Really? I completely disagree with the OP. They showed the UI for some of the community features which include a pretty slick graph system for the prices of the different resources (and there are quite a few). They also continue to say that you will be able to play single player, which is true. You are simply connected to the Sim World to allow your city to access pricing, leaderboards, etc.
If you have a problem with the always-on, fine. But that doesn't make the rest of the game bad. Give it a chance, check out some gameplay later this week from the show.