Wall Street Cronies Live It Up, The Rest Of Us Just Live

This year, [Wall Street bankers are expected to receive $23.9 billion in bonuses], while more than one-fifth of New Yorkers are below the national poverty line of $10,000 per year, per person.

[And About one eighth of all New Yorkers have trouble just making ends meet]. That might sound like a small fraction, but it translates to 1.2 million people who have to make a decision between paying the rent or doing the grocery shopping. Poverty activists say that many opt to pay the rent, and are then forced to rely on emergency or charity food for sustenance.

Reuters reports:

"It's a struggle," said 53-year-old Pierre Simmons, who has a part-time job, as he wrapped up a bagel from his soup kitchen lunch for later. "I have a job, but the cost of living is so high it makes it hard to buy food."

And, surprise, surprise, out of the entire United States, our fair city has the most glaring income gap—that means the rich are really rich and the poor are really flippin’ poor. But don’t feel guilty or anything. At least all those lucky SOBs on Wall Street are [helping the economy].

Photo courtesy of [Scootie on Flickr]