We are fortunate indeed to have real world results that we can look at for how well or how poorly governing philosophies and agendas work. America’s major cities have been dominated by the Democratic Party for decades, and the results are in.
All but 3 of America’s largest cities are run by Democratic mayors. The 3 largest cities – New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, are losing population every year.
Several of the most violent cities in America, including Albuquerque, Memphis, Detroit, Chicago and Washington, DC are run by Democrats.
States that are bleeding population every year due to high taxation, over-regulation, decaying cities and failing public services including New York, Connecticut, California and others are all run by Democrats.
Riots, the Capitol and Homeless Camps
In late May, after the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police (a city that has been run by Democrats for decades), Denver, along with many other American cities, erupted in violent riots. The intentions of many of the protestors may indeed have been peaceful – expressing legitimate outrage at the death of a man in police custody, but the protests quickly turned to rioting, vandalism and violent clashes with the Denver Police.
Over the course of several nights, the Colorado Capitol and other government and private buildings in Denver were crudely vandalized and spray painted with offensive graffiti. Windows were broken and statues torn down. According to Shaun Boyd with CBS4, “The State Capitol is almost unrecognizable. The granite walls are covered in graffiti, windows and lights are shattered, and monuments and memorials are defaced or destroyed. Night after night, the vandals have come back to cause more damage.”
Almost two months later, nothing has been done to stop further damage or to repair the existing damage. The governor feigns outrage, but the Colorado State Patrol (who report to him) says they will not act to protect the building.
Homeless camps are proliferating throughout downtown Denver. Merchants are facing the double whammy of less travel thanks to COVID and people avoiding downtown due to the homeless crisis and fear of violence.
One need only look to other cities where Democrat administrations have let lawlessness, homelessness and civil decay get to crisis proportions.
One can find “poop maps” online where cases of human waste have been reported in the City of San Francisco. As one report from 2019 puts it: “…the city itself is in trouble. Today, San Francisco hosts an estimated homeless population of 7,500 people. Affluent sections of the city have become dangerous with open-air drug use, tens of thousands of discarded needles, and, sadly, human feces. Since 2011, there have been at least 118,352 reported instances of human fecal matter on city streets.”
The city of Denver is moving forward with the idea of allowing city sanctioned homeless camps. One activist, Ari Hoffman, from Seattle, which has provided legal campsites for the homeless for years, has a warning for Denver about that. He says that “very few” of the camps function as they should and have been a colossal failure. Of course, Mayor Hancock (D) says the camps are only a temporary bridge to more permanent housing, and backs a proposal to increase the sales tax in Denver – which disproportionately harms lower income people who pay a higher percentage of their income in sales taxes – to raise $40 million a year dedicated to housing services and shelter for the homeless. (Why do Democrats always want to raise taxes?)
And of course, Seattle also gave us the “Capitol Hill Organized Protest” (CHOP), also known as “CHAZ”. This was an area covering six city blocks and a park which was taken over by protestors on June 8 after the police were ordered to leave their precinct building. Until the zone was cleared three weeks later on July 1, it was place of lawlessness, disorder, property damage, graffiti and violence. Four separate shooting incidents left two young African American men dead, one of them only 16 years old. Journalist Andy Ngo documented his “terrifying five-day stay” inside CHAZ. It’s an article well worth reading.
Real World Examples
We are fortunate indeed to have real world results that we can look at for how well or how poorly governing philosophies and agendas work. America’s major cities have been dominated by the Democratic Party for decades, and the results are in.
All but 3 of America’s largest cities are run by Democratic mayors. The 3 largest cities – New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, are losing population every year.
Several of the most violent cities in America, including Albuquerque, Memphis, Detroit, Chicago and Washington, DC are run by Democrats.
States that are bleeding population every year due to high taxation, over-regulation, decaying cities and failing public services including New York, Connecticut, California and others are all run by Democrats.
States that have low to no income taxes, are right-to-work and favor energy development do better economically than high tax, forced union and energy unfriendly states. According to the annual economic outlook rankings published by the American Legislative Exchange Council Center for State Fiscal Reform, in 2019 the bottom ten states were all run by Democrats and the top 10 states except two were run by Republicans.
Needless to say, the top 10 states all have higher GDP, better quality public services, and are experiencing net in-migration. Nevada is an outlier in that it recently flipped blue. However, they have no personal income taxes, a low corporate income tax and they are a right to work state.
Finally, all of the bottom ten states have net out-migration, high tax burdens, and lower quality of life.
Unfit to Govern
The evidence couldn’t be more clear. Democrats are incapable of governing well, or in some cases, such as Seattle or Chicago, governing at all. Every single city that has problems with decaying infrastructure, gentrification, crime, violence, homelessness and other social pathologies are governed by Democrats. They promise a boundless cornucopia of “free” (i.e. taxpayer-funded) services and programs to meet every demand of the creeping socialism we’re seeing in America, at the cost of trampling people’s constitutional rights including property rights.
The image below captures in one photograph the choice that Colorado is facing in the November election. Voting Democrat is a vote for more chaos, property damage, human damage, homelessness and despair. We need to sweep them from office and turn our government over to public servants – not overlords – who understand the proper role of government and who will enact laws that preserve and protect our rights, not trample them.
I urge all Coloradans to think deeply about this choice. Then, if you agree with me, donate to candidates. The Left is very well funded, including a lot of money from out of state. If you are so inclined, volunteer to help the candidates you would like to see representing you in the General Assembly. Let’s put a check on Governor Polis with a Republican-controlled state legislature. And don’t forget the county commissioner races either. They’re that important.
Choose freedom. Politicians are not kings and queens – they are OUR agents in the state government that WE create and give power to. They work for US. Choose wisely.