Bowser urges Biden to end telework policies for federal workers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Metro is a mess. The roads are more congested than ever (and they just announced plans for 100s more speed cameras in case going down major arteries like 16th wasn't painful enough). And crime is worse than ever. Maybe Bowser should focus on ways to make it easier for people to get downtown, rather than forcing them to do it against their will.

Exactly! make it more attractive for people to want to come in. She has been bashing commuters, taking parking spaces away, creating more and more bike lanes, cameras, etc for years. Where the hell does she think feds can afford to live? It's not an easy bike ride to work.

The glib war on commuters they have been waging looks pretty counter productive and a lot like self-inflicted harm now that they are begging the Federal government to force them back.

There's no "war on commuters", just like there's no "war on cars".

Are you really going to claim that commuting into DC hasn't gotten exponentially harder over the past 20-30 years as a direct result of policies enacted by the mayor/s?

Oh, you mean DRIVING into DC.

Is your opinion that Metro service has IMPROVED over the past 20 years? A transit system that has been losing riders every year since 2008? A transit system that has spawned this website: https://ismetroonfire.com/

LOL.

They have certainly made it a lot easier to bicycle (less than 4% of commuters), but it has gotten a lot harder for everyone else - and more expensive.

DC isn't solely responsible for Metro. But I agree; the number one thing that would make commuting more attractive would be more frequent and reliable Metro service. Encouraging more and more people to drive is a bad idea; they should be encouraging public transport, carpools, and biking options, though, and making public transportation more attractive.

DC certainly should take a lot of responsibility for the current state of the system through DC politicians systematically abusing their leadership positions on the Board for corrupt purposes. The current status of Metro was decades in the making and turning the transit system into a corruption machine has a lot to do with its current woes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I telework 2 days and when I was in DC yesterday I bought a burrito and a bottle of water from Qdoba and it was almost $20.00. Bowser can start by fixing vagrancy and homelessness Fed workers aren’t going to buy enough lunch to fix DC even if they all return full time.

Jesus. What a waste of money. It seems like prices everywhere have increased 50% or more. The idea that Federal workers need to come back in order to be ripped off is ridiculous. I recommend stocking up your office with protein shakes from
Costco. They are cheap, filling and provide all your essential nutrients. Maybe it’s not as satisfying as a burrito, but when the alternative is to spend $20 at Qdoba I’m going with the shake.

DP. Prices have totally gone up. I generally bring my lunch but previously when things get busy would buy out once a week, but I swear lunch at my pre-pandemic quick service haunts cost 50% more. Just not worth it. I'll still get a coffee/muffin sometimes but have really buckled down on bringing my lunch.

I'm a fed and I go in twice a week. I stopped getting coffee from the shop next door to my office because it was just to expensive to justify. I'm now brining it from home which is something I never thought I would do but I guess $6 for a latte was my tipping point.

I'm going to guess my agency's leadership doesn't give a damn about Bowser. None of them live in DC and they seem to enjoy teleworking as much as the rest of us. If she wants to criticize the way the fed government is managing its real estate profile that's one thing but suggesting how they manage employee benefits is going to far. Plus there are a lot of DC government employees who are teleworking some percentage of time. Until she brings back all DC employees full time she should limit these types of comments/demands.

+1 This!

I’ve stopped buying coffee out completely. But prices downtown are insane and when I do go in, I also bring my own coffee which is also something I never thought I’d do. I walked into a Compass coffee a few months ago and look at the prices and just turned around and walked out.

I also agree that the DC mayor has no business thinking she can dictate anything to the Federal government, which is why the Federal government has paid her no mind.

Not to go off-topic, but it’s hard to see how DC statehood can ever be taken seriously if that cannot manage their affairs without always demanding Federal handouts, when the city already benefits the most from the Federal government than anywhere else in the country.

D.C. doesn't demand federal handouts. It gets federal payments for things like health care, highways, etc., the same as the states do. The largest single tranche of federal money D.C. gets is for Medicaid. If you think any states would be able to manage their budgets without federal aid for things like that, you're dreaming.

What usually happens is the District eats the costs for things the federal government does that use up D.C. government resources, like, for instance, providing extra police during inaugurations (or rescuing Capitol Police during insurrections). Or, as I suspect we'll see again this year, picking up trash from federally owned and administered land around the city during federal government shutdowns.

You believe that the Federal government is a drag on DC’s finances?

