A majority of young Americans don’t have pride in the direction of their country, a newly released poll suggests. In a survey conducted by American University's Sine Institute of Policy & Politics and published Tuesday, 70 percent of respondents — aged 18 to 34 — said they weren't proud of “where America is heading as...
Page F3From§Eachthe early evening edition — 1 September 2026
San Francisco’s Union Square reborn with $75M from rookie investors as young Americans lose faith in the nation
As it ran on the front
The receipts show a $75 million investment by rookie real estate players in San Francisco’s Union Square, while polls report that 70 percent of young Americans are not proud of the nation’s direction. Money moves in one direction, sentiment in the other. The numbers are clear: hope, at least in the property market, costs more than ever, but only if you’re holding the deed.
In the old days, Union Square was a landmark; now it’s a bet, and the price is $75 million. The poll says young Americans are losing faith, but the investors say faith is a check you write, not a feeling you carry. The gap between public mood and private cash is $75 million, hon, and the receipts reconcile: money goes to property, sentiment goes to the pollster. If faith in the nation can be measured, it’s measured in square feet and closing costs.…
…(cont) The stakes are who gets to turn hope into equity. Public opinion pays in confidence, but the market pays in cash. The headline is the price of optimism, and the receipt is who bought it. The question is whether $75 million can buy back pride—or whether the deed is just another signature on the way out.
“They say the country’s going downhill, but a rookie crew drops $75 million on a single city block. Hope costs more every year, but only if you’re holding the deed. The stakes are whose faith gets written as a check.”
“Investment is a sign of confidence, not decline. Union Square’s rebirth means opportunity for everyone, and polls are just noise. Did I say noise? Not exactly—public sentiment matters, but investment matters more. The economy works when people believe in it, and $75 million is belief you can bank on.”
The receipts
“Forget blood in the streets,” Max Raskin of Uris Acquisitions joked. “We bought when there was feces in the street.”
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.