Big cities are dying. This should shock you.

[Steppenwolfe]

Right. It is about how we as a country have enabled and supported drug use and what it is doing to our society. Much of this has concentrated in the big cities, but far from all of it.

You are correct... this has cut across decades, includes many presidents and versions of congress. To lay blame at the feet of one group is gross ignorance. Drug use is a symptom of an underlying condition; how we chose to deal with it will determine who we are as a Nation for many years to come.

 

[Jstpssng]

Small towns started dying long before big cities woke up to there being a problem. The small town where my mom grew up in Nebraska doesn't even have a high school any more. When you erode the foundations of a society, it's not surprising that those glittering pinnacles get kind of shaky.

We're seeing that here; Maine has the oldest population in the nation, and when rural kids grow up they move away to find decent jobs. When I moved here 15 years ago there were two stores in town and an active volunteer fire department. It was nice to be able to drive the tractor down to get diesel. I always meant to join the latter but it folded before I had the chance, and both stores have since closed; It's now 20 miles to get fuel so I have to keep extra on hand, and always fill my pickup when I drive past the last gas station on my way home.

 

[ultrarunner]

So many are seeking that mythical place and few find it...

About 10 years now almost everyone that retires from my work heads out of State... very few stay in the Bay Area or California...

It has become a thing with those nearing retirement taking trips to check out places they are considering... in the last 4 months several have sold all and moved to Arizona...

Arizona is very popular right now... but Nevada, Oregon and Texas are still popular.

Several of my friends have moved to Seattle over the last 2 years so I was a little surprised by this thread... but I really don't know much about Seattle except from day trips...

Depending on your stage of life... your needs vary.

The Bay Area homes are still selling briskly allowing those who move to cash out...

I guess as long as there are employment opportunities people will be drawn to urban centers for career.

The other reason is Oakland is experiencing the exact opposite since declining population and closed storefronts started in the late 1960's... will it last... I am sure not as these things always run in cycles... but it is nice seeing abandoned shopping centers bustling with life and new business going in...

 

[atsah]

We're seeing that here; Maine has the oldest population in the nation, and when rural kids grow up they move away to find decent jobs. When I moved here 15 years ago there were two stores in town and an active volunteer fire department. It was nice to be able to drive the tractor down to get diesel. I always meant to join the latter but it folded before I had the chance, and both stores have since closed; It's now 20 miles to get fuel so I have to keep extra on hand, and always fill my pickup when I drive past the last gas station on my way home.

I see the same kind of thing here.. That's why I'm out by fall. Maine is a nice safe place to live but I find it not worth the winter and inconveniences to stay.. Been here 15 years as well, I'm thinking in a few years I will have to pay people to do simple tasks that I do myself now, I would rather not move snow in very cold temps, not something that is healthy for me to do and being locked inside for weeks on end is coming to an end for me..

 

[Oldoak]

Right. It is about how we as a country have enabled and supported drug use and what it is doing to our society. Much of this has concentrated in the big cities, but far from all of it.

You are correct... this has cut across decades, includes many presidents and versions of congress. To lay blame at the feet of one group is gross ignorance. Drug use is a symptom of an underlying condition; how we chose to deal with it will determine who we are as a Nation for many years to come.

I wish you people would stop using "we" in your comments.

"We" is all inclusive. In many, many instances individuals like myself are powerless to make a difference and change things. Some of us don't have the money (political clout) or the platform to voice our opinion and are forced to accept what is thrust upon us. Sure I have a vote, but if I am in the minority, I lose in the end. :confused3:

 

[atsah]

Agreed, I'm not a drug enabler by any means. The problem is way beyond me.

 

[ovrszd]

I'm glad we have big cities. I pray they flourish.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

I wish you people would stop using "we" in your comments.

"We" is all inclusive. In many, many instances individuals like myself are powerless to make a difference and change things. Some of us don't have the money (political clout) or the platform to voice our opinion and are forced to accept what is thrust upon us. Sure I have a vote, but if I am in the minority, I lose in the end. :confused3:

Boy are you wrong. You have a voice, and you have a vote. In my opinion when one votes, one has the right to voice their opinion. Rolling over and accepting the status quo is not an option. Become a Bulldog, they would rather die than give up...

 

[ovrszd]

These discussions amuse me. Nothing said here will change anything. But it's fun to fantasize.

 

[RobertBrown]

Right. It is about how we as a country have enabled and supported drug use and what it is doing to our society. Much of this has concentrated in the big cities, but far from all of it.

I watched the film this evening. I guessed it was just released on YouTube. The film was about the homeless problem in Seattle. It was clear that these people are also drug addicts. The point is that by allowing this homeless problem to continue, the city is inadvertently contributing to the overall problem. Those that are paying thier way are reaping the collective criminal reward that this homeless element leaves in its wake.
According to the film virtually all of these "homeless" are either drug addicts or mentally disabled.
As these people break the law either by stealing or simply by executing the lifestyle of living on the street, they are arrested and then released the same day... Even some violent crimes are not prosecuted.
This ineffective judicial system is seen as the root of the problem.