Our largest cities are being run by progressive politicians that have been working very hard to implement extremely ambitious progressive agendas. So how is that working out? In this article, I am going to check in on the three largest metropolitan areas in the United States to see how they are doing.
Have they been transformed into “liberal utopias” that can serve as examples to show the rest of the world how they should be doing things? Not exactly. Instead, conditions have gotten really bad in each one of them and things are getting worse with each passing day.
Let’s start with New York City. According to Wikipedia, the Big Apple is part of the largest metropolitan area in the United States. Almost 20 million people currently live in the region, and thanks to progressive law enforcement policies retail theft has risen to ridiculously absurd levels…
Retail theft is on the rise, with robbery, burglary and other crimes increasing by 22%.
And while 327 offenders accounted for 30% of New York City’s 22,000 retail theft arrests in 2022, recidivists were arrested almost 6,600 times, for an average of 20 times each.
The results of this are obvious: Merchants have made approximately 63,000 complaints — most going unresolved.
Meanwhile, New York City is being absolutely flooded with migrants. Liberals love the idea of migrants pouring into this country illegally until the time comes when they must take care of them directly.
At this point, the Big Apple has run out of space to put more migrants, and so they have decided to start sending some of them by bus to nearby counties…
Following New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ announcement last week that the city will bus some migrants to hotels in nearby counties temporarily, officials in Orange County and Rockland counties filed lawsuits attempting to stop the plan – even as some migrants have already arrived.
The counties have also issued executive orders barring the arrival of migrants and asylum seekers.
It could be argued that conditions are even worse in the second largest metropolitan area in the United States. Close to 13 million people live in Los Angeles and surrounding areas, and right now the region is facing the worst drug crisis that it has ever experienced.
A flesh-eating drug known as “tranq” was originally popularized in Philadelphia, but now it is “saturating the streets of Los Angeles”…
A flesh-eating “zombie drug” called xylazine has been saturating the streets of Los Angeles with severe, deadly effects when mixed with illicit opioids.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s officials launched a new program to track the troubling prevalence of the substance, which is a sedative typically used by veterinarians to anesthetize animals.
We have never seen anything quite like this before.
This drug can make people stagger around in a stupor for hours, and it can also cause extremely painful sores that can literally rot your skin away…
Also known as “tranq” or “tranq dope” on the streets, xylazine has become increasingly present in the illicit drug supply. The drug can be cooked down into a powder form and mixed with illicit opioids such as heroin and fentanyl or pressed into counterfeit pills or sedatives.
The “zombie drug” nickname stems from the substance’s known effect of rotting the skin.
Many addicts live in the numerous tent cities that have blossomed all over the City of Angels.
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One of these homeless encampments that was established very close to the border of Beverly Hills ended up creating a tremendous amount of controversy…
A homeless camp that mushroomed into a sea of tents neighboring Beverly Hills has finally been broken up after disgruntled residents complained for weeks that the tent-dwellers were using and selling drugs at the site.
Furious residents of the upscale enclave of Beverly Grove watched in horror as scores of homeless people set up camp on San Vicente Boulevard last month.
They have described how the tent-dwellers are fighting ‘all hours of the day’ while also using and selling drugs at the encampment.
Needless to say, the third largest metropolitan area in the United States knows all about crime, drugs and homelessness. Voters actually got rid of Mayor Lori Lightfoot in the last election because conditions have deteriorated so badly in the Windy City.
But they replaced her with a guy that is even more liberal, and now a number of CEOs are warning that their companies will permanently leave if Brandon Johnson goes through with all of the new taxes that he is promising…
Companies are already vowing to leave Chicago over additional taxes promised by its new mayor – a progressive tasked with addressing the city’s dwindling image under predecessor Lori Lightfoot.
Sworn in early Monday, Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson beat out more moderate Chicago schools CEO Paul Vallas earlier this month to earn the hallowed spot – something business leaders like CME Group Inc are already peeved about.
Appearing on a podcast Sunday, the chief executive of the country’s foremost financial derivatives exchange, Terry Duffy, voiced his distaste over additional taxes planned by the ex union organizer, who was endorsed by Bernie Sanders.
Personally, I don’t understand why those companies are still there.
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Chicago has become a perpetual nightmare, and that isn’t going to change any time soon.
Of course the same thing could be said for hundreds of other cities. In Baltimore, a business owner that has operated in her local community “for more than four decades” is finally throwing in the towel due to rising crime…
The latest incident comes as a mom-and-pop business, operating in Baltimore City for more than four decades, has been forced to shutter operations because of numerous armed robberies.
Jody Rosoff, the owner of Doc’s Smoke Shop in Baltimore’s Highlandtown neighborhood, told local media Fox 45 that she has been robbed at gunpoint for the second time in six months and just recently had to shoot an intruder.
She said her business has been operating in the city for decades and now has to close up shop because “it’s not safe for anybody on this street that’s a small business owner.”
The liberals that run these cities don’t like to see the headlines that their policies have created.
But instead of fixing things, in many cases they simply bring crime rates down by making it extremely difficult for normal citizens to report crimes.
If your crime never gets formally reported, it doesn’t show up in the crime statistics, and that makes those that are currently in charge look better. But nobody can deny what is happening all around the country.
Crime is completely and utterly out of control, and it is getting worse with each passing year.
At this point things are so bad that the Postal Service is actually being forced to replace thousands of mail receptacles from coast to coast…
USPS also said there has been a higher volume of theft incidents from mail receptacles.
In fiscal year 2022, there were 38,500 thefts. In the first half of 2023, there have been over 25,000.
To address this, USPS is establishing harder blue collection boxes at 12,000 locations across the U.S.
There is chaos in our streets on a nightly basis.
This is our country now.
If things are this bad in 2023, what will our largest cities look like once economic conditions severely deteriorate in the years ahead?
We have reached such a critical turning point in this country, and we desperately need leadership.
Unfortunately, Joe Biden is running the show in Washington and Democrats are in charge in virtually all of our biggest cities. Things are going to continue to get worse for quite some time to come, and that is really bad news for all of us.
Michael’s new book entitled “End Times” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.
Article cross-posted from End of the American Dream.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
I have done my part, I obey the law, I pay my taxes, I go to work every day, I follow current events so I can make informed decisions, and I participate in elections. I also jump through all of the “social hoops” I have to when I am out in public, so I can fly under the radar and avoid being a target of radical leftists, screaming Karens, and social justice warriors.
That said, most people that I associate with are pretty much the same, so who are the idiots in our society who keep voting Democrat? These people are a major part of the problem here. It’s easy to just blame the progressive politicians, but let’s face it, they would not be able to inflict their damage if the mental midgets we are forced to share our country with would just stop electing them.
I don’t want to be a fascist but come on already, how much more damage can we allow these people to do to our country? With all the damage they are causing I am finding it more and more difficult to see the benefits of allowing stupid people the right to participate in our elections.