Republicans are revving up for a D.C. smackdown

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Maybe republicans should focus on their own trash districts, many of which have far higher crime and poverty and crappier education than DC.

We are a large and complicated city and congressional representatives are already tied down with addressing the needs of their own constituents that they are supposed to represent.

There is no possible way that congress has the time to actually get into the nitty gritty detail of governing our city.... other than to enact some 'pet' issues for show and media sound bytes.

It is really a simple three step process:

1. Arrest those who commit crimes.
2. Have actual trials for those arrested.
3. Have those convicted of crimes spend time in jail. Extra 15 years if a weapon is used in commission of the crime.

Even those dim witted representatives from the South and the flyover states can figure it out.

lol then why haven’t they figured it out yet? there are many reforms that could improve criminal justice in DC - confirming judges in a timely manner is a big one. there’s nothing stopping Mr Jr Rep from Flyover State from drafting a bill to improve criminal justice in DC.

But we all know what this really is: just another node in the culture wars. Instead of judges, blather about right-on-red being an American entitlement.

+1 the fact they aren't working to confirm judges and fill vacancies RIGHT NOW is evidence they don't actually give a sh*t.

Have you seen some of the gems Biden has sent up for confirmation? These folks aren’t there to convict criminals.

Judicial nominations have to be a political compromise. If not it becomes a stalemate and no judges will ever get confirmed. This may be less disruptive for federal judges but it’s extremely disruptive for DC.

+1 and is a reason DC needs self government rather than being dependent on the whims of congress regardless of who has the majority

We already are held hostage between political parties and it would only get worse to put more bureaucracy in the hands of people who have no interest motivation nor time to govern our city.

Self governance would be great, but DC has demonstrated time and again that it is not capable of self governance. This is in part because DC is a one-party town, so there is no natural check to the worst behaviors of the governing party. DC absolutely needs some sort of outside force to achieve any sort of sanity. Give DC more control over itself in its current state, and it will descend into madness that much quicker.

I'm from DC and because I'm from DC and got to see a succession of governance...I've always been against statehood. We had one shining light, Tony Williams, and were hyper critical of him because he was a moderate wonk and not a flaming loon. But anything good in this city dates to him. I don't know that Congressional Control can do better -- I'd like specific examples--but I do not want statehood because I'm glad Congress can intervene on specific things when they are out of hand. May they please recriminalize MJ! What a bane that has become.

another self-hating purported resident of DC

purported resident LOL. I'm a native. Ask me anything transplant.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Maybe republicans should focus on their own trash districts, many of which have far higher crime and poverty and crappier education than DC.

We are a large and complicated city and congressional representatives are already tied down with addressing the needs of their own constituents that they are supposed to represent.

There is no possible way that congress has the time to actually get into the nitty gritty detail of governing our city.... other than to enact some 'pet' issues for show and media sound bytes.

It is really a simple three step process:

1. Arrest those who commit crimes.
2. Have actual trials for those arrested.
3. Have those convicted of crimes spend time in jail. Extra 15 years if a weapon is used in commission of the crime.

Even those dim witted representatives from the South and the flyover states can figure it out.

lol then why haven’t they figured it out yet? there are many reforms that could improve criminal justice in DC - confirming judges in a timely manner is a big one. there’s nothing stopping Mr Jr Rep from Flyover State from drafting a bill to improve criminal justice in DC.

But we all know what this really is: just another node in the culture wars. Instead of judges, blather about right-on-red being an American entitlement.

+1 the fact they aren't working to confirm judges and fill vacancies RIGHT NOW is evidence they don't actually give a sh*t.

Have you seen some of the gems Biden has sent up for confirmation? These folks aren’t there to convict criminals.

Judicial nominations have to be a political compromise. If not it becomes a stalemate and no judges will ever get confirmed. This may be less disruptive for federal judges but it’s extremely disruptive for DC.

+1 and is a reason DC needs self government rather than being dependent on the whims of congress regardless of who has the majority

We already are held hostage between political parties and it would only get worse to put more bureaucracy in the hands of people who have no interest motivation nor time to govern our city.

Self governance would be great, but DC has demonstrated time and again that it is not capable of self governance. This is in part because DC is a one-party town, so there is no natural check to the worst behaviors of the governing party. DC absolutely needs some sort of outside force to achieve any sort of sanity. Give DC more control over itself in its current state, and it will descend into madness that much quicker.

Give some examples of how D.C. has demonstrated that time and again, that it is "not capable of self governance." "Elected officials make decisions I disagree with" does not count.

We generally consider children capable of self-governance when they stop making decisions that harm themselves and others. Additionally, the ability to accept responsibility when things go wrong, and correct behavior are hallmarks of being ready for self-governance.

