Why is every city in such horrible financial shape?

Too many freeloading minorities.

Detroit we'll take out of that group since it is it's own extreme in decline since the 60s. The rest it comes down to not enough tax revenues to cover spending. Chicago's financial problems could have been resolved 15 years ago if they had bitten the bullet and reined in pension expenses and gotten more realistic of what property taxes really needed to be. Property taxes were low there relative to the city of it's size and folks didn't want to raise them. Both the politicians AND the public don't want to do anything until things get out of hand. There is also too zealous to cut taxes when there really isn't much left else to cut from budgets.

Income taxes and and sales tax must be too low. I really doubt expensives are too high, compared to cities in other rich countries, American cities have basic services.

Only poor people pay taxes.

Chicago has the highest tax rate of any city in America,

Basically the problem is pensions, tax free wars and shrinking cities.

In cities like Chicago and Detroit and most other rust belt cities, you have far less people than once were. For instance, Cleveland spends more today than it did in 1960 for city services, though the population is less than half. That is more after adjusted for inflation. So Cleveland spends more money (after adjusted for inflation) today than in 1960 but the tax base is less than half.

Then we have tax free wars. Muncie, IN is a classic example. They wanted a factory and basically gave it to the company for ten years. The company came, set up the factory and was successful. Yet paid no taxes. The real problem was only 10% of those working in the factory lived in Muncie, and NOT ONE of the high earners of the factory did. In other words Muncie hoped to make up for lack of taxing the factory by property taxes, rents and sales tax. But hardly any of the workers chose to live in Muncie. They went to other places that were cheaper.

You see too many municipal divisions hurts things.

And then there are pensions. At one time government workers accepted much less wages for the security of a pension. This eroded after WII but the thinking did not. Today government employees at all but the highest levels make more than the average person performing the same job in the private sector AND getting paid after they produce nothing.

Indeed San Bernardino and Stockton were paying a full time fire protection force AND nearly the equivalent amount for not one but TWO retired fire forces. For every 1 dollar they paid the current fire fighters they paid another $1.89 into a retirement fund.

Sales taxes only work for those who buy in the city. Most do not.

Is it "Ask a Stupid Question" Day?

Good luck trying to find a major American city (i.e. 500,000 people or more) not run by Democrats.

R8, NYC has had a number of GOP mayors

Cities have rich people and poor people. If you don't tax the rich enough to sustain the treasury, you'll never have enough money because they poor don't provide much.

You're a fool to think cities are in control of their own fate. Chicago has to look to Springfield and New York looks to Albany for its education and police funding. The same is true of every big city in the U.S. Americans have always hated and feared big cities as dens of sin, foreign ideas and corruption. It's why virtually every state in the U.S. Has as its capital a small Podunk town like Sacramento or Tallahassee. Cities may be run by Democrats but the real power is always with rural (i.e. conservative) voters.

Because we refuse to do the right thing and grind the rich up into cattle feed?

Just a thought.

Indianapolis is fine. It's a culture of not spending beyond your means.

Underfunded city pension plans. They've either paid too little into it or hardly any at all in some years. It's ridiculous. A lot of these city workers have received a free ride in life.

Each retiree will average $2 million in benefits. WTF?

Not enough gays to add a little gay-sparkle to the cities.

NYC isn't. Neither is Boston

Unions

R17 You forgot to sign your post as Scott Walker, dipshit.

Can't blame the Unions. The pension issue here in Chicago we have known about since the 80s. It was simple math if you applied the formula. No politician would take that on. As we do with social security and medicare it was kick the can down the road since we don't want to go there.

Detroit has less than 30% as many resident as it did at its peak in 1945.

Collectively, people get the government they deserve. Bad government comes from the support, overt or tacit, of a bad electorate.

It's the economy, stupid.

Overgenerous pensions promised to overly powerful public employees' unions. It is gonna be tragic if they get a bailout. It will be the young bailing out the old and the poor bailing out the rich.

Because rightwing freeloaders won't pay their taxes.

Corruption and poor management.

I love eating dirty asses

R26 I'm actually a total bottom. I have nothing to do with eating ass. The thought of eating anyone else's out or having mine eaten out really grosses me out. If you must insult me, at least make it accurate (there is plenty of material!)

The real reason ? In order to attract businesses to these cities they gave away their revenue...tax abatements that last decades, incentives and other UNNECESSARY breaks for multi million dollar, if not billion dollars businesses. Look at Amazon...not only has Bezos seen a 50% rise in his net worth, he refuses to pay his employees a living wage and benefits, meanwhile, Cities and States practically give him the land, no taxes and pretty much pay HIM to move to or build one of his annexes in their city/State. The workforce will mostly come from OUTSIDE the city, and any employees moving for the employment will usually live OUTSIDE the city. So, while the city retains bragging rights, it basically fucked itself.

Austerity policies.