Posted on 01/01/2012 9:45:00 PM PST by blam
Formerly Great Cities All Over America Are Turning Into Open, Festering Sores
January 1, 2012
Once upon a time, the people of the United States constructed beautiful, shiny cities from coast to coast that were the envy of the entire globe. We had the largest and most vibrant middle class that the world has ever seen and life was quite good in America. But now all of our prosperity is coming crashing down and many of our formerly great cities are turning into open, festering sores. Unfortunately, we are drowning in so much debt that we can barely even slow down the shocking decline of our cities.
Over the past decade, tens of thousands of manufacturing facilities and millions of good jobs have been shipped out of the United States. As our economic infrastructure has been ripped out right in front of our eyes, an atmosphere of unemployment, poverty and despair has descended on many of our major cities like a soaking wet blanket. Today, many of our cities that once were considered to be some of the greatest in the world have been transformed into rotting, post-apocalyptic hellholes. When you visit many of these cities and look into the sunken eyes of the residents, you almost get the feeling that something has sucked all of the hope and all of the life right out of them.
For a while, large numbers of Americans still believed that the right politician would bring them "hope" and "change", but now crushing despair is giving way to absolute desperation for millions of people. Desperate people do desperate things, and as our major cities continue to decay they are going to become very dangerous places to be.
Even in some of our most "prosperous cities" there are areas that closely resemble third world conditions. For example, in San Francisco there is an area known as "Hunter's Point" that is a complete and utter nightmare. In Hunter's Point, more than half of the population lives in poverty and more than half of all children live in a home where there is no father present. The following is what one reporter found on a visit to Hunter's Point....
Abernathy and I cut through the complex, tromping over an expanse of dirt and concrete toward the northeast end of the development, where a row of apartments looked down from a grassy hill. We paused next to a vacant, boarded-over unit to take in the scene: A stream of ****, piss, tampons, and toilet paper spewed from a dark hole in the sidewalk, poured down the hill, and formed a sort of **** lagoon next to the street. Weeds, about six inches tall, were growing in the little lagoon.
Raw ****, obviously, is not cool. Beyond the fact that it smells and looks nasty, fecal matter provides a haven for dangerous bacteria, most notably E. coli, a virulent pathogen that can sicken and even kill humans, especially infants. In the so-called developing world, according to the World Health Organization, water tainted by feces is a major killer, a prime cause of severe diarrhea, which takes the lives of an estimated 1.8 million people annually.
But in general, San Francisco is doing better than the rest of California is. Down the coast, Los Angeles continues to come apart at the seams. Approximately 40 arson fires were started in Los Angeles in just the last three days alone. That is the highest number of arson fires that Los Angeles has seen since the 1992 riots.
Unfortunately, as economic conditions worsen, we are going to see a lot more arson all over the nation.
Once upon a time, people all over the country wanted to move to California. But today, millions of people have been pouring out of the state as it continues its shocking decline. If you can believe it, the number of children living in poverty in the state of California increased by a whopping 30 percent between 2007 and 2010.
That isn't just a decline, that is a free fall.
But it isn't like there are too many areas of the country that are doing that much better. All over the country, our major cities are becoming open, festering sores and child poverty is absolutely exploding.
According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, 36.4% of all children that live in Philadelphia are living in poverty, 40.1% of all children that live in Atlanta are living in poverty, 52.6% of all children that live in Cleveland are living in poverty and 53.6% of all children that live in Detroit are living in poverty.
Speaking of Detroit, it is almost unbelievable what has happened to "the motor city"....
*An analysis of census figures found that 48.5% of all men living in Detroit from age 20 to age 64 did not have a job in 2008.
*If you can believe it, the median price of a home in Detroit is now just $6000.
*Only 25 percent of all students in Detroit graduate from high school at this point.
Today, Detroit has become a very frightening place to live. 100 bus drivers in Detroit recently refused to drive their routes out of fear for their own personal safety. The head of the bus drivers union, Henry Gaffney, said that the drivers were "scared for their lives"....
“Our drivers are scared, they’re scared for their lives. This has been an ongoing situation about security. I think yesterday kind of just topped it off, when one of my drivers was beat up by some teenagers down in the middle of Rosa Parks and it took the police almost 30 minutes to get there, in downtown Detroit,” said Gaffney.
Right now, Detroit is a city that is being torn apart by thieves and vandals. Buildings are being literally dismantled as people scramble to find things to sell to keep themselves afloat. The following is from a recent article in the Detroit News about this crisis....
The war to keep the lights on in Detroit is a serious one. Thieves, antiquated equipment and a lack of funding have made it impossible for city officials to catch up to the problem.
City officials estimate 15-20 percent of the 88,000 lights in the Motor City are not working, and they acknowledge that figure could be as high as 50 percent in some neighborhoods.
But it is not just Detroit that is having a major problem keeping the lights on. Over in Highland Park, Michigan the majority of the street lights have been repossessed because the city was not keeping up with the electricity bill.
