The quality of life in San Francisco has literally degenerated to near-3rd World conditions. The streets and waterways are filled with garbage, people camping out in tents, a rampant drug problem and continual riots---while a few others live and work in overpriced housing. These are conditions Americans once associated with the poorer parts of Asia and Latin America; but it is an example of what the Progressive Left considers a great social achievement.
San Francisco is so filthy that there's now a website warning pedestrians of areas too polluted with human waste for safety. Elevators and escalators in public places have actually been damaged by this problem. SFGate reported last November that the City had received almost 20,000 public reports of unsanitary conditions on the streets: a 39% increase from 2015. Problems controlling vermin like rats, roaches, lice, etc. have been a uphill battle in the City for the last few years. It's not uncommon that public venues are closed for infestations of these kinds.
Even Leftist Corporate Media outlets like The Huffington Post and DailyKos were forced to admit as recently as last year that the Bay Area is one of the most polluted waterways in the country. Especially residue from plastic food containers which pile up everywhere in the streets. High levels of narcotics are also present.
Areavibes rates San Francisco as 'failing' in Cost of Living, Crime, and Education. San Francisco's public schools' test scores are 23% below national average and the City has a crime rate 142% above the national average. Violent crime accounts for most of this percentage. Unsurprisingly, San Francisco activists closed down all the City's gun stores; and concealed-carry permits are difficult to obtain.
Equally unsurprisingly, San Francisco's drug problem is among the nation's worst. It is estimated by US Government sources that the illicit drug traffic in San Francisco nets about $400 million per year. 13% of the population admits to using 'recreational' drugs according to surveys. The San Francisco Examiner reported that last Summer, overdose deaths were averaging 100 per month. And it is not simply illegal drugs: the National Institute of Drug Abuse reported that nearly 6 million opioid prescriptions were issued between 2011-2013. This is about 8 prescriptions per capita in a city of around 800,000 people.
According to Areavibes, 1 in 7 residents of the Paris of the West live below the poverty level. The Cost of Living is 89% higher than average; including housing prices which alone are 255% higher than average.
But there are advantages to living in San Francisco. It is a sanctuary city for illegal aliens; the most 'gay-friendly' city in the US; and has comprehensive tobacco bans and bans on plastic shopping bags. The City also mandates a $15/hour minimum wage for those who can find work. It ranks only behind its neighbors---Oakland and Berkeley---as the most Liberal California major cities.
Is it any wonder that the City Elites scapegoat Trump and Republicans? Diverting public attention from Liberalism's failures by blaming Conservatives is a political expedient that the Elites are compelled to employ. But San Francisco is an example of the Leftist Dystopia that so-called 'Progressives' would see imposed nationwide.
You really nailed it. We went through San Francisco a few years ago after being away for a decade or so. It was heart breaking, people walking down the street still in hospital gowns with iv's, people sitting right on the curb openly shooting heroin, just this dystopian horror show of humanity's wretched refuse pouring into the streets everywhere. Really sad.
ReplyDeleteThank you---what's happening in SF is happening to a degree in all the Liberal-run cities of the Northwest. In Seattle and Portland it's not uncommon to see long bread-lines at food pantries and there are aggressive drug-fueled bums everywhere.
DeleteOne that impresses people immediately when visiting these cities is the gloominess and depressing atmosphere. They're all cities that gives one the feeling that you don't want to stay longer than absolutely necessary. But most of the Liberal Mandarins who run these cities live away from the problems and blame everything on Conservatives.