Why is DC So Dysfunctional?

[Anonymous]

This is one of the most beautiful and historic cities in the world, and I think that Adrian Fenty is generally a good mayor, but why cant this city work? Ward 8 keeps voting for Marion Barry, people in Chevy Chase have to call 911 in MD because DC wont respond, the crime is out of control (for a city its size), the schools are horrendous, highest taxes in the region and now this WaPo article about Fenty’s racial divide. How can Fairfax and MoCo get it right and DC just seems to always continuously lag behind its neighbors? Houses on Capitol Hill cost over $800k but you cant walk outside at night. Other cities like NYC cleaned up the crime and neighborhoods but it seems like except for Jack Evans this city council is more concerned with bag taxes than they are with high crime and businesses fleeing to Va. Is it in our water?

[Anonymous]

Mmm, I can't wait to see how this thread unfolds... popcorn, anyone?

[Anonymous]

I don't know if NYC is as function as you say (because I have no idea), but as a DC resident I am totally peeved at how DC keeps f*cking up handling what seem to me to be no-brainer issues.

First up: Get rid of derelect landlords and kick out public housing managers that can't seem to guarantee its residents and neighbors a safe, clean place to live. Some serious, enforced, expensive fines should do the trick.

Next: Drug dealers out on the sidewalks. We know who you are and what you do. Yet we can't seem to get rid of you. WHY?

Next: Schools. You suck as a teacher or administrator, you're out. Period. Including central office folks.

[Anonymous]

I think you are right, it is in the water.

[Anonymous]

Make no mistake, NYC "got rid of the crime" by shipping certain people over the border to New Jersey. Which makes people in the newly family-friendly East Village feel happy, no doubt. But the crime wasn't exactly eradicated. It just moved.

Kind of like many parts of the District became more appealing even as the homicides and attempted homicides shot up just over the PG county line in Seat Pleasant and the like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is one of the most beautiful and historic cities in the world, and I think that Adrian Fenty is generally a good mayor, but why cant this city work? Ward 8 keeps voting for Marion Barry, people in Chevy Chase have to call 911 in MD because DC wont respond, the crime is out of control (for a city its size), the schools are horrendous, highest taxes in the region and now this WaPo article about Fenty’s racial divide. How can Fairfax and MoCo get it right and DC just seems to always continuously lag behind its neighbors? Houses on Capitol Hill cost over $800k but you cant walk outside at night. Other cities like NYC cleaned up the crime and neighborhoods but it seems like except for Jack Evans this city council is more concerned with bag taxes than they are with high crime and businesses fleeing to Va. Is it in our water?

Huh? OK, I don't live in an 800K house on Capitol Hill--I live in a ~$350K house in Petworth. And of course I go out at night! Yes, I can name some blocks in my neighborhood that I avoid when it's dark out. But I feel very safe here.

[Anonymous]

As a tax paying resident I applaud the effort to ship crime out of the city. People aren't "forced" to move, they make a voluntary decision based on all available information. The information is that PG County is soft on crime and welcomes that ilk so they moved there.

[Anonymous]

To compare DC and NYC you would have to include the whole DC metro area. The demographics for the two cities are not the same. Nor is the tax revenue.

[Anonymous]

I cannot believe that the DC school system has been SO dysfunctional for so long.

Don't people realize how important good schools are? It attracts people into the city. It provides kids a good education to lead into a productive future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Make no mistake, NYC "got rid of the crime" by shipping certain people over the border to New Jersey. Which makes people in the newly family-friendly East Village feel happy, no doubt. But the crime wasn't exactly eradicated. It just moved.

That's not completely true. (I'm from NJ) What makes you think that?

They really just got tougher. They started with those small quality of life crimes, and grew from there. And, it worked.

[Anonymous]

I think part of the problem is the tax base. DC gets no revenue from government buildings, and no income from many of the people who work in DC. I also think NYC get taxes from city residents and also from the state. DC only has one way to get income - tax residents. Many of the residents have low incomes, and to be fair, they can't put higher tax rates on NW addresses to offset lower tax rates for other quadrants.

You'd think they'd be more efficient with the money they have though.

[Anonymous]

All politics in this city are racial. A large number of the residents here believe (and not without historical reason) that white politicians either don't care about them, or are out to actively disenfranchise them, so not only do they support any old black politician, no matter how corrupt, they reflexively oppose any reforms-- the good with the bad-- proposed by white politicians and supported by white residents. Black residents who do not hold a blanket belief on the subject still seem to get caught up in peer pressure around an issue.

I had really hoped that Fenty could bridge the divide. But he didn't wait long at all to start handing out no-bid city contracts to his frat brothers, ignoring the city council, and generally playing par for the DC course. What we need is a principled black politician, a real hard-ass law and order type who could first get elected (we'll never have a white mayor) and then maintain the influence, respect, charisma, and moral compass to enact meaningful change. But principled politicians, of ANY color, seem to be pretty thin on the ground.

Disclaimer: I do not hate African Americans, (is the BIGOT shouter around today? Hi sweetie!) and I do not believe all members of any group share any characteristic. It is meaningless to have a discussion about politics in DC and try to leave race out of it.

[Anonymous]

History of DC...ppl fled the city in droves when the riots in the late '60s broke out. NOBODY would consider raising their kids in the city back then, NOBODY. Anyone with a means out fled to the suburbs immediately.

There were horrible ghettos...the area by SpyMuseum was hooker central and a drug haven. IN FACT,,,,if you ask any LONG-TIME resident...the city has changed drastically for the better. U Street, Logan Circle, Verizon center area, etc....complete ghettos in the past. Much of DC has been revitalized. We took my parents to brunch at Zatinya (they moved down from Boston in 1965) and they could not believe how different (for the better) that area is now. They were in complete shock.

Are we there yet, h*ll no! We have made considerable improvements, hell y*s! My trash pick up and plowing were worlds above what I get in Arlington and the NW elementary was just as good (not the Middle, not the HS), etc..but that's why they sent Rhee down here..to try and improve upon this. Her tactics are harsh---but good lord it is a system that is going to need a clean sweep.

I compare DC to a third world country----corrupt leaders and you can't drink the water. Bribery, embezzlements....ugh. It takes time. Unfortunately the majority of the DC population is not educated adn they continue to vote these crooks into power. What DCUM thinks of 'DC' represents about 1/8 of the city proper....they dont even enter the rest of the city.

Last i checked--harlem was pretty much still harlem; baltimore still has horrible crime, newhaven Conn is getting better but still bad,,,,alot of cities get rid of affordable housing, housing projects, etc...and outsource their ghettos...dc can't do that.

[Anonymous]

I don't believe that D.C. is dysfunctional at all. There are pockets of problems in certain government agencies, stemming from cronyism in my view, but there are also things that D.C. does really well. Like the city website and on-line government services - we actually are leaders in that. We still have an A or A+ bond rating. There are talented and dedicated government workers throughout the government. Compared to any other city, our problems are no worse.

[Anonymous]

When I first read the title of this post, I thought you were talking about your "Dear Child" (DC)

LOL!!

I live in VA so I won't weigh in...