I’ve never been to San Francisco. I’ve been near it – flew into Sacramento for work once and then took the I-5 down through Central California to LA. It was a pretty drive. But it was also close to 20 years ago.

I’m far less inclined to ever visit San Fran now, as we see story after story of the rampant crime, open-air drug markets, and violence emanating from the City by the Bay. Videos and imagery from the area leave the impression of a third-world hellhole, rather than a gleaming, burgeoning, tech-oriented metropolis. And according to my California friends, LA isn’t much better.

But we don’t need to look all the way to the West Coast for examples of hollowed-out urban cores. They’re sprinkled throughout the country – and St. Louis is no exception, sadly.

What’s the answer? There are no easy ones, that’s for certain. But we have to start by acknowledging that our governance sucks. I say “our” because, while there’s little question the vast majority of struggling urban areas are run by Democrats, their failure affects us all. And Republicans aren’t exactly immune to corruption and laziness. The bottom line is: No matter who is in charge, governing is hard. There’s no “Easy” button for it. And if we want things to improve, we’ve got serious work cut out for us.

I don't know who needs to hear this, but there's no "Easy" button for governing — just as there isn't one for life.

— Susie Moore ⚾️🌻🐶 (@SmoosieQ) April 11, 2023

This “Moore to the Point” commentary aired on NewsTalkSTL on Wednesday, April 12th. Audio included below.

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