WALGREENS CLOSES FIVE MORE SAN FRANCISCO LOCATIONS, CITING ‘ORGANIZED RETAIL CRIME:’ “The retailer had previously shuttered 17 stores in San Francisco during the past five years, Fox News reported.”
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what’s going on here. Many different factors impact crime rates, but when the government fails to protect property rights and enforce the law, theft becomes more common and innocent business owners are victimized. The resulting economic uncertainty discourages growth and, in extreme cases like San Francisco, literally leads stores to close.
Protecting property and enforcing the rule of law is one of the core, legitimate functions of government. That the Golden State has chosen to focus its government’s robust spending and involvement in social life elsewhere speaks to a grave misalignment in priorities.
Gooder and harder.