Friday, September 2, 2022

"Our Major Cities Are Being Transformed Into Stomach-Churning Cesspools Of Squalor"

Full screen recommended.
"Our Major Cities Are Being Transformed Into 
Stomach-Churning Cesspools Of Squalor"
by Epic Economist

"All over America, large portions of our major cities are becoming disgusting cesspools of misery. The standard of living that fueled the growth and prosperity of previous generations no longer exist. And now, we’re confronting a decaying reality of rising poverty, homelessness, and substance abuse even in some of the nation’s wealthiest areas. The decline of our main metropolitan areas is just a reflection of an economy that is steadily falling apart. And the greatest threat we are currently facing is a rapidly deepening downturn that is likely to unleash civil unrest all around the country. But while some are rushing to flee dysfunctional cities before another black swan event hits, millions remain trapped in stomach-churning conditions, completely unaware of the dangers that lie ahead.

Not long ago, columnist LZ Granderson authored an op-ed piece in which he described what life is like in Los Angeles right at this moment. In 2021, LA spent over $620 million in tax dollars just to address its homelessness crisis, and yet, the homeless population jumped by 16% in the past year alone, representing an additional 60,000 people living on the city’s streets. “As a Los Angeles resident, I am among those who wonder what the mayor’s office is doing. When I lived downtown it was virtually impossible to walk a full block in any direction without seeing a homeless person. In Silver Lake where I live now, there are tent cities. On my drive to work, I see people living underneath the highway overpasses. It’s no longer Skid Row here. The skid is everywhere,” Granderson wrote.

Sadly, that description could also apply to San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Memphis, Cleveland, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and countless other U.S. cities. Similarly, in New York, giant piles of trash are being spotted in every corner of the city. And despite the rampant levels of societal rot, it turns out that it’s incredibly expensive to live among the garbage. Since January, rents rose 33 percent in New York City, 16 percent in Los Angeles, and 12 percent in Chicago. But many Americans are realizing that living in these decaying places is unsustainable, and they’ve been doing everything they can to relocate before another disaster, emergency or downturn emerges.

With housing affordability issues worsening, and a huge part of the population at risk of facing energy poverty this winter, have you already stopped to wonder what are those cities going to look like once we get deep into the ongoing economic downturn? Most people will continue to live in denial until the very end. And even though 61 percent of the population is living paycheck to paycheck, people continue to rack up debt as if there was no tomorrow. Americans are drowning in debt, but the cost of living continues to climb much faster than inflation, leaving us imprisoned in a system that is doomed to fail. At this point, everyone should be building up their financial cushions, because what is coming is not a joke. The time to wake up is now. Those who refuse to face this reality will find themselves ill-prepared to handle the very harsh economic environment that is ahead."

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