While we were in Vegas, one thing I noticed was that there was a larger population of homeless people. With the rise of inflation and the crazy housing market, I can see why there are so many people that have been forced onto the streets.
The cost of food has gotten ridiculous. My family's grocery bills have pretty much doubled over the past six months or so and we have been forced to cut back on so many of the extras that we had. It has been a struggle for my wife and I to make it each month without us having to get another job, but for so many people, they were strapped before this recession and now so many people are struggling to make it.
My son is making really great money, but it is nothing compared to what places are charging for rent these days. He is paying more in rent for a one bedroom apartment than I am paying for my mortgage on our six bedroom home that is nearly 4 times the size of his apartment. Things are just getting out of control here and I have no idea how people are expected to make it through this.
When I took this photo, I felt it was the perfect representation of life in America right now. This poor lady is holding a sign that is literally asking for anything to help her while standing under the Statue of Liberty, which has become a symbol of the so called "American Dream". In the reflection on the glass, you can see all the people that just walk on past her without paying her any mind and you can see the sadness in this woman's eyes.
That night was when we got some really strong rains and it flooded parts of the city. A large portion of the Vegas homeless population lives in the sewer system under the city and as the rains were coming down, all I could think about was how many of those that have had to move under the city were washed away in the floods. I am sure that some of them died that night, but that is something that would never be reported on by the news here.
So much of the US population is barely making it, but costs of just existing here in the US have gotten so out of control that I don't know how much longer people will be able to survive.