This could just be stemming from me re-reading Asimov's Foundation series, but DeathBooger hit the nail on the head. The larger the governed territory, the more difficult it is to govern. I live in a relatively small city, and we rarely have any crap like this.
Of course, we also have a lot of pot heads, and a fair chunk of the poor and stupid. Take it as you will. People keep telling me I should move to a big city to pursue either my art or my music, but I refuse predominantly because of the oversaturation, violence, and lack of personal touch a smaller place provides.