No, but I believe a lot of people think the D.C. government gets way more in direct federal budget support than it does in reality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weird. I'm a federal employee who bikes to work more now because there are safer places than when there was nothing. My neighbor a few doors down is also a fed and he bikes downtown too.

Are you doing that 5 days a week? I think that all the mayor wants to know.

Usually 4 days a week

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why doesn't bowser reach out to the heads of all major DC law firms? Those folks still telework also (often even more than feds) and have tons more discretionary income.

Law firms will stop allowing telework as soon as Feds stop. Guaranteed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I telework 2 days and when I was in DC yesterday I bought a burrito and a bottle of water from Qdoba and it was almost $20.00. Bowser can start by fixing vagrancy and homelessness Fed workers aren’t going to buy enough lunch to fix DC even if they all return full time.

Jesus. What a waste of money. It seems like prices everywhere have increased 50% or more. The idea that Federal workers need to come back in order to be ripped off is ridiculous. I recommend stocking up your office with protein shakes from
Costco. They are cheap, filling and provide all your essential nutrients. Maybe it’s not as satisfying as a burrito, but when the alternative is to spend $20 at Qdoba I’m going with the shake.

DP. Prices have totally gone up. I generally bring my lunch but previously when things get busy would buy out once a week, but I swear lunch at my pre-pandemic quick service haunts cost 50% more. Just not worth it. I'll still get a coffee/muffin sometimes but have really buckled down on bringing my lunch.

I'm a fed and I go in twice a week. I stopped getting coffee from the shop next door to my office because it was just to expensive to justify. I'm now brining it from home which is something I never thought I would do but I guess $6 for a latte was my tipping point.

I'm going to guess my agency's leadership doesn't give a damn about Bowser. None of them live in DC and they seem to enjoy teleworking as much as the rest of us. If she wants to criticize the way the fed government is managing its real estate profile that's one thing but suggesting how they manage employee benefits is going to far. Plus there are a lot of DC government employees who are teleworking some percentage of time. Until she brings back all DC employees full time she should limit these types of comments/demands.

+1 This!

I’ve stopped buying coffee out completely. But prices downtown are insane and when I do go in, I also bring my own coffee which is also something I never thought I’d do. I walked into a Compass coffee a few months ago and look at the prices and just turned around and walked out.

I also agree that the DC mayor has no business thinking she can dictate anything to the Federal government, which is why the Federal government has paid her no mind.

Not to go off-topic, but it’s hard to see how DC statehood can ever be taken seriously if that cannot manage their affairs without always demanding Federal handouts, when the city already benefits the most from the Federal government than anywhere else in the country.

D.C. doesn't demand federal handouts. It gets federal payments for things like health care, highways, etc., the same as the states do. The largest single tranche of federal money D.C. gets is for Medicaid. If you think any states would be able to manage their budgets without federal aid for things like that, you're dreaming.

What usually happens is the District eats the costs for things the federal government does that use up D.C. government resources, like, for instance, providing extra police during inaugurations (or rescuing Capitol Police during insurrections). Or, as I suspect we'll see again this year, picking up trash from federally owned and administered land around the city during federal government shutdowns.

You believe that the Federal government is a drag on DC’s finances?

No, but I believe a lot of people think the D.C. government gets way more in direct federal budget support than it does in reality.

The Federal government is responsible for billions upon billions of dollars in direct and indirect economic support to the District of Columbia that is the envy of other jurisdictions, which is evident for how hard MD and VA are fighting over the new FBI HQ. How much is enough?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why doesn't bowser reach out to the heads of all major DC law firms? Those folks still telework also (often even more than feds) and have tons more discretionary income.

Law firms will stop allowing telework as soon as Feds stop. Guaranteed.

I don’t think you know law firms very well. The only thing they care about are billable hours, winning new clients and lastly junior associate training (which is related to billable hours).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weird. I'm a federal employee who bikes to work more now because there are safer places than when there was nothing. My neighbor a few doors down is also a fed and he bikes downtown too.

Are you doing that 5 days a week? I think that all the mayor wants to know.

Usually 4 days a week

Good. You can let the mayor know and I am sure that she will be proud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why doesn't bowser reach out to the heads of all major DC law firms? Those folks still telework also (often even more than feds) and have tons more discretionary income.

Law firms will stop allowing telework as soon as Feds stop. Guaranteed.

I don’t think you know law firms very well. The only thing they care about are billable hours, winning new clients and lastly junior associate training (which is related to billable hours).

