Why Are Democrat-Run Cities Such a Mess?

Why are Democrat-run cities such a mess? After every weekend we can expect to hear just how many people or children were shot in Chicago over the weekend. That is appalling, but unfortunately true. Tourist agencies have demanded that San Francisco clean up their streets. The feces problem is becoming well known. Los Angeles has an enormous homeless problem along the fabled Los Angeles river, well publicized. Portland just had riots over their attempt to move an encampment that was protesting ICE at the city’s ICE headquarters.

Here in Seattle, there is a streetcar that runs along the waterfront—slowly. You can get out and walk faster. In any case. the city has ordered new streetcars. Unfortunately the streetcars they ordered are too big for the tracks and too big for the garage where they spend the night. I could go on, but I try never to go into Seattle, nor think about it. The list of screw-ups is long and amusing if you don’t live here.

A recent list, I forget from who, but some large organization found the best run city in the United States to be — Nampa, Idaho. Boise was down at number 9. I come from Idaho originally, so I was pleased, but Idaho is a very Republican state. I started to write a Red State, but the Communist affiliation made me change it.

Chicago is apparently the center for the illegal alien traffic in illegal drugs, and I understood that Trump offered federal help. News from 3 hours ago, “Rahm Emanuel fires back at Trump after President slams city’s crime rate, ‘sanctuary’ status.” Last weekend 60 were shot, but only 4 killed outright. A researcher said that the violence is “virtually all carried out by native-born Americans rather than immigrants.” Chicagoans are demanding that Emmanuel resign. Chicago has a long history of officials that end up in jail, at least that is my impression. (I didn’t check that one out)

Seattle and Portland also have big homeless problems. The mistake, of course, is calling it “homeless” when the problem is addiction. That one is to be solved by safe sites for injecting your drugs with a nurse in attendance. They did build an apartment building for alcoholics a while back, where they could consume their liquor out of the public eye, until it killed them. I don’t know what happened to that big idea. Perhaps the problem is simply the absence of what might be called “tough love.” An insistence on ending the addiction and trying to straighten up. There are numerous organizations here to help the addicted, but expensive residential organizations, not free ones. At the other end of the problem is a push to reduce or void prison terms for drug possession, and to reduce prison terms for inmates. Is the “need to be nice” the reason why Democrat-run cities are such a mess? I have no answers, but it looks like nobody else does either.