The nature of American cities has changed dramatically in the last half century. How do the cities of NJ drive our economy? Most have few good jobs anymore, and instead are financial drains on an economy. While Jersey City has attracted some jobs from NYC, that is the exception rather than the rule (Newark, Paterson, Trenton, Camden, Atlantic City).
All you need do for example is to compare the traffic flow into and out of the cities at rush hour. More taxes are paid by city dwellers than the cities receive from the federal government.
Not only is the difference obvious but it is totally false that there are no good jobs in cities. There is no suburban comparisons to the LaSalle Street concentrations of lawyers, financial expertise, or major Banks. Nor are there comparisons to the culture in the cities, no CSOs, Blues clubs, no Cubs.
The cities are the laboratories which create new products and new ideas because they provide the background, the economies of scale, low transportation costs vital to the creation of the new. Services like medical care and education are also extremely important and they are superior to rural areas.
Jane Jacobs books describe the economic role of the City.
It should also be noted that virtually all of the problems of cities flow from the poorly educated moving away from rural areas or other nations. These people are turned Demon by the welfare policies it uses to keep them on the Plantation. Knowing little about the politics, votes are retained by providing jobs, welfare even food.
This attraction is also demonstrated in 3d World cities which have achieved massive sizes in the last century.
Wars were traditionally won when the rival’s cities were overrun or destroyed. We don’t speak of the Trojan Suburbs War. Every great empire has at least one major city at its core.
Animus does not substitute for reason and knowledge.