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Epic Economist, 1/26/26
"America’s Biggest Cities Are Crumbling
As Trash Piles Up And Businesses Disappear"
"In today's video, we're looking at what people are actually witnessing on the ground in these urban areas. We've got footage from folks showing massive piles of garbage that just aren't getting cleaned up, burnt-out buildings in downtown LA where people are sleeping among the ruins, and streets that look like they've been completely abandoned. But here's the thing - this isn't just about garbage trucks or street cleaning schedules. What we're seeing is all connected. When cities can't keep up with basic services like trash pickup, it starts affecting everything else. Businesses don't want to operate next to piles of garbage, so they leave. When businesses leave, people lose jobs. When people lose jobs, some end up homeless. And when you've got growing homelessness, it puts even more strain on city services.
One clip that really stuck with me was from someone in LA who started picking up trash on his daily walk to the coffee shop. He filled an entire bag just going around one corner, and he pointed out something important - a lot of that trash had been there for months. It's not that people are constantly littering everywhere; it's that nobody's cleaning it up. When someone does clean an area, it actually stays pretty clean for weeks.
We're also looking at what's happening to major business districts. San Francisco's Union Square has seen about half its retail stores close in just four years. Pittsburgh has whole streets of boarded-up buildings. Seattle's got areas where families and tourists are just three blocks away from serious crime and drug problems.
Some of the people in these videos are talking about this as part of a larger societal collapse - the idea that our cities are dying, and when cities die, countries die. Others are focusing on specific solutions, like better emergency shelters or job programs for the homeless. There are different perspectives on what's causing all this and what we should do about it.
What I find troubling is how these problems seem to be accelerating. Multiple people mentioned that they don't remember things being this bad even just a few years ago. Whether it's the pandemic's impact, policy decisions, or something bigger going on in our society, something's clearly not working.
I'm curious what you all think about this. Are we seeing temporary problems that cities can solve, or are these symptoms of something more serious? Have you noticed changes in your own area? What solutions do you think might actually work? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. If you found this video helpful, please give it a thumbs up and consider subscribing for more content about what's happening in our communities across America."
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