The worst run cities in America

The Hill ^ | 1/10/2021 | Kristinn Taylor

[bitt]

The state of cities around the country is rapidly declining, leading to the greatest rates of emigration since the days of disorder and distress in the 1970s. Eight cities stand out as the worst run in the country, when ranked with markers like costs of living, education, poverty, and crime. These are New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington, Portland, Oakland and Chicago. Despite billions of dollars doled out annually, every one of these cities has dire mismanagement issues.

Cities that use the most dollars per capita are some of the worst run cities. Washington spends some $15,600 per citizen annually, over 12 times that of cities such as Miami. New York has a budget hole of over $540 million. Debt in many cities is driven mostly by pensions and public payrolls, with New York ranked first with its glaring $64,100 in debt per citizen, Chicago second with $36,000, Philadelphia third with $27,900, San Francisco fifth with $22,600, and Oakland in seventh with $21,100.

As social programs continue to balloon, burdensome taxes on residents and business to fund government initiatives result in exorbitant costs of living. Before the coronavirus, the metro areas of New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, Portland, and Oakland had growing costs of living. Manhattan residents shell out 150 percent more than the national average on food, taxes, housing, and transportation.

Even with billions of dollars meant to fund public education, many cities have failing school systems. The deficiencies are reflected in graduation rates across New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Portland, each below 80 percent. New York spends more than double the national average per pupil at $28,800 annually. Its school system often lets down gifted students, running without an accelerated program in an eighth of its districts. A committee created

[A strike]

Hmmm...
Who’s running those cities ?

[Hardastarboard]

The reason for all of this is simple. We haven't spent ENOUGH. /bitter sarc

(yes, I've heard lefties say this).

[Albion Wilde]

The byline at the link is Kristin Tate, not Kristinn Taylor.

[kearnyirish2]

Public school teachers in NJ are our upper middle class, with great pay and benefits not seen in the private sector for decades here - and they work 180 part-time days per year with guaranteed employment-for-life after a couple of years. In urban areas they draw extra “combat pay”, and learning is practically non-existent; they are in one of the few fields/industries where results have no bearing on compensation or job security.

More than any other single factor, the hold of the teachers’ unions has destroyed NJ economically; employers and young potential employees won’t set up here (and those that are here have been leaving for years). Eventually opening a large business here will be impossible because there won’t be enough English speakers to staff it.

[bgill]

All have another common denominator. They’re RAT infested.

[DownInFlames]

This all started under FDR. First he creates the Great Depression, then tries to fix it causing this mess. Federal Spending to fix everything started in the 30s.

[DoughtyOne]

Yes, FDR was a nincompoop.