I do. They're looking for an excuse. They are traditional, i.e. do not care about benefits like tech companies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weird. I'm a federal employee who bikes to work more now because there are safer places than when there was nothing. My neighbor a few doors down is also a fed and he bikes downtown too.

Are you doing that 5 days a week? I think that all the mayor wants to know.

Usually 4 days a week

Good. You can let the mayor know and I am sure that she will be proud.

I dislike the mayor and she doesn't care what I think. I don't really care what she says because she's frequently just full of hot air.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why doesn't bowser reach out to the heads of all major DC law firms? Those folks still telework also (often even more than feds) and have tons more discretionary income.

Law firms will stop allowing telework as soon as Feds stop. Guaranteed.

I don’t think you know law firms very well. The only thing they care about are billable hours, winning new clients and lastly junior associate training (which is related to billable hours).

I do. They're looking for an excuse. They are traditional, i.e. do not care about benefits like tech companies.

No you don’t, because if you did you would know that they don’t need excuses. They never even follow OPM on in-climate weather. If people need to come in, they need to come in.

The first priority is profit per partner. If that is affected then they will change their tune.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I telework 2 days and when I was in DC yesterday I bought a burrito and a bottle of water from Qdoba and it was almost $20.00. Bowser can start by fixing vagrancy and homelessness Fed workers aren’t going to buy enough lunch to fix DC even if they all return full time.

Jesus. What a waste of money. It seems like prices everywhere have increased 50% or more. The idea that Federal workers need to come back in order to be ripped off is ridiculous. I recommend stocking up your office with protein shakes from
Costco. They are cheap, filling and provide all your essential nutrients. Maybe it’s not as satisfying as a burrito, but when the alternative is to spend $20 at Qdoba I’m going with the shake.

DP. Prices have totally gone up. I generally bring my lunch but previously when things get busy would buy out once a week, but I swear lunch at my pre-pandemic quick service haunts cost 50% more. Just not worth it. I'll still get a coffee/muffin sometimes but have really buckled down on bringing my lunch.

I'm a fed and I go in twice a week. I stopped getting coffee from the shop next door to my office because it was just to expensive to justify. I'm now brining it from home which is something I never thought I would do but I guess $6 for a latte was my tipping point.

I'm going to guess my agency's leadership doesn't give a damn about Bowser. None of them live in DC and they seem to enjoy teleworking as much as the rest of us. If she wants to criticize the way the fed government is managing its real estate profile that's one thing but suggesting how they manage employee benefits is going to far. Plus there are a lot of DC government employees who are teleworking some percentage of time. Until she brings back all DC employees full time she should limit these types of comments/demands.

+1 This!

I’ve stopped buying coffee out completely. But prices downtown are insane and when I do go in, I also bring my own coffee which is also something I never thought I’d do. I walked into a Compass coffee a few months ago and look at the prices and just turned around and walked out.

I also agree that the DC mayor has no business thinking she can dictate anything to the Federal government, which is why the Federal government has paid her no mind.

Not to go off-topic, but it’s hard to see how DC statehood can ever be taken seriously if that cannot manage their affairs without always demanding Federal handouts, when the city already benefits the most from the Federal government than anywhere else in the country.

D.C. doesn't demand federal handouts. It gets federal payments for things like health care, highways, etc., the same as the states do. The largest single tranche of federal money D.C. gets is for Medicaid. If you think any states would be able to manage their budgets without federal aid for things like that, you're dreaming.

What usually happens is the District eats the costs for things the federal government does that use up D.C. government resources, like, for instance, providing extra police during inaugurations (or rescuing Capitol Police during insurrections). Or, as I suspect we'll see again this year, picking up trash from federally owned and administered land around the city during federal government shutdowns.

You believe that the Federal government is a drag on DC’s finances?

No, but I believe a lot of people think the D.C. government gets way more in direct federal budget support than it does in reality.

The Federal government is responsible for billions upon billions of dollars in direct and indirect economic support to the District of Columbia that is the envy of other jurisdictions, which is evident for how hard MD and VA are fighting over the new FBI HQ. How much is enough?

The D.C. government here is "demanding" that the feds not keep vacant offices downtown vacant. If the FBI was planning to be entirely remote forever, I doubt MD and VA would be squabbling over it.

[Anonymous]

Lol what? She needs to clean up the tent cities, crack down in crime, and eliminate the damn bike lanes everywhere first. It’s a traffic and crime ridden ****hole now.

