HarperCollins Publishers Inc San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities

The author of the national best-seller Apocalypse Never takes a deep dive into the roots of the crisis affecting San Francisco and discovers that the real problem is a radical Left ideology that promotes lawlessness, defends addiction and undermines the foundational values that make civilization possible. 75,000 first printing. "San Francisco was once widely viewed as the prettiest city in America. Today it is best known as the epicenter of the homeless zombie apocalypse. What went wrong? Michael Shellenberger has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for 30 years, during which time he advocated for the decriminalization of drugs, and for alternatives to jail and prison. But as massive open-air drug markets spread across the state, Shellenberger decided to take a deep dive into the roots of the crisis. What he discovered shocked him. Crime, poverty, inequality--all the things decades of Democratic rule were supposed to solve. The homelessness crisis is really an addiction and mental illness crisis. And the City of San Francisco and other Left Coast cities - Los Angeles, Portland,Seattle - not only tolerate hard drug use, often by severely mentally ill people, they subsidize it, directly and indirectly, attracting vagrants from across the United States. Why? In San Fransicko, Shellenberger reveals that the underlying problem isn't a lack of housing, or a lack of money for social programs. The real problem is the dominance of left-wing ideology that subsidizes lawlessness and encourages the breakdown of the foundational values that made what we call civilization possible"-- National bestselling 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 thirty 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.