All over the country, cities are going dark and fixtures are being torn out of homes and businesses as thieves search for something to sell. As one of my readers shared recently, there are some parts of California that are literally being transformed into hellholes by hordes of desperate people....
Here, in the California desert, many vacant houses are being taken over. Fixtures are being ripped out and sold as scrap. Trench latrines are being dug in backyards and water is being pilfered from neighboring pools and hoses. While most of these folks are simply trying to keep a roof over their heads (while they keep their heads down), many are also setting up meth labs and in-door marijuana grows.
I can see the eventual day when the total breakdown of the economy and our society will drive thousands from the cities. A lot of those will be looking for ‘opportunities’.
As sad as it is, if you’re not one of the most unfortunate, it’s time to prepare a defense for your goods, family and self. You are going to be viewed as wealthy, no matter how poor you feel, by someone with nothing left to lose.
Do not rely on police or government authorities. We all saw how that went in New Orleans. Be ready as an individual family unit.
In Fresno, California the theft of copper wire from street lights has become a major crisis. At this point, the loss of copper wire and the cost of repairing street lights is costing Fresno about $50,000 a month. So far, approximately 2,500 street lights have been stripped of their wiring.
Over on the east coast, there are some cities that have lost so much industry that many young people feel as though there are not many viable options left other than selling drugs or selling their bodies.
In an extraordinary article entitled "City of Ruins", Chris Hedges did an amazing job of documenting the nightmarish decline of Camden, New Jersey. Today, it is estimated that the actual rate of unemployment in Camden is somewhere around 30 or 40 percent. For most young people in Camden, there are very few legitimate opportunities for a better life at this point. The following is a brief excerpt from "City of Ruins"....
There are perhaps a hundred open-air drug markets, most run by gangs like the Bloods, the Latin Kings, Los Nietos and MS-13. Knots of young men in black leather jackets and baggy sweatshirts sell weed and crack to clients, many of whom drive in from the suburbs. The drug trade is one of the city's few thriving businesses. A weapon, police say, is never more than a few feet away, usually stashed behind a trash can, in the grass or on a porch.
If the area where you live has not gotten that bad yet, you should be thankful. But the reality is that these economic conditions are spreading and they will get to where you live soon enough.
Disease is also becoming a huge problem in many of our major cities. The combination of poverty and moral decay has created some very frightening conditions in many areas of the country.
This is even happening in some of our most prosperous cities. For example, the rate of HIV infection in Washington D.C. is actually higher than it is in West Africa according to the director of the D.C. HIV/AIDS Administration....
"Our rates are higher than West Africa," said Shannon Hader, the administration's director, who used to spearhead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's work in Zimbabwe. "They're on par with Uganda and some parts of Kenya."
Up in Canada, they have come up with some very "unusual" methods for preventing the spread of health problems. For example, in Vancouver, British Columbia authorities are actually handing out free crack pipes to addicts in an attempt to slow down the spread of diseases. But there is a limit - only one free crack pipe per day is allowed.
Crazy stuff.
What is happening to this world?
But perhaps we should all be thankful to at least have some place to lay our heads at night. Today, there are more than 700,000 homeless people in America, and that number has grown by about 20 percent since 2007.
After the next major financial crisis, that number is going to go even higher.
The truth is that the economy is in much worse shape than most people think, and the poor in America are rapidly getting poorer.
As Gerald Celente has said many times, when the poor lose everything that they have they tend to lose it.
Desperate people do desperate things, and we are already starting to see signs of this all over the nation. For example, you can watch one homeowner defend his home against four armed invaders right here.
So what are our leaders doing to fix this?
Well, unfortunately there is not a whole lot they can do.
Our federal government is absolutely drowning in debt.
During the first three years of Barack Obama, the U.S. government accumulated more debt than it did from the inauguration of George Washington to the inauguration of Bill Clinton.
Of course it would help if the Obama administration would stop wasting money on stupid things and would start spending it to rebuild this country.
For example, did you know that the Obama administration gave a $529 million loan to a U.S. electric car company so that they could manufacture electric cars in Finland?
Talk about stupid.
Is it any wonder that there is such a lack of confidence in the government at this point?
According to one recent survey, 77% of all Americans now believe that there is a leadership crisis in America.
Our economy is dying and formerly great cities all over America are being turned into open, festering sores. This country is in so much trouble that it is hard to find words that can adequately describe it.
2012 is going to represent a huge turning point for this country. If we do not get enough Americans to wake up now, we might not get another chance.
If you love America, please make this a year when you take more action than ever before.
Working together, we can make a huge difference.
“In 2009 it was reported that she had a net worth of 21.7 million dollars, and in 2010 it was reported that she had a net worth of 35.2 million dollars.”
I’m betting that even the $35.2M is understated as most of her husband’s and her wealth is in his name.
“Higher taxes and government control over what we purchase is not a path to prosperity.”
Ditto that. We know what a controlled, regulated economy looks like because we live in one. Do we know what to compare this with?