So let's just take crime for example. Raising the age of childhood to 26, hobbling the police, no-papering anyone actually arrested, shaming anyone who actually cares about crime, denying there was a problem and then trying to blame anyone but themselves for the problem seems pretty governance-incapable to me. What do you think?

Who's "we" in this sentence? In the US I live in, you're an adult at age 18, regardless of others' opinions about your decision-making capabilities.

Go give an 18 year old a beer then, if you're under 26 you might not even get in trouble for it.

If you want to define adult as being of legal drinking age - which would be weird when we're talking about self-governance, not alcohol, but ok - then it's the same, only 21 instead of 18. Either way, people are adults with or without your approval.

You're argument is basically, "I can do what I want Mom!" while entirely missing the point. Being an "adult" is a somewhat arbitrary decision that has varied over time, and varies under the circumstances. That is because being an adult is something that is defined by other adults. Its a club. Adults say "yes, this person acts like an adult now."

To bring it back, DC is not an adult yet, and requires other adults (states) to agree that it is an adult. Rather than demonstrate adultness, DC likes to act out, be rude and sit around stoned. It is failure to launch in municipal form.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Maybe republicans should focus on their own trash districts, many of which have far higher crime and poverty and crappier education than DC.

We are a large and complicated city and congressional representatives are already tied down with addressing the needs of their own constituents that they are supposed to represent.

There is no possible way that congress has the time to actually get into the nitty gritty detail of governing our city.... other than to enact some 'pet' issues for show and media sound bytes.

It is really a simple three step process:

1. Arrest those who commit crimes.
2. Have actual trials for those arrested.
3. Have those convicted of crimes spend time in jail. Extra 15 years if a weapon is used in commission of the crime.

Even those dim witted representatives from the South and the flyover states can figure it out.

lol then why haven’t they figured it out yet? there are many reforms that could improve criminal justice in DC - confirming judges in a timely manner is a big one. there’s nothing stopping Mr Jr Rep from Flyover State from drafting a bill to improve criminal justice in DC.

But we all know what this really is: just another node in the culture wars. Instead of judges, blather about right-on-red being an American entitlement.

+1 the fact they aren't working to confirm judges and fill vacancies RIGHT NOW is evidence they don't actually give a sh*t.

Have you seen some of the gems Biden has sent up for confirmation? These folks aren’t there to convict criminals.

Judicial nominations have to be a political compromise. If not it becomes a stalemate and no judges will ever get confirmed. This may be less disruptive for federal judges but it’s extremely disruptive for DC.

+1 and is a reason DC needs self government rather than being dependent on the whims of congress regardless of who has the majority

We already are held hostage between political parties and it would only get worse to put more bureaucracy in the hands of people who have no interest motivation nor time to govern our city.

Self governance would be great, but DC has demonstrated time and again that it is not capable of self governance. This is in part because DC is a one-party town, so there is no natural check to the worst behaviors of the governing party. DC absolutely needs some sort of outside force to achieve any sort of sanity. Give DC more control over itself in its current state, and it will descend into madness that much quicker.

Give some examples of how D.C. has demonstrated that time and again, that it is "not capable of self governance." "Elected officials make decisions I disagree with" does not count.

We generally consider children capable of self-governance when they stop making decisions that harm themselves and others. Additionally, the ability to accept responsibility when things go wrong, and correct behavior are hallmarks of being ready for self-governance.

So let's just take crime for example. Raising the age of childhood to 26, hobbling the police, no-papering anyone actually arrested, shaming anyone who actually cares about crime, denying there was a problem and then trying to blame anyone but themselves for the problem seems pretty governance-incapable to me. What do you think?

Who's "we" in this sentence? In the US I live in, you're an adult at age 18, regardless of others' opinions about your decision-making capabilities.

Go give an 18 year old a beer then, if you're under 26 you might not even get in trouble for it.

If you want to define adult as being of legal drinking age - which would be weird when we're talking about self-governance, not alcohol, but ok - then it's the same, only 21 instead of 18. Either way, people are adults with or without your approval.

You're argument is basically, "I can do what I want Mom!" while entirely missing the point. Being an "adult" is a somewhat arbitrary decision that has varied over time, and varies under the circumstances. That is because being an adult is something that is defined by other adults. Its a club. Adults say "yes, this person acts like an adult now."

To bring it back, DC is not an adult yet, and requires other adults (states) to agree that it is an adult. Rather than demonstrate adultness, DC likes to act out, be rude and sit around stoned. It is failure to launch in municipal form.

Wow, that's a bonkers metaphor.

[Anonymous]

Our whites feel too guilty or too embarrassed to imprison our blacks when they commit violent felonies bc of the sheer number of blacks involved. So they decriminalize and ignore. Praying for federal takeover.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m okay with banning traffic cameras, banning no right on red law, and banning non citizens from voting. I’m sure there are others I won’t like, but I’m fine with those.

