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As Homelessness Grows, City Leaders Chase Global Goals

As Homelessness Grows, City Leaders Chase Global Goals
A security guard talks to a homeless man and his dog outside Waterloo Station in London on April 15, 2024. Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images
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Commentary

The mayors of large cities in the west these days seem often to be more concerned with global problems such as climate change, and even the reform of human nature, than with more local challenges. It seems to be a pathology of modern officialdom, elected or otherwise, to be unable to stick to the relatively humble tasks it is called upon to perform. Instead, it develops a kind of saviour complex. The world is not so much their oyster as their responsibility.

Theodore Dalrymple
Theodore Dalrymple
Author
Theodore Dalrymple is a retired doctor. He is contributing editor of the City Journal of New York and the author of 30 books, including “Life at the Bottom.” His latest book is “Embargo and Other Stories.”