Given that I remain a happy resident of a small rural community in Alaska, it remains a curiosity that I'm still writing about the state of America's urban areas and Democrat/leftist (but I repeat myself) jurisdictions. If you've been reading my work over the last few years, you know I grew up in a rural community in Iowa and am now a content rural dweller myself. I have little time for cities, despite having lived in them for four decades. I find them unpleasant; crowded, noisy, and, to be honest, they reek of car exhaust. I like the clean country air of the Susitna Valley, and if that means I have to put up with the occasional black bear eating our raspberries, that's fine. Besides, black bears are fine eating.
So, why am I still worried about America's cities? Because our cities are the beating hearts of our nation. Much of the country's economic activity happens there. Urban areas host much of the country's industry and academia. What's more, our cities used to be the pride of the nation, but that's less the case now. Too many of our nation's cities, large and small, are beset with repeat criminals, and in some cases, those crooks are the people who are supposed to be protecting the people.
If you're familiar with this series of articles on America's major cities, you'll know as well that I place the blame for the downfall of our cities on one primary thing: The fact that these cities are almost under one-party, Democrat rule. Every one. So let's look at a few of the more egregious examples.
First, New York's communist mayor, Zohran Mamdani. Under his rule, which has not even hit the one-year mark, we're seeing violent crime increasing. About that, I wrote:
Here's the thing: Mayor Mamdani inherited a city, a messy, disorganized city, where even so homicide rates are relatively (for New York) low, but post-COVID violent crime rates are rising, and again, we once more see the disturbing trend of goblins committing a crime, being arrested and released, committing a more serious crime, being arrested and released, until finally they escalate to murder — and Mayor Mamdani issues a pious statement about affordability and whines about "gun violence." Given that New York's lax justice system is letting these people back out on the streets, time and time again, wouldn't "prosecutorial violence" be a more apt way to describe it?
This incompetent, feckless, Democratic Socialist child of wealth and privilege can't even keep illegal street vendors from springing up like toadstools after a summer rain. But he was elected mayor by a city where Democrat rule has already driven out many of the productive people, the people who pay taxes, and many of those people have made a habit of voting Democrat; they literally gave Mamdani the rope to hang them with.
That's why elections matter.
On to Los Angeles, where Mayor Karen Bass has done her doggone best to outdo Mayor Mamdani in incompetence. She's up for reelection right now, in the current midterm election, and her opponent, after the state's insane jungle primary, may well be even worse; the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) candidate Nithya Raman. A great sign of the mess the City of Angels is in can be seen on the infamous Skid Row, with all of its homeless encampments, open-air drug sales and use, and more. About that, I wrote:
Los Angelenos' 2026 mayoral election presents only bad choices, namely, the leftist incumbent, the incompetent Karen Bass and even farther left "democratic socialist" Nithya Raman. The city is caught between the incompetent Scylla and the communist Charybdis, and while a Governor Hilton may be able to override them in some respects, a long-term fix will require a long-term change in California's culture, and sadly, that just plain doesn't seem very likely.
That's why elections matter.
And, finally, there's Portland — the endgame for Democrat rule of our cities. Portland is approaching collapse, and the municipal government seems determined to prove that old axiom about the definition of insanity: Trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results. About that, I wrote:
This, folks, is the leftist endgame. Do you want to know the direction our cities are headed under Democrat rule? Look at Portland. Do you want to know how our cities will collapse, into crime and despair? Look at Portland. Do you want to know how our major cities will die, how their residents will flee? Look at Portland. It's all happening right there, right now, every day.
It all started downhill long ago, but six years ago, Portland hit the TURBO button. In 2020, Oregon voters approved a measure to decriminalize user possession of drugs. As a result, drug use skyrocketed, as did the crimes, from aggravated assault to industrial-grade shoplifting, that went with that. Also in 2020, the city was caught up in the notorious "Summer of Love" riots, which caused billions in property damage — while the city of Portland slashed its police budget by $15 million.
That's why elections matter.
With the 2026 midterms literally only a matter of hours away from concluding, it's a good time to take a good, hard look at what's happening in too many of our major cities. It's a better time to take a good, hard look at the people who are running those cities, and the policies they are pushing. And if you live in one of those cities, even if the odds are stacked against the sane candidates, vote! There's only two ways the endless problems plaguing our major cities will end, and that will be through either new (conservative) leadership — or collapse. And you don't need me to tell you which is preferable.
