> The problem is the US has some of the most incompetent government on a local level in the developed world. Part of it is American individualism, part of it is the Republican party starving the beast, part of it is the government as a giant jobs program.
Blaming individualism and "the Republican Party" is bizarre in connection with a complaint about "incompetent government on a local level." Almost all of the local governments people complain about (San Francisco, New York City, etc.) are completely dominated by Democrats. Of 51 seats on the New York City Council, just 3 are held by Republicans, and only 1 of those isn't on Staten Island. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is all Democrats.
This is not a matter of my team versus your team, but a real dysfunction in our political system. If people in blue cities in blue states blame Republicans for problems with education, transportation, policing, planning, etc., then there is literally no accountability. We saw this happen this summer. George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin. Almost everything to do with his training, pay, etc., was decided by the Minneapolis City Council or the Minneapolis Mayor. The last Republican on the city council left office 23 years ago. There hasn't been a Republican mayor of Minneapolis since 1973. That guy served for a day--the last Republican who served a real term left office in 1961.
Somehow, police brutality in Seattle, Minneapolis, New York City, etc., was laid at the feet of Trump has his voters, who have pretty much nothing to do with and no power over municipal services in Seattle, Minneapolis, New York City, etc.