Tonight on The Independents: Failed Cities
From Detroit to Harrisburg, Pa., Chicago to San Berdoo, America's cities are teetering on the verge of dysfunction and even bankruptcy, as municipalities and counties sag under the weight of bloated public-sector pension obligations and economically reckless governance. Tonight's episode of The Independents (Fox Business Network, 9 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. PT, repeats three hours later) visits all these cities and more, to confront the horror stories and point the way forward toward a better tomorrow.
The show starts in Detroit, appropriately, with a tour by Kennedy and a discussion with local boy and former Michigan congressman Thaddeus McCotter. Then we show some of Jim Epstein's gobsmacking Reason TV reporting from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which you can watch in full below:
Next, John Tillman, president and CEO of the Illinois Policy Institute, will explain why he thinks Chicago might be the next Detroit (hint: rhymes with "tensions"). Then Kennedy visits the California basket cases of Vernon and San Bernardino, and solicits Reason.com columnist Steven Greenhut for analysis. Fox Business Network Washington Correspondent Rich Edson turns the corner into more positive territory by talking about a new study that highlights the best big cities in which to start a business, which transitions into an interview with Mayor Rusty Paul of Sandy Springs, Ga., "The City That Outsourced Everything."
Joining Kennedy and Matt Welch in the guest-hosting chair for the full hour is none other than beloved Reason Senior Editor Peter Suderman, who is tasked with telling America what we've all learned by the end of the show. It's a packed episode of reportage and analysis, doom and glimmers of hope, and you should watch it on your television set.
Related Reason content: "How to Break an American City," "Anarchy in Detroit," "Reason Saves Cleveland," and the Reason Foundation's Pension Reform Newsletter.