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San Fransicko

Why Progressives Ruin Cities

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San Fransicko

By: Michael Shellenberger
Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
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About this listen

National best-selling author of Apocalypse Never skewers progressives for the mishandling of America’s faltering cities.

Progressives claimed they knew how to solve homelessness, inequality, and crime. But in cities they control, progressives made those problems worse.

Michael Shellenberger has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for 30 years. During that time, he advocated for the decriminalization of drugs, affordable housing, and alternatives to jail and prison. But as homeless encampments spread, and overdose deaths skyrocketed, Shellenberger decided to take a closer look at the problem.

What he discovered shocked him. The problems had grown worse not despite but because of progressive policies. San Francisco and other West Coast cities - Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland - had gone beyond merely tolerating homelessness, drug dealing, and crime to actively enabling them.

San Fransicko reveals that the underlying problem isn’t a lack of housing or money for social programs. The real problem is an ideology that designates some people, by identity or experience, as victims entitled to destructive behaviors. The result is an undermining of the values that make cities, and civilization itself, possible.

©2021 Michael Shellenberger (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers Economics Environmental Economics Homelessness Politics & Government Sociology Urban Social justice
All stars
Most relevant  
Well crafted arguments and anecdotal stories together with objective analysis make for a good read.

Progressive policy can be regressive

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Because of the amount of historical perspective, i felt the current sad state of affairs was clear. The potential solutions feel definitely worth exploring. It definitely adjusted my earlier thinking. A worthwhile read.

Insightful and Eye Opening

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The self-indulgent need to be politically correct is killing society. While we’re all hyped up on cancelling people, other people we say we care about are on the streets dying. Everyone should read this book and consider if their life is actually making an impact or just contributing to the divisions and hate.

End the Right-Left war and let’s actually help people

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Some of the sourcing was from bias, non credible sources like Washington post and others that are just untrustworthy.

Overall pretty good

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