San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities

by Michael Shellenberger

Cities are sacred and thus there must be rules for behavior in them. It is simply not okay to allow people to sleep on sidewalks, in parks, and on the sides of highways. Nor is it okay for people to sit on the sidewalk and shout threats and profanity at people who walk by, nor for people to defecate in front of retail offices and stores. If restaurants and other businesses want to serve their customers at tables and chairs on sidewalks, they must apply for special permits. That was still the case even during the pandemic. People must not be exempted from this because we feel sorry for them and label them Victims.

The American people are capable of distinguishing between stigmatizing fentanyl use without stigmatizing the sick person who is using fentanyl. The person requires our compassion, but the behavior requires our condemnation.