GOP not keen on bike lanes, either

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our whites feel too guilty or too embarrassed to imprison our blacks when they commit violent felonies bc of the sheer number of blacks involved. So they decriminalize and ignore. Praying for federal takeover.

+1 (AA woman)

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe republicans should focus on their own trash districts, many of which have far higher crime and poverty and crappier education than DC.

We are a large and complicated city and congressional representatives are already tied down with addressing the needs of their own constituents that they are supposed to represent.

There is no possible way that congress has the time to actually get into the nitty gritty detail of governing our city.... other than to enact some 'pet' issues for show and media sound bytes.

It is really a simple three step process:

1. Arrest those who commit crimes.
2. Have actual trials for those arrested.
3. Have those convicted of crimes spend time in jail. Extra 15 years if a weapon is used in commission of the crime.

Even those dim witted representatives from the South and the flyover states can figure it out.

lol then why haven’t they figured it out yet? there are many reforms that could improve criminal justice in DC - confirming judges in a timely manner is a big one. there’s nothing stopping Mr Jr Rep from Flyover State from drafting a bill to improve criminal justice in DC.

But we all know what this really is: just another node in the culture wars. Instead of judges, blather about right-on-red being an American entitlement.

+1 the fact they aren't working to confirm judges and fill vacancies RIGHT NOW is evidence they don't actually give a sh*t.

Have you seen some of the gems Biden has sent up for confirmation? These folks aren’t there to convict criminals.

Judicial nominations have to be a political compromise. If not it becomes a stalemate and no judges will ever get confirmed. This may be less disruptive for federal judges but it’s extremely disruptive for DC.

+1 and is a reason DC needs self government rather than being dependent on the whims of congress regardless of who has the majority

We already are held hostage between political parties and it would only get worse to put more bureaucracy in the hands of people who have no interest motivation nor time to govern our city.

Self governance would be great, but DC has demonstrated time and again that it is not capable of self governance. This is in part because DC is a one-party town, so there is no natural check to the worst behaviors of the governing party. DC absolutely needs some sort of outside force to achieve any sort of sanity. Give DC more control over itself in its current state, and it will descend into madness that much quicker.

Give some examples of how D.C. has demonstrated that time and again, that it is "not capable of self governance." "Elected officials make decisions I disagree with" does not count.

We generally consider children capable of self-governance when they stop making decisions that harm themselves and others. Additionally, the ability to accept responsibility when things go wrong, and correct behavior are hallmarks of being ready for self-governance.

So let's just take crime for example. Raising the age of childhood to 26, hobbling the police, no-papering anyone actually arrested, shaming anyone who actually cares about crime, denying there was a problem and then trying to blame anyone but themselves for the problem seems pretty governance-incapable to me. What do you think?

I think your metaphor of a city of 700,000 people as a child who needs adults to give it permission to run its own affairs is a little ridiculous. What other cities do you think aren't capable of self-government?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe republicans should focus on their own trash districts, many of which have far higher crime and poverty and crappier education than DC.

We are a large and complicated city and congressional representatives are already tied down with addressing the needs of their own constituents that they are supposed to represent.

There is no possible way that congress has the time to actually get into the nitty gritty detail of governing our city.... other than to enact some 'pet' issues for show and media sound bytes.

It is really a simple three step process:

1. Arrest those who commit crimes.
2. Have actual trials for those arrested.
3. Have those convicted of crimes spend time in jail. Extra 15 years if a weapon is used in commission of the crime.

Even those dim witted representatives from the South and the flyover states can figure it out.

lol then why haven’t they figured it out yet? there are many reforms that could improve criminal justice in DC - confirming judges in a timely manner is a big one. there’s nothing stopping Mr Jr Rep from Flyover State from drafting a bill to improve criminal justice in DC.

But we all know what this really is: just another node in the culture wars. Instead of judges, blather about right-on-red being an American entitlement.

+1 the fact they aren't working to confirm judges and fill vacancies RIGHT NOW is evidence they don't actually give a sh*t.

Have you seen some of the gems Biden has sent up for confirmation? These folks aren’t there to convict criminals.

Judicial nominations have to be a political compromise. If not it becomes a stalemate and no judges will ever get confirmed. This may be less disruptive for federal judges but it’s extremely disruptive for DC.

+1 and is a reason DC needs self government rather than being dependent on the whims of congress regardless of who has the majority

We already are held hostage between political parties and it would only get worse to put more bureaucracy in the hands of people who have no interest motivation nor time to govern our city.

