Philadelphia Has Only One Problem

This opinion column argues that rich households are treated as an enemy of city policy rather than as something to be pursued.

1 minute read

November 13, 2001, 1:00 PM PST

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech


Philadelphia has only one problem: there aren't enough rich folks here. There is no important issue that doesn't hinge in some significant way on our lack of wealthy neighbors: schools, blight, crime, jobs, taxes, corruption, innovation. Sure, sure. Everything is related to everything else. And there are plenty of reasons why rich folks have left. You can trace the chain of 'this caused that' all the way back to the Big Bang, and call all kinds of things 'the one problem.' You can also get fancy--or lazy--and say we've got three problems or twenty. But explanation is where the mind comes to rest. And you'll never be far wrong if you come to rest on the plain fact that we don't have enough rich Philadelphians.

Thanks to Mark Alan Hughes

Tuesday, November 13, 2001 in The Philadelphia Daily News

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