Give your top 3 suggestions to make DC world's best capital city

[Anonymous]

1) improve the schools - it is the one thing that really holds back parts of the city. Of course, that also means providing breakfast and lunch, breaking the cycle of poverty, making sure there are opportunities and alternatives to crime to survive and thrive

2) provide incentives at the federal level, to bring big business to the district (not the suburbs, they already have state level incentives and are doing this)

3) Build more housing that is affordable. That means increasing density in the outer areas of the city so people can afford to live here. Even in the poorest parts of the city, rents are $800-1000/mo and even cheap condos are $250,000+ and houses are $400,000+
That isn't "affordable" for people making a working class salary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Initiate sprucing with free paint and plants. Encourage neighborhoods to form HOAs.

HOAs are one of the worst inventions of the USA...truly horrible entities. No thanks.

As it is, in DC, we have ANC's, Councilmembers, Community Associations, Civic Associations, historic districts with corresponding historic district neighborhood groups. We have plenty of civic activism and oversight. We don't need more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:owners of all deteriorating homes should clean, repair and spruce up exterior or sell.

Sam could be said for just about any city or county in the country. If they don't have the money to maintain, you can't force them to sell, well at least not without being an authoritarian country. Oh, I see where you are going with this. If it doesn't meet YOUR standards, then take it away.

[Anonymous]

Move several federal agencies out of DC. Argiculture can go to Kansas. Commerce can go to Grand Rapids. FBI can go to Indianapolis. Deparment of Labor can go to Boston. Federal Reserve can go to Alaska. Housing and Urban Development can go to Memphis. Homeland Security can go to Houston. Depoartment of Education can be dissolved and returned to the states. Department of State can go to Philadelphia. And so on.

[Anonymous]

Clean up all the public spaces: enforce no camping law, fix all the fountains, get rid of blight such as AdMo plaza, add more seating and make it pleasant. Free buses. Enforce no weed smoking law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get rid of all the overpaid useless government employees that don’t need to work in DC. Put them out west like Utah or something.

If they're useless, why send them out west?

This attitude is like saying we should shut down all the factories in a factory town and to hell with the out of work employees. Let them move elsewhere. Oh wait, this is exactly what we used to do and what MAGAs are so mad about.

[Anonymous]

Give it a glow up. The mall grass should be-ah—grass and green grass to its edges. The reflecting pools should be clear. The local squares should be gorgeous and free of sleeping vagrants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Move several federal agencies out of DC. Argiculture can go to Kansas. Commerce can go to Grand Rapids. FBI can go to Indianapolis. Deparment of Labor can go to Boston. Federal Reserve can go to Alaska. Housing and Urban Development can go to Memphis. Homeland Security can go to Houston. Depoartment of Education can be dissolved and returned to the states. Department of State can go to Philadelphia. And so on.

Name another country that does this? IOW, this is how you actually run a really inefficient government. There are interagency task forces, there is work done on the hill and with the executive that require being in the same place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1) improve the schools - it is the one thing that really holds back parts of the city. Of course, that also means providing breakfast and lunch, breaking the cycle of poverty, making sure there are opportunities and alternatives to crime to survive and thrive

2) provide incentives at the federal level, to bring big business to the district (not the suburbs, they already have state level incentives and are doing this)

3) Build more housing that is affordable. That means increasing density in the outer areas of the city so people can afford to live here. Even in the poorest parts of the city, rents are $800-1000/mo and even cheap condos are $250,000+ and houses are $400,000+
That isn't "affordable" for people making a working class salary.

Yes, ruin the good neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

Convert all public housing into owner-occupied so people can build equity ala the HDBs in Singapore. Build newer and taller residential buildings in Anacostia with connections to jobs downtown, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Move several federal agencies out of DC. Argiculture can go to Kansas. Commerce can go to Grand Rapids. FBI can go to Indianapolis. Deparment of Labor can go to Boston. Federal Reserve can go to Alaska. Housing and Urban Development can go to Memphis. Homeland Security can go to Houston. Depoartment of Education can be dissolved and returned to the states. Department of State can go to Philadelphia. And so on.

And then give statehood to dc since it will no longer be the seat of the federal government. Hmm, good idea PP.

[Anonymous]

Move the homeless out to the suburbs.
Move Trump out of the WH and into prison where he belongs.
Create congestion pricing for MD and VA commuters for more revenue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1) improve the schools - it is the one thing that really holds back parts of the city. Of course, that also means providing breakfast and lunch, breaking the cycle of poverty, making sure there are opportunities and alternatives to crime to survive and thrive

2) provide incentives at the federal level, to bring big business to the district (not the suburbs, they already have state level incentives and are doing this)

3) Build more housing that is affordable. That means increasing density in the outer areas of the city so people can afford to live here. Even in the poorest parts of the city, rents are $800-1000/mo and even cheap condos are $250,000+ and houses are $400,000+
That isn't "affordable" for people making a working class salary.

Yes, ruin the good neighborhoods.

If you don’t want density, move out to VA or MD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Clean up all the public spaces: enforce no camping law, fix all the fountains, get rid of blight such as AdMo plaza, add more seating and make it pleasant. Free buses. Enforce no weed smoking law.

I'll even simplify this more..enforce any law. No need to make more or establish this or that...enforce the laws already! No weed in public, pay traffic fines, enforce child support, enforce school attendance, fix the traffic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Clean up all the public spaces: enforce no camping law, fix all the fountains, get rid of blight such as AdMo plaza, add more seating and make it pleasant. Free buses. Enforce no weed smoking law.

Most of the public spaces that need to be cleaned up belong to the National Park Service which is basically not doing its job. Maybe turn over that land to the DC government and there will be some accountability.

Enforcing a no camping law is fine...what do you do with the homeless people, many of whom need mental health and/or addiction services? We either need to build housing that can be used by homeless but independent people or else ???? and for those who need services, that costs money, who is paying for it? or should all of these people just be exterminated?

Most of the fountains that are not working belong to the national park service, see above.

AdMo plaza is a privately owned space that has been tied up in a redevelopment plan for a decade. The owners should be held accountable to maintain it properly.

More seating? That is the same seating being used by homeless people, or is there a litmus test to use the free seating?

There is no "weed no smoking law" - weed is legal in DC to consume and just like people smoke tobacco cigarettes, they also smoke pot. So unless you want to ban all outdoor smoking, that isn't going anywhere (and I would be all for it, but it isn't reality)