Self governance would be great, but DC has demonstrated time and again that it is not capable of self governance. This is in part because DC is a one-party town, so there is no natural check to the worst behaviors of the governing party. DC absolutely needs some sort of outside force to achieve any sort of sanity. Give DC more control over itself in its current state, and it will descend into madness that much quicker.

Give some examples of how D.C. has demonstrated that time and again, that it is "not capable of self governance." "Elected officials make decisions I disagree with" does not count.

We generally consider children capable of self-governance when they stop making decisions that harm themselves and others. Additionally, the ability to accept responsibility when things go wrong, and correct behavior are hallmarks of being ready for self-governance.

So let's just take crime for example. Raising the age of childhood to 26, hobbling the police, no-papering anyone actually arrested, shaming anyone who actually cares about crime, denying there was a problem and then trying to blame anyone but themselves for the problem seems pretty governance-incapable to me. What do you think?

I think your metaphor of a city of 700,000 people as a child who needs adults to give it permission to run its own affairs is a little ridiculous. What other cities do you think aren't capable of self-government?

Interestingly no one has yet asserted that DC actually behaves in a responsible manner. Plenty of other cities aren't capable of self-government. They can't manage their money, or poison their citizens with lead, or fail to teach children, etc... DC has had or has all of these problems btw.

Other cities get taken over by their states, but since DC is a Federal district, they get taken over by Congress. Those states then get to prove they learned their lesson, and possibly get self-governance back.

Home rule defenders are largely in denial that there is a problem. They probably won't even begin to think of solutions until their rice bowls are in danger.

So in my opinion, the sooner those rice bowls get endangered, the better for everyone involved. You could probably even forestall federal intervention by doing some pretty simple stuff now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe republicans should focus on their own trash districts, many of which have far higher crime and poverty and crappier education than DC.

We are a large and complicated city and congressional representatives are already tied down with addressing the needs of their own constituents that they are supposed to represent.

There is no possible way that congress has the time to actually get into the nitty gritty detail of governing our city.... other than to enact some 'pet' issues for show and media sound bytes.

It is really a simple three step process:

1. Arrest those who commit crimes.
2. Have actual trials for those arrested.
3. Have those convicted of crimes spend time in jail. Extra 15 years if a weapon is used in commission of the crime.

Even those dim witted representatives from the South and the flyover states can figure it out.

lol then why haven’t they figured it out yet? there are many reforms that could improve criminal justice in DC - confirming judges in a timely manner is a big one. there’s nothing stopping Mr Jr Rep from Flyover State from drafting a bill to improve criminal justice in DC.

But we all know what this really is: just another node in the culture wars. Instead of judges, blather about right-on-red being an American entitlement.

+1 the fact they aren't working to confirm judges and fill vacancies RIGHT NOW is evidence they don't actually give a sh*t.

Have you seen some of the gems Biden has sent up for confirmation? These folks aren’t there to convict criminals.

Judicial nominations have to be a political compromise. If not it becomes a stalemate and no judges will ever get confirmed. This may be less disruptive for federal judges but it’s extremely disruptive for DC.

+1 and is a reason DC needs self government rather than being dependent on the whims of congress regardless of who has the majority

We already are held hostage between political parties and it would only get worse to put more bureaucracy in the hands of people who have no interest motivation nor time to govern our city.

Self governance would be great, but DC has demonstrated time and again that it is not capable of self governance. This is in part because DC is a one-party town, so there is no natural check to the worst behaviors of the governing party. DC absolutely needs some sort of outside force to achieve any sort of sanity. Give DC more control over itself in its current state, and it will descend into madness that much quicker.

Give some examples of how D.C. has demonstrated that time and again, that it is "not capable of self governance." "Elected officials make decisions I disagree with" does not count.

We generally consider children capable of self-governance when they stop making decisions that harm themselves and others. Additionally, the ability to accept responsibility when things go wrong, and correct behavior are hallmarks of being ready for self-governance.

So let's just take crime for example. Raising the age of childhood to 26, hobbling the police, no-papering anyone actually arrested, shaming anyone who actually cares about crime, denying there was a problem and then trying to blame anyone but themselves for the problem seems pretty governance-incapable to me. What do you think?

I think your metaphor of a city of 700,000 people as a child who needs adults to give it permission to run its own affairs is a little ridiculous. What other cities do you think aren't capable of self-government?

Interestingly no one has yet asserted that DC actually behaves in a responsible manner. Plenty of other cities aren't capable of self-government. They can't manage their money, or poison their citizens with lead, or fail to teach children, etc... DC has had or has all of these problems btw.

Other cities get taken over by their states, but since DC is a Federal district, they get taken over by Congress. Those states then get to prove they learned their lesson, and possibly get self-governance back.

