NIMBYism isn’t just an American thing. As for civil liberties, the type of conservatorship that Britney Spears was famously on indicates that America can enact laws which are quite authoritarian, as regards mental illness, when it wants too.
It is easier when the state has no financial liabilities. Remember, no one gets elected on this. Our largest, old cities are like walking advertisements for Republican Party extremism, with programs claiming to help everyone, yet never helping anyone. They are jobs programs for connected jerks. I should know, as I work in such an agency. Much of public transit in large corrupt cities suffers from this as well. The schools are literally a corruption all-you-can-eat with overpaid consultants who not only steal from poor children, but ruin their educational experience as well (the best sign of this is to see easy-to-game metrics such as "How many students go on to college").
I love the American city, but corruption is so deep that I am not sure they can reform anymore. My Chicago neighborhood is full of pot holes, but the city staff reliably water the flower pots hanging off of light posts every week. It is insane. Chicago has a forestry service, but they are clearly not doing anything, save for removing dangerous trees, but even there, not very well. The department is well-staffed, but what do they do?
It is terrifying. In another era we could hope that the Republicans would come around, but they apparently are too concerned with tax cuts and silly social issues that have no bearing on people's lives. It is easy to feel helpless.
NIMBYism isn’t just an American thing. As for civil liberties, the type of conservatorship that Britney Spears was famously on indicates that America can enact laws which are quite authoritarian, as regards mental illness, when it wants too.
It is easier when the state has no financial liabilities. Remember, no one gets elected on this. Our largest, old cities are like walking advertisements for Republican Party extremism, with programs claiming to help everyone, yet never helping anyone. They are jobs programs for connected jerks. I should know, as I work in such an agency. Much of public transit in large corrupt cities suffers from this as well. The schools are literally a corruption all-you-can-eat with overpaid consultants who not only steal from poor children, but ruin their educational experience as well (the best sign of this is to see easy-to-game metrics such as "How many students go on to college").
I love the American city, but corruption is so deep that I am not sure they can reform anymore. My Chicago neighborhood is full of pot holes, but the city staff reliably water the flower pots hanging off of light posts every week. It is insane. Chicago has a forestry service, but they are clearly not doing anything, save for removing dangerous trees, but even there, not very well. The department is well-staffed, but what do they do?
It is terrifying. In another era we could hope that the Republicans would come around, but they apparently are too concerned with tax cuts and silly social issues that have no bearing on people's lives. It is easy to feel helpless.