The Blue State Model: How the Democrats Created a "Liberalism of the Rich"
A major problem I see in the US, compared to basically anywhere else in the world I&#x27;ve lived, is sprawl. Seemingly every other developed country has done a much better job of having the vast majority of people live in at least medium-density areas, which has all sorts of benefits, especially a lower cost of infrastructure&#x2F;public transportation, and encouraging mixed-use development with small owner-operated businesses and markets within walking distance serving day-to-day needs.<p>All of this helps encourage a more communal, broad-based and functioning working&#x2F;middle class economy. Whereas the US tends to have a huge divide between high-density &quot;downtown&quot; area and then low density suburbs to exurbs, mixed with island apartment complexes and served almost solely by massive chain stores.<p>I remember moving back to the US from France and landed in one of those terrible cookie-cutter apartment complexes, and one day walking to the central mail box I thought to myself: &quot;I am walking farther to get my mail in the US than I did in France to get to a grocery store, bakery, meat shop or tram line.&quot;<p>The nearest place I could buy any food was a gas station with processed crap and soda, 3&#x2F;4 of a mile away. In France I could walk a block to a mini-market with tons of fresh vegetables, cheese and fresh-baked still-warm bread.