Home rule defenders are largely in denial that there is a problem. They probably won't even begin to think of solutions until their rice bowls are in danger.

So in my opinion, the sooner those rice bowls get endangered, the better for everyone involved. You could probably even forestall federal intervention by doing some pretty simple stuff now.

I think the onus ought to be on the people who are demanding an end to local control to show why that step makes sense, not for those of us who believe our locally elected leaders should run the city to somehow prove that.

No idea what you mean by rice bowls.

The last time the feds seized control of the city, it wasn't because of crime, it was because the budget was a disaster. The city is taking steps now to head off such a disaster. You may or may not like those steps -- like raising property taxes -- but the financial situation is way better now than it was when the control board was first imposed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our whites feel too guilty or too embarrassed to imprison our blacks when they commit violent felonies bc of the sheer number of blacks involved. So they decriminalize and ignore. Praying for federal takeover.

Who are "your whites" who are doing this, specifically?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our whites feel too guilty or too embarrassed to imprison our blacks when they commit violent felonies bc of the sheer number of blacks involved. So they decriminalize and ignore. Praying for federal takeover.

Who are "your whites" who are doing this, specifically?

See: District of Columbia, Council of

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe republicans should focus on their own trash districts, many of which have far higher crime and poverty and crappier education than DC.

We are a large and complicated city and congressional representatives are already tied down with addressing the needs of their own constituents that they are supposed to represent.

There is no possible way that congress has the time to actually get into the nitty gritty detail of governing our city.... other than to enact some 'pet' issues for show and media sound bytes.

It is really a simple three step process:

1. Arrest those who commit crimes.
2. Have actual trials for those arrested.
3. Have those convicted of crimes spend time in jail. Extra 15 years if a weapon is used in commission of the crime.

Even those dim witted representatives from the South and the flyover states can figure it out.

lol then why haven’t they figured it out yet? there are many reforms that could improve criminal justice in DC - confirming judges in a timely manner is a big one. there’s nothing stopping Mr Jr Rep from Flyover State from drafting a bill to improve criminal justice in DC.

But we all know what this really is: just another node in the culture wars. Instead of judges, blather about right-on-red being an American entitlement.

+1 the fact they aren't working to confirm judges and fill vacancies RIGHT NOW is evidence they don't actually give a sh*t.

Have you seen some of the gems Biden has sent up for confirmation? These folks aren’t there to convict criminals.

Judicial nominations have to be a political compromise. If not it becomes a stalemate and no judges will ever get confirmed. This may be less disruptive for federal judges but it’s extremely disruptive for DC.

+1 and is a reason DC needs self government rather than being dependent on the whims of congress regardless of who has the majority

We already are held hostage between political parties and it would only get worse to put more bureaucracy in the hands of people who have no interest motivation nor time to govern our city.

Self governance would be great, but DC has demonstrated time and again that it is not capable of self governance. This is in part because DC is a one-party town, so there is no natural check to the worst behaviors of the governing party. DC absolutely needs some sort of outside force to achieve any sort of sanity. Give DC more control over itself in its current state, and it will descend into madness that much quicker.

Give some examples of how D.C. has demonstrated that time and again, that it is "not capable of self governance." "Elected officials make decisions I disagree with" does not count.

We generally consider children capable of self-governance when they stop making decisions that harm themselves and others. Additionally, the ability to accept responsibility when things go wrong, and correct behavior are hallmarks of being ready for self-governance.

So let's just take crime for example. Raising the age of childhood to 26, hobbling the police, no-papering anyone actually arrested, shaming anyone who actually cares about crime, denying there was a problem and then trying to blame anyone but themselves for the problem seems pretty governance-incapable to me. What do you think?

I think your metaphor of a city of 700,000 people as a child who needs adults to give it permission to run its own affairs is a little ridiculous. What other cities do you think aren't capable of self-government?

Interestingly no one has yet asserted that DC actually behaves in a responsible manner. Plenty of other cities aren't capable of self-government. They can't manage their money, or poison their citizens with lead, or fail to teach children, etc... DC has had or has all of these problems btw.

Other cities get taken over by their states, but since DC is a Federal district, they get taken over by Congress. Those states then get to prove they learned their lesson, and possibly get self-governance back.

Home rule defenders are largely in denial that there is a problem. They probably won't even begin to think of solutions until their rice bowls are in danger.

So in my opinion, the sooner those rice bowls get endangered, the better for everyone involved. You could probably even forestall federal intervention by doing some pretty simple stuff now.

I think the onus ought to be on the people who are demanding an end to local control to show why that step makes sense, not for those of us who believe our locally elected leaders should run the city to somehow prove that.

No idea what you mean by rice bowls.

