2 ms·

OR...you can do what I did and leave. Score one for individual liberty. At some point, it makes sense for a person to cut their losses and move somewhere wher

by Nrsolis 14y ago

OR...you can do what I did and leave. Score one for individual liberty. At some point, it makes sense for a person to cut their losses and move somewhere where like minded people have already learned that responsible government starts with a responsible population. Which brings me to my last point on the subject: all of the entrenched interests in the city of DC are there because they enjoy and support the current system. Nevermind that it's completely dysfunctional and doesn't serve the residents. It serves their perverted needs and they'll fight tooth and nail to keep it that way. Ever wonder how Marion Barry got re-elected to the city council despite a conviction for smoking crack and YEARS of tax shenanigans that threatened to put him back in jail? At some point, you look around and realize that you're the only one in the room that wants change.

oinksoft 14y ago
About Marion Barry ... he's corrupt, so are most big city politicians. But (1) nobody in the Ward 8 cares about a rock cocaine offense decades ago (cocaine has been such a big problem in that part of the city, it's likely every voter has has been close to an addict or otherwise touched since the early 80's), and (2) the other stuff about personal tax cheating, getting busted with weed, etc. is just water under the bridge to most Ward 8 voters. At the end of the day, none of those things (apart from the expected corruption) affect how Barry does his job. And the voters in Ward 8, far and away the poorest part of the city, know that when the shit hits the fan, Barry looks out for those who usually don't have much of a voice in DC. While Ward 3 residents were patting Fenty on the back for putting up bicycle lanes and dog parks, the Ward 8 voters were pissed to see a mayor basically pandering to the wealthy voters and screwing the poor. These are the same voters who voted for Gray and his crony, corrupt administration in the last mayoral election. They know very well that Rhee's "No Child Left Behind"-style reforms were just going to screw up the school system worse for their kids. And they sure as hell didn't want to re-elect Fenty, who never showed that he was willing to work on the tough problems that cause DC's entrenched poverty. The Fenty approach to poverty (which was really Anthony Williams' approach on steroids) was to price out the poor folk until they have to move to some hole like Temple Hills or Capitol Heights, no longer being DC's problem.
- Nrsolis 14y ago
  You're right. We probably shouldn't hold our public servants to a higher standard than the general populace. It's not like we need our leaders to establish trust with other leaders and work towards solving real issues. And as a somewhat wealthy individual, I was happy to see a government that was being operated with some real accountability by trustworthy and capable individuals. But hey, don't worry...I'm sure that all DC needs is more Marion Barry to solve the poverty problem. Or Vincent Gray. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/gray-donor-admits-to-scheme-to-funnel-illegal-campaign-contributions/2012/07/10/gJQA0b5DbW_story.html?hpid=z2 http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/gray-donor-a...

by Nrsolis 14y ago

oinksoft 14y ago

About Marion Barry ... he's corrupt, so are most big city politicians. But (1) nobody in the Ward 8 cares about a rock cocaine offense decades ago (cocaine has been such a big problem in that part of the city, it's likely every voter has has been close to an addict or otherwise touched since the early 80's), and (2) the other stuff about personal tax cheating, getting busted with weed, etc. is just water under the bridge to most Ward 8 voters. At the end of the day, none of those things (apart from the expected corruption) affect how Barry does his job. And the voters in Ward 8, far and away the poorest part of the city, know that when the shit hits the fan, Barry looks out for those who usually don't have much of a voice in DC. While Ward 3 residents were patting Fenty on the back for putting up bicycle lanes and dog parks, the Ward 8 voters were pissed to see a mayor basically pandering to the wealthy voters and screwing the poor. These are the same voters who voted for Gray and his crony, corrupt administration in the last mayoral election. They know very well that Rhee's "No Child Left Behind"-style reforms were just going to screw up the school system worse for their kids. And they sure as hell didn't want to re-elect Fenty, who never showed that he was willing to work on the tough problems that cause DC's entrenched poverty. The Fenty approach to poverty (which was really Anthony Williams' approach on steroids) was to price out the poor folk until they have to move to some hole like Temple Hills or Capitol Heights, no longer being DC's problem.

Nrsolis 14y ago
You're right. We probably shouldn't hold our public servants to a higher standard than the general populace. It's not like we need our leaders to establish trust with other leaders and work towards solving real issues. And as a somewhat wealthy individual, I was happy to see a government that was being operated with some real accountability by trustworthy and capable individuals. But hey, don't worry...I'm sure that all DC needs is more Marion Barry to solve the poverty problem. Or Vincent Gray. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/gray-donor-admits-to-scheme-to-funnel-illegal-campaign-contributions/2012/07/10/gJQA0b5DbW_story.html?hpid=z2 http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/gray-donor-a...