although nowhere near as bad as the Midwest, of course. Of course, the "urban development" continues, because the business community wants it, and because the developers and contractors lobby for it, and because the politicians are in their pocket. Of course, the taxpayers finance it.

The condos are empty, the new neighborhoods unfinished, the malls deserted. Our new Riverfront development replaced an ugly but working waterfront warehouse district with a cheap strip mall of International Moderne trendy boutiques and gelato shops, now all closed. And surprise, the promised jobs and property taxes never materialized.