The last time the feds seized control of the city, it wasn't because of crime, it was because the budget was a disaster. The city is taking steps now to head off such a disaster. You may or may not like those steps -- like raising property taxes -- but the financial situation is way better now than it was when the control board was first imposed.

Not the PP you are responding to, but they made a great point I had never thought about with state takeover. It does seem equivalent. I've lived in a couple cities that had declared bankruptcy and were under stringent conditions. Eventually things turned around. Rice bowl is an expression I've heard before. My husband uses it to mean the things a person is really focused on / cares about - sometimes (not always) to the detriment of the bigger picture. I wonder if he's posting, but he claims not to go in DCUM. More of a x guy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe republicans should focus on their own trash districts, many of which have far higher crime and poverty and crappier education than DC.

We are a large and complicated city and congressional representatives are already tied down with addressing the needs of their own constituents that they are supposed to represent.

There is no possible way that congress has the time to actually get into the nitty gritty detail of governing our city.... other than to enact some 'pet' issues for show and media sound bytes.

It is really a simple three step process:

1. Arrest those who commit crimes.
2. Have actual trials for those arrested.
3. Have those convicted of crimes spend time in jail. Extra 15 years if a weapon is used in commission of the crime.

Even those dim witted representatives from the South and the flyover states can figure it out.

lol then why haven’t they figured it out yet? there are many reforms that could improve criminal justice in DC - confirming judges in a timely manner is a big one. there’s nothing stopping Mr Jr Rep from Flyover State from drafting a bill to improve criminal justice in DC.

But we all know what this really is: just another node in the culture wars. Instead of judges, blather about right-on-red being an American entitlement.

+1 the fact they aren't working to confirm judges and fill vacancies RIGHT NOW is evidence they don't actually give a sh*t.

Have you seen some of the gems Biden has sent up for confirmation? These folks aren’t there to convict criminals.

Judicial nominations have to be a political compromise. If not it becomes a stalemate and no judges will ever get confirmed. This may be less disruptive for federal judges but it’s extremely disruptive for DC.

+1 and is a reason DC needs self government rather than being dependent on the whims of congress regardless of who has the majority

We already are held hostage between political parties and it would only get worse to put more bureaucracy in the hands of people who have no interest motivation nor time to govern our city.

Self governance would be great, but DC has demonstrated time and again that it is not capable of self governance. This is in part because DC is a one-party town, so there is no natural check to the worst behaviors of the governing party. DC absolutely needs some sort of outside force to achieve any sort of sanity. Give DC more control over itself in its current state, and it will descend into madness that much quicker.

Give some examples of how D.C. has demonstrated that time and again, that it is "not capable of self governance." "Elected officials make decisions I disagree with" does not count.

We generally consider children capable of self-governance when they stop making decisions that harm themselves and others. Additionally, the ability to accept responsibility when things go wrong, and correct behavior are hallmarks of being ready for self-governance.

So let's just take crime for example. Raising the age of childhood to 26, hobbling the police, no-papering anyone actually arrested, shaming anyone who actually cares about crime, denying there was a problem and then trying to blame anyone but themselves for the problem seems pretty governance-incapable to me. What do you think?

I think your metaphor of a city of 700,000 people as a child who needs adults to give it permission to run its own affairs is a little ridiculous. What other cities do you think aren't capable of self-government?

Interestingly no one has yet asserted that DC actually behaves in a responsible manner. Plenty of other cities aren't capable of self-government. They can't manage their money, or poison their citizens with lead, or fail to teach children, etc... DC has had or has all of these problems btw.

Other cities get taken over by their states, but since DC is a Federal district, they get taken over by Congress. Those states then get to prove they learned their lesson, and possibly get self-governance back.

Home rule defenders are largely in denial that there is a problem. They probably won't even begin to think of solutions until their rice bowls are in danger.

So in my opinion, the sooner those rice bowls get endangered, the better for everyone involved. You could probably even forestall federal intervention by doing some pretty simple stuff now.

I think the onus ought to be on the people who are demanding an end to local control to show why that step makes sense, not for those of us who believe our locally elected leaders should run the city to somehow prove that.

No idea what you mean by rice bowls.

The last time the feds seized control of the city, it wasn't because of crime, it was because the budget was a disaster. The city is taking steps now to head off such a disaster. You may or may not like those steps -- like raising property taxes -- but the financial situation is way better now than it was when the control board was first imposed.

Keep in mind DC has spent most of its existence as a ward of Congress, only getting home rule in 1973. Home rule lasted all of 22 years (majority under Barry) before the Control Board was needed. The Control Board ended in 2001 and now 23 years later we are again in need of federal oversight. So a return to federal control is really just a return to status quo.

