifles, and body armor to ride the NYC subways in response to suicide bombings in Russia. Military patrols at airports and train stations like Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and Port Authority Station in New York City are now a regular occurrence.Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesReturn of the Squeegee ManPerhaps one of the most evocative signs that the U.S. economy is heading for a lost decade is the return of aggressive window-washing panhandlers known as “squeegee men.” A common sight in New York City during the economic recession of the 1980s, they alPerhaps one of the most evocative signs that the U.S. economy is heading for a lost decade is the return of aggressive window-washing panhandlers known as “squeegee men.” A common sight in New York City during the economic recession of the 1980s, they all but vanished as the city prospered and incomes rose. But as chronic unemployment reaches alarming levels, men armed with buckets of dirty water and squeegees have returned to pester drivers at stoplights. A New York Daily News reporter spotted a crew of five in New York’s busy Times Square on September 18th.NY Daily NewsTent CitiesJust beyond the glitz and bright lights of the casinos in Reno, Nevada, another stark reality exists. What started with a few tents down by the train track in 2008, quickly doubled and then tripled, and within weeks the number homeless people living in tJust beyond the glitz and bright lights of the casinos in Reno, Nevada, another stark reality exists. What started with a few tents down by the train track in 2008, quickly doubled and then tripled, and within weeks the number homeless people living in this tent city had swelled to over 150 people. Advocacy groups like the Real Change Homeless Empowerment Project have been reporting the rise of tent cities all over the country, from Seattle, WA to Chattanooga, TN. Currently there are about 200 organized tent cities across the U.S. that house some 5,500 people, according to National Coalition for the Homeless, and the number of homeless has been rising steadily since 2007.Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesEmpty LotsMany communities hit hard by the housing crisis have come to a grim conclusion: bulldoze to survive. Sparsely populated neighborhoods and abandoned houses are costly to maintain, and many turn to bulldozing to save money and keep crime rates down. By raziMany communities hit hard by the housing crisis have come to a grim conclusion: bulldoze to survive. Sparsely populated neighborhoods and abandoned houses are costly to maintain, and many turn to bulldozing to save money and keep crime rates down. By razing entire communities, local governments have fewer streets to clean, garbage to collect and neighborhoods to police, said Dan Kildee, treasurer of Genesee County in Flint Michigan. Demolishing vacant properties is even encouraged in a Housing and Urban Development Department initiative known as the “Neighborhood Stabilization Program,” which provides over $7 billion in grants for different community revitalization initiatives. Welcome to the new American suburb.Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesRough Roads“It’s the journey, not the destination.” Not if you’re driving in the U.S. Lately, driving on America’s crumbling roads<“It’s the journey, not the destination.” Not if you’re driving in the U.S. Lately, driving on America’s crumbling roads can be a bumpy, costly and dangerous ride. A 2010 report from U.S. PIRG (Public Interest Research Groups) found that 45 percent, or 150,000 miles, of interstate highways need repair and more than 70,000 bridges are decaying. The American Society of Civil Engineers' 2009 infrastructure study gave America’s roads a “D-”grade. The states with the worst roads were Alaska, Rhode Island and New Jersey.David McNew/Getty ImagesIncome InequalityWhen you arrive in almost any third world county one thing becomes very apparent: a small wealthy elite controls all the resources while the rest of the population lives in abject poverty. In the United States, as any Occupy Wall Street protestor will telWhen you arrive in almost any third world county one thing becomes very apparent: a small wealthy elite controls all the resources while the rest of the population lives in abject poverty. In the United States, as any Occupy Wall Street protestor will tell you, income inequality is heading in the same direction. According to a recent University of California study, income inequality is at an all time high, surpassing levels during the height of the Great Depression. From 2002-2007, the top 1 percent captured two thirds of income growth. And according to the C.I.A World Factbook, the United Sates ranks #39 between Cameroon and Jamaica for unequal income distributions.Mario Tama/Getty Images