[Anonymous]

The most fair thing would be to force the federal government to pay municipal taxes on vacant or severely underutilized office buildings. An enormous amount of DC's commercial real estate foot print is owned by the feds and is tax free. It's very limiting. If those buildings are full of federal workers whose presence leads to lots of businesses popping up to serve them, it kind of evens out. If those buildings are entirely or mostly empty, it doesn't.

If the feds had to pay vacant property taxes on empty or mostly empty buildings, they would either force people back into offices or sell the buildings.

From an economic standpoint, you don't even have to take a side here on anything -- not telework, or whether Bowser is entitled to ask for anything. The buildings are underutilized. Maximize their utility. You can do that by making them a source of tax revenue, selling them to organizations who will fill them with people, or sending federal workers back to the office. The one option that makes no economic sense is keeping the buildings as they are, tax free, but not using them. It's a waste of both city and federal resources.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I telework 2 days and when I was in DC yesterday I bought a burrito and a bottle of water from Qdoba and it was almost $20.00. Bowser can start by fixing vagrancy and homelessness Fed workers aren’t going to buy enough lunch to fix DC even if they all return full time.

Jesus. What a waste of money. It seems like prices everywhere have increased 50% or more. The idea that Federal workers need to come back in order to be ripped off is ridiculous. I recommend stocking up your office with protein shakes from
Costco. They are cheap, filling and provide all your essential nutrients. Maybe it’s not as satisfying as a burrito, but when the alternative is to spend $20 at Qdoba I’m going with the shake.

DP. Prices have totally gone up. I generally bring my lunch but previously when things get busy would buy out once a week, but I swear lunch at my pre-pandemic quick service haunts cost 50% more. Just not worth it. I'll still get a coffee/muffin sometimes but have really buckled down on bringing my lunch.

I'm a fed and I go in twice a week. I stopped getting coffee from the shop next door to my office because it was just to expensive to justify. I'm now brining it from home which is something I never thought I would do but I guess $6 for a latte was my tipping point.

I'm going to guess my agency's leadership doesn't give a damn about Bowser. None of them live in DC and they seem to enjoy teleworking as much as the rest of us. If she wants to criticize the way the fed government is managing its real estate profile that's one thing but suggesting how they manage employee benefits is going to far. Plus there are a lot of DC government employees who are teleworking some percentage of time. Until she brings back all DC employees full time she should limit these types of comments/demands.

+1 This!

I’ve stopped buying coffee out completely. But prices downtown are insane and when I do go in, I also bring my own coffee which is also something I never thought I’d do. I walked into a Compass coffee a few months ago and look at the prices and just turned around and walked out.

I also agree that the DC mayor has no business thinking she can dictate anything to the Federal government, which is why the Federal government has paid her no mind.

Not to go off-topic, but it’s hard to see how DC statehood can ever be taken seriously if that cannot manage their affairs without always demanding Federal handouts, when the city already benefits the most from the Federal government than anywhere else in the country.

D.C. doesn't demand federal handouts. It gets federal payments for things like health care, highways, etc., the same as the states do. The largest single tranche of federal money D.C. gets is for Medicaid. If you think any states would be able to manage their budgets without federal aid for things like that, you're dreaming.

What usually happens is the District eats the costs for things the federal government does that use up D.C. government resources, like, for instance, providing extra police during inaugurations (or rescuing Capitol Police during insurrections). Or, as I suspect we'll see again this year, picking up trash from federally owned and administered land around the city during federal government shutdowns.

You believe that the Federal government is a drag on DC’s finances?

No, but I believe a lot of people think the D.C. government gets way more in direct federal budget support than it does in reality.

The Federal government is responsible for billions upon billions of dollars in direct and indirect economic support to the District of Columbia that is the envy of other jurisdictions, which is evident for how hard MD and VA are fighting over the new FBI HQ. How much is enough?

The D.C. government here is "demanding" that the feds not keep vacant offices downtown vacant. If the FBI was planning to be entirely remote forever, I doubt MD and VA would be squabbling over it.

Is she referring to leased or owned properties? How does she expect the Federal government to do that in the near term? If the GSA was able to reach agreement with property owners to terminate leases without penalty, would the Federal government abandoning the buildings be good or bad for the DC economy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lol what? She needs to clean up the tent cities, crack down in crime, and eliminate the damn bike lanes everywhere first. It’s a traffic and crime ridden ****hole now.

Maybe you'd be happier in Florida? As much as I dislike Bowser, at least she's not Desantis.