I smell smoke, pass me my fiddle...

The first segment in that '80s midnight movie classic, Heavy Metal, was set in a run-down, crime-infested future version of New York City. Like Escape From New York, this was just simple extrapolation of the arc Gotham had been traveling for the last century, projecting it into the inevitable future. Let's face it: 1970s New York was a dump and only getting dumpier.

The turn-around of the city in the Nineties was nothing short of amazing. I may find the politics and personalities of the last three mayors despicable, but there's no denying that they made the trains run on time. An inevitable side-effect of the city's transformation is a skyrocketing cost of living, and class warfare is always a winning campaign platform in those conditions. The current mayor basically ran a campaign against golden eggs by promising everybody a slice of goose meat.

Certain recent news stories make me wonder if de Blasio will be able to get Manhattan back to status quo ante Dinkins in one term, or if it'll take a second one to finish the job.
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