I hope to chronicle what seems to be this phenomenon unfolding in the USA. Welcoming points pro and con, small and large, mundane and theoretical. Also some similar trends in other "rich" countries.

For starters a small one that prompts me on the subject having to look at it every day: there is a pothole across the street from me been there forever, keeps growing, now about 1/3 the size of a car. Nobody fixing it. Can't afford it. A stop sign has fallen and not been replaced. Paint on roads has faded to where it is invisible at night. Not only can we not afford to address major infrastructure emergencies, forget about fixing the potholes apparently. Can't afford it.

No its not a case of you can not afford it you choose not to prioritize it.
Instead you spend 1.7 Trillion on this

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/21/m...r-program.html

TS I was going to say 'grab a wheelbarrow and some soil and go fill up that pothole' but on second thought you would likely then inherit liability if someone then damaged their car (less) then if you left it alone.

Also you might then see the city folk show up, fine you and remove what you put in, while leaving the pot hole as it was.

For a good Dystopia, you need a strong military!

It sounds like if we listened to the radical libertarians instead of relying on big government that pothole could get fixed

As appealing as the idea of completely unregulated roads sounds I have a feeling the reality might be kind of a ****show.

No building codes sounds kinda neat too--until your neighbors are duct taping/welding trailers etc together and calling it a house. Sorry about your kid guys uncle Tweaks thought baling wire would be just fine to use for electrical wiring.

Hey all:

You think you've got bad roads?

You ain't seen nothing....have you ever driven in Detroit?

The whole Detroit metro area is literally falling apart. Some roads are in such bad repair, they are borderline impassible.

If you drive here, you WILL spend many hundreds of dollars per year on blown tires, bent rims, and damage to your car/truck because of poor road conditions.

Detroit used to be a prosperous metropolis in the distant past...now?

Tragically, what happened in Detroit is spreading to other parts of the country. A good example of this is the Arecibo Radio Telescope. It just fell apart, won't be repaired or rebuilt.

Another crazy thing is the amount of "stimulus". What percent of this is actually spent on "hard" infrastructure? Building/repairing roads, bridges. Improving traffic flow, improving water/sewer? Shockingly little!

Yeah been hearing the Detroit/Camden thing is a coming attraction for plenty more. My complaint about roads was only a lead in to:

1. Burlesque electioneering
2. Burlesque news
3. Decaying institutions
4. Unrealistic magical thinking about the country's elite status
5. Violence levels in the culture
6. Suicide rate
7. Unreplaceable infrastructure
8. Deindustrialization of the economy
9. Debt
10. Idiocy in government
11. A constant repetition of denial of reality
12. Addiction run amok
13. Implosion of the country's mystique
14. Corporate oligarchy in place and invulnerable
15. Unmendable culture wars

An "emerging dystopia." Credit Chris Hedges with the term and some of the analysis.

In your 15 points, we have quite a few of them in the Detroit area. I am not sure that our suicide rate is above the national average...have not heard much about that. Not sure about the 14 & 15th points...The average Detroiter wants the "American Dream". We also are not wildly on the left as far social policy like SF & NYC are.

The infrastructure is certainly in tatters, education is beyond broken, drugs and addiction are bad. Tragically, Detroit is de-industrialization incarnate.

Other cities think it can't happen to them...but I would argue it is likely than they think!