So many of our local stores have closed. Because the entire downtown core is a "historical district," there are strict "no chains" rules in place, but they are having a heck of a time filling the vacant spaces, and most of them seem to be taken over by yet another real estate office.

The "surveillance state" is a menace... although the US is nowhere near as bad as some parts of Europe. In London, for example, there seems to be virtually no square inch that isn't covered by multiple cameras; almost like the PRC.

I don't have a crystal ball, but I think we are heading closer to technological unemployment becoming more of a thing, as technology replacing humans slowly works its way up the food chain.