Who on this board has lived in an uncontrolled, unregulated economy? I have, in Iraq shortly after liberation for over 3 years. Capitalism is the default economic system in the absense of government. I saw it first hand in Iraq. Mercantalism and Johnny-on-the-spot go-getters moved ahead quickly in a totally free environment.
The miracle growth of underdeveloped countries, including China, isn’t slave labor or totalitarianism or corruption. It is the abundance of cheap labor and lack of government control. The same conditions in which America developed and prospered from 1850 - 1950.
A vibrant economy and middle class were created in the absense of government control.
With the imposition of governmenet controls both the economy and the middle class have been ruined.
The reality today is that the Democrat Party used to be a 'volks' party trying to mirror the views of the people, now they have gone hard left and are a social/fascist party. That leaves us the GOP, as flawed as they are, to work within.
You think that imposing tariffs is the solution, I say it will be the death of hundreds of hundred of millions of people when we drive the final nail in the coffin.
Government control of capitalism is working out so well right now. Lets turn it up to 11.
If NAFTA is free trade, why is it a 3000 page document?
I supposed demographics from the get go, but wondered if there was another factor(s).
I agree with the founding fathers, tariffs on imports should be lions share of the Federal Governments income. Like the founders I believe in totally free trade in the USA between the 50 states. If you can’t understand that you are either a foreigner unfamiliar with the USA or stupid.
Bingo
“Not obtuse, trying to make a point but the effort is wasted.”
I suspect many recognized the sarcasm in your comment. Those in disagreement with you were apparently unwilling or incapable of parsing for sarcasm. I consider this an intellectual win on your part.
That’s a shame. He wrote concisely, eloquently and clearly. And truthfully. What idiocy that he was banned. I was banned once for a day and emailed JR and he let me back on, he wasn’t the one who kicked me off. Too bad he didn’t try that.
I agree that the constitution was brilliant. Americans no longer agree or care though. They will trade any freedom and any liberty for blood money. Your argument for funding the US government with tariffs is a moot point.
If enacted, it would be on top of the existing funding streams. It might bring total destruction of the world economy sooner instead of this lingering, wasting, slow death of the producers. It might be a good thing as I might see something rise from the ashes before I die.
You idea that additional government actions can cure what ails us is amusing though. There has never been a government that has voluntarily cut it’s size and scope by three quarters. That is what is needed though and it won’t happen voluntarily.
The only rational way out of this mess is to drastically reduce the size of government, pay off all debts incurred. Then allow the creative and resourceful Americans grow our economy unhindered by a parasitic government. Parasites don’t give up easily.
I believe in free trade between the states. You point out the inequality of countries using near slave labor to undercut our wages, I use the government enacted “living wages” enacted by states and cities to make the same point. Their attempts at equalizing outcomes with government force only achieve more inequality.
A person’s wages are worth what the employer values them at. Finding people to sweep floors? Not much value. Finding a creative person that can conceive, design and build a space ship or any widget is an entirely different scale of value. The progressives say this is unfair. I say it is reality.
More government is always the wrong solution to any problem.
Sorry for the wordy rant. I really am not directing any venom at you and wish you all the well. I don’t need to argue with anyone. Just another frustrated American.
Collecting a tax or tariff doesn't require a huge government action, actually the mechanism are in place no changes in the size of FedGov™ would be needed. Get real.
I believe in small government but not zero government. The Federal Government SHOULD be doing a few things. Collecting tariffs, enforcing customs, protecting the borders and the National defense. That's about it. Just like the founders intended.
We can wrest control from the inmates running this asylum through the ballot box? We put more Republicans in charge? Didn’t we try that recently? What would lead you to believe we would have better results this time?
What did they cut this summer when they went to the mat and almost started slitting each others throats on the house and senate floor? 100 million dollars?
It’s not a matter of what government should be responsible for, it is what we can afford and have enough revenues to actually pay down the debt.
We have 4 trillion in spending each year with 2 trillion dollars in revenue. This math doesn’t work.
I’m not sure what you mean. If you mean this...
“I miss puroresu”
He was a long time poster, and a good one. I don’t know what happened.
First...let me say that I love your homepage, and I thank you for your life long service. Too, my young granddaughter is a budding equestrian. ;o)
When you take those cities, (two from the USA and the others from different countries) but they have the same problems, could there possibly be something wrong with their ideology?
”Better to keep one’s mouth closed and be thought a fool then open it and remove all doubt.”
That is absolutely the best advice, and creed, that anyone need follow.
You are a smart person. ;o)
Bizzare article.
The article seems to want to support a conclusion that the recent economic depression is evident as exemplified by several decaying cities. Yet every city he cites as example were all previously decaying and not due to economic conditions. They are all the product of the failed war on poverty that shattered poor families and created ghettos.
All of these cities decaying are due to white flight and business loss due to high crime and non-existent work ethic. These are all ghettos and slums that have been forming since the 1960s. Pretty terrible examples to support a conclusion about bad economic policies. A better example to support his argument would have been the empty strip malls and failed developments of Las Vegas. Lake Las Vegas would have been a stellar example.
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