DC has only had one good elected mayor, and he was practically hand-picked by the Control Board. Of the two OK mayors, one only got picked because Barry got busted. That leaves Fenty as the only OK mayor DC voters ever truly picked, and he got bounced after one term. This is hardly a track-record to be proud of. A return to appointed Mayors would almost certainly be an improvement.

As for rice bowls, Urban Dictionary #2 is what I meant: "A protected job, project, program etc..."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe republicans should focus on their own trash districts, many of which have far higher crime and poverty and crappier education than DC.

We are a large and complicated city and congressional representatives are already tied down with addressing the needs of their own constituents that they are supposed to represent.

There is no possible way that congress has the time to actually get into the nitty gritty detail of governing our city.... other than to enact some 'pet' issues for show and media sound bytes.

It is really a simple three step process:

1. Arrest those who commit crimes.
2. Have actual trials for those arrested.
3. Have those convicted of crimes spend time in jail. Extra 15 years if a weapon is used in commission of the crime.

Even those dim witted representatives from the South and the flyover states can figure it out.

lol then why haven’t they figured it out yet? there are many reforms that could improve criminal justice in DC - confirming judges in a timely manner is a big one. there’s nothing stopping Mr Jr Rep from Flyover State from drafting a bill to improve criminal justice in DC.

But we all know what this really is: just another node in the culture wars. Instead of judges, blather about right-on-red being an American entitlement.

+1 the fact they aren't working to confirm judges and fill vacancies RIGHT NOW is evidence they don't actually give a sh*t.

Have you seen some of the gems Biden has sent up for confirmation? These folks aren’t there to convict criminals.

Judicial nominations have to be a political compromise. If not it becomes a stalemate and no judges will ever get confirmed. This may be less disruptive for federal judges but it’s extremely disruptive for DC.

+1 and is a reason DC needs self government rather than being dependent on the whims of congress regardless of who has the majority

We already are held hostage between political parties and it would only get worse to put more bureaucracy in the hands of people who have no interest motivation nor time to govern our city.

Self governance would be great, but DC has demonstrated time and again that it is not capable of self governance. This is in part because DC is a one-party town, so there is no natural check to the worst behaviors of the governing party. DC absolutely needs some sort of outside force to achieve any sort of sanity. Give DC more control over itself in its current state, and it will descend into madness that much quicker.

Give some examples of how D.C. has demonstrated that time and again, that it is "not capable of self governance." "Elected officials make decisions I disagree with" does not count.

We generally consider children capable of self-governance when they stop making decisions that harm themselves and others. Additionally, the ability to accept responsibility when things go wrong, and correct behavior are hallmarks of being ready for self-governance.

So let's just take crime for example. Raising the age of childhood to 26, hobbling the police, no-papering anyone actually arrested, shaming anyone who actually cares about crime, denying there was a problem and then trying to blame anyone but themselves for the problem seems pretty governance-incapable to me. What do you think?

I think your metaphor of a city of 700,000 people as a child who needs adults to give it permission to run its own affairs is a little ridiculous. What other cities do you think aren't capable of self-government?

Interestingly no one has yet asserted that DC actually behaves in a responsible manner. Plenty of other cities aren't capable of self-government. They can't manage their money, or poison their citizens with lead, or fail to teach children, etc... DC has had or has all of these problems btw.

Other cities get taken over by their states, but since DC is a Federal district, they get taken over by Congress. Those states then get to prove they learned their lesson, and possibly get self-governance back.

Home rule defenders are largely in denial that there is a problem. They probably won't even begin to think of solutions until their rice bowls are in danger.

So in my opinion, the sooner those rice bowls get endangered, the better for everyone involved. You could probably even forestall federal intervention by doing some pretty simple stuff now.

I think the onus ought to be on the people who are demanding an end to local control to show why that step makes sense, not for those of us who believe our locally elected leaders should run the city to somehow prove that.

No idea what you mean by rice bowls.

The last time the feds seized control of the city, it wasn't because of crime, it was because the budget was a disaster. The city is taking steps now to head off such a disaster. You may or may not like those steps -- like raising property taxes -- but the financial situation is way better now than it was when the control board was first imposed.

Keep in mind DC has spent most of its existence as a ward of Congress, only getting home rule in 1973. Home rule lasted all of 22 years (majority under Barry) before the Control Board was needed. The Control Board ended in 2001 and now 23 years later we are again in need of federal oversight. So a return to federal control is really just a return to status quo.

DC has only had one good elected mayor, and he was practically hand-picked by the Control Board. Of the two OK mayors, one only got picked because Barry got busted. That leaves Fenty as the only OK mayor DC voters ever truly picked, and he got bounced after one term. This is hardly a track-record to be proud of. A return to appointed Mayors would almost certainly be an improvement.

As for rice bowls, Urban Dictionary #2 is what I meant: "A protected job, project, program etc..."

