When I was working and traveling to the Pacific rim jobs the worst part of my trip was LAX. One night I landed in the wee small hours and had an unusually long layover but such that I didn’t have time to dawdle. I made the mistake of going out by taxi in search of a Denny’s or similar for a bite to eat. BIG MISTAKE! I never felt so threatened even in Bogota, Columbia or Vietnam in ‘94 under house arrest.
We have become more like Nigeria, most things look old and tired and worn out in the public sphere in big cities. Our tax dollars don’t go for the benefit of those who pay them.
When I was a kid the sales tax was 3%, that’s it state, local and all. That tax provided good schools to the baby boom generation that swelled the need for seats and teachers. It provided good public services, roads, libraries and parks. Now all of those things struggle for the pot of funding that is more than THREE times as big in INFLATION ADJUSTED REAL DOLLAR terms! That is just how far the welfare state has grown for people who add nothing to the pot.
I will pay somewhat extra for flights just to avoid LAX. My late wife's hometown is near Ontario, California, still a reasonably nice airport. Last time time I was leaving there and letting her stay a couple weeks later to visit with family, the last flight of the day to Atlanta (my connection to PIT) was overbooked.
They made a pretty good offer and a private limo if I would get on an LAX flight connecting through Memphis. They also upgraded me to first class.
The limo driver was a black guy who knew the roads well and took me there via the warehouse and industrial areas. He explained that not only were the roads less congested, but we were less likely to run into any urban ferals by avoiding the straighter route through the 'hood.