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Why are Chicago, San Fran, NYC, Philly, etc so in debt? Bad government policies. Not because of some ponzi scheme. https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/wasted-

Why are Chicago, San Fran, NYC, Philly, etc so in debt? Bad government policies. Not because of some ponzi scheme. https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/wasted-tax-dollars/ https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/wasted-tax-dollars/ $365K In Taxpayer Dollars To Teach People How To Fish? You can look at every one of these cities and see them making bad government policies that placed them in this situation.

technovader 4y ago
Sure, but his points apply to almost every suburb in US and Canada. This isn't a one off problem
AlexandrB 4y ago
This sounds like a free activity or daycamp for kids[1]. I don't see what the big deal is. Gives kids a hobby and keeps them from getting into trouble. Probably a net savings long term when you consider the cost of dealing with youth crime. By this name logic, public libraries and museums are also a waste of money. [1] https://kids-fishing.com/fishing-chicago/ https://kids-fishing.com/fishing-chicago/ Edit: It's also worth considering the scale of the problem vs the cost of a program like this. The article says that the state is billions in debt, meanwhile this costs .35 million - probably less than the average house in Illinois. A debt of billions seems more structural in nature than small, possibly unwise spends like this. This is the political equivalent of boomers telling young people that they could afford a house if only they cut back on avocado toast.
nemo44x 4y ago
It's because the cities are unbelievably corrupt. Bloomberg was the only non-corrupt mayor because he could buy his way to victory and didn't have to rely on the established political machinery to get there. But he was just 1 person and with the kinds of revenues NYC was bringing in, there was just so many opportunities to scratch backs. Other pols are so indebted to so many people/organizations/etc that corruption is going to happen. They can't rise to power without getting all these favors which are to be repaid once they acquire power. How do you get power? You get the support of the political machine in your area. How do you get that support? You get the organizations that fund that machine on your side. How do you get those organizations on your side? You promise to make their investment in you pay dividends when you come into power.

technovader 4y ago

Sure, but his points apply to almost every suburb in US and Canada. This isn't a one off problem

AlexandrB 4y ago

This sounds like a free activity or daycamp for kids[1]. I don't see what the big deal is. Gives kids a hobby and keeps them from getting into trouble. Probably a net savings long term when you consider the cost of dealing with youth crime. By this name logic, public libraries and museums are also a waste of money. [1] https://kids-fishing.com/fishing-chicago/ https://kids-fishing.com/fishing-chicago/ Edit: It's also worth considering the scale of the problem vs the cost of a program like this. The article says that the state is billions in debt, meanwhile this costs .35 million - probably less than the average house in Illinois. A debt of billions seems more structural in nature than small, possibly unwise spends like this. This is the political equivalent of boomers telling young people that they could afford a house if only they cut back on avocado toast.

nemo44x 4y ago

It's because the cities are unbelievably corrupt. Bloomberg was the only non-corrupt mayor because he could buy his way to victory and didn't have to rely on the established political machinery to get there. But he was just 1 person and with the kinds of revenues NYC was bringing in, there was just so many opportunities to scratch backs. Other pols are so indebted to so many people/organizations/etc that corruption is going to happen. They can't rise to power without getting all these favors which are to be repaid once they acquire power. How do you get power? You get the support of the political machine in your area. How do you get that support? You get the organizations that fund that machine on your side. How do you get those organizations on your side? You promise to make their investment in you pay dividends when you come into power.