But why are we in need of federal oversight? The city is not bankrupt. You disagree with policy choices the elected leaders are making, but that doesn't mean they ought to be replaced by unelected appointees named by people elected in other parts of the country. If you want the city's leaders to make different choices, advocate for those choices or run for office, don't just go crying to Congress and hope they take away the few votes we actually get to cast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe republicans should focus on their own trash districts, many of which have far higher crime and poverty and crappier education than DC.

We are a large and complicated city and congressional representatives are already tied down with addressing the needs of their own constituents that they are supposed to represent.

There is no possible way that congress has the time to actually get into the nitty gritty detail of governing our city.... other than to enact some 'pet' issues for show and media sound bytes.

It is really a simple three step process:

1. Arrest those who commit crimes.
2. Have actual trials for those arrested.
3. Have those convicted of crimes spend time in jail. Extra 15 years if a weapon is used in commission of the crime.

Even those dim witted representatives from the South and the flyover states can figure it out.

lol then why haven’t they figured it out yet? there are many reforms that could improve criminal justice in DC - confirming judges in a timely manner is a big one. there’s nothing stopping Mr Jr Rep from Flyover State from drafting a bill to improve criminal justice in DC.

But we all know what this really is: just another node in the culture wars. Instead of judges, blather about right-on-red being an American entitlement.

+1 the fact they aren't working to confirm judges and fill vacancies RIGHT NOW is evidence they don't actually give a sh*t.

Have you seen some of the gems Biden has sent up for confirmation? These folks aren’t there to convict criminals.

Judicial nominations have to be a political compromise. If not it becomes a stalemate and no judges will ever get confirmed. This may be less disruptive for federal judges but it’s extremely disruptive for DC.

+1 and is a reason DC needs self government rather than being dependent on the whims of congress regardless of who has the majority

We already are held hostage between political parties and it would only get worse to put more bureaucracy in the hands of people who have no interest motivation nor time to govern our city.

Self governance would be great, but DC has demonstrated time and again that it is not capable of self governance. This is in part because DC is a one-party town, so there is no natural check to the worst behaviors of the governing party. DC absolutely needs some sort of outside force to achieve any sort of sanity. Give DC more control over itself in its current state, and it will descend into madness that much quicker.

Give some examples of how D.C. has demonstrated that time and again, that it is "not capable of self governance." "Elected officials make decisions I disagree with" does not count.

We generally consider children capable of self-governance when they stop making decisions that harm themselves and others. Additionally, the ability to accept responsibility when things go wrong, and correct behavior are hallmarks of being ready for self-governance.

So let's just take crime for example. Raising the age of childhood to 26, hobbling the police, no-papering anyone actually arrested, shaming anyone who actually cares about crime, denying there was a problem and then trying to blame anyone but themselves for the problem seems pretty governance-incapable to me. What do you think?

I think your metaphor of a city of 700,000 people as a child who needs adults to give it permission to run its own affairs is a little ridiculous. What other cities do you think aren't capable of self-government?

Interestingly no one has yet asserted that DC actually behaves in a responsible manner. Plenty of other cities aren't capable of self-government. They can't manage their money, or poison their citizens with lead, or fail to teach children, etc... DC has had or has all of these problems btw.

Other cities get taken over by their states, but since DC is a Federal district, they get taken over by Congress. Those states then get to prove they learned their lesson, and possibly get self-governance back.

Home rule defenders are largely in denial that there is a problem. They probably won't even begin to think of solutions until their rice bowls are in danger.

So in my opinion, the sooner those rice bowls get endangered, the better for everyone involved. You could probably even forestall federal intervention by doing some pretty simple stuff now.

I think the onus ought to be on the people who are demanding an end to local control to show why that step makes sense, not for those of us who believe our locally elected leaders should run the city to somehow prove that.

No idea what you mean by rice bowls.

The last time the feds seized control of the city, it wasn't because of crime, it was because the budget was a disaster. The city is taking steps now to head off such a disaster. You may or may not like those steps -- like raising property taxes -- but the financial situation is way better now than it was when the control board was first imposed.

Not the PP you are responding to, but they made a great point I had never thought about with state takeover. It does seem equivalent. I've lived in a couple cities that had declared bankruptcy and were under stringent conditions. Eventually things turned around. Rice bowl is an expression I've heard before. My husband uses it to mean the things a person is really focused on / cares about - sometimes (not always) to the detriment of the bigger picture. I wonder if he's posting, but he claims not to go in DCUM. More of a x guy.

Right, and D.C. had this happen from 1995 to 2001, when its finances were in horrible condition. D.C. has AAA-rated bond and more than a month's operating expenses held in reserve. Why would you think it should be taken over when it's nowhere near bankruptcy?