You left DC, where are you happier? (Washington: middle-class, health insurance)

[14thandYou]

Originally Posted by tech2enable

I think your missing the point

No, I really don't think that I am.

[coldbliss]

I agree with Tech2enable here. Think about the huge population boom in the DC area going back to the 1980s. Although Reagan was a staunch conservative who believed in smaller government, we saw a significant number of new federal govt. jobs created in this area.

Even more noteworthy, has been the explosive growth of federal government contractors. Many government functions were outsourced to the "Beltway Bandit" firms in Northern Virginia. Defense-related jobs were the biggest growth centers. Contractors were begging for qualified engineers and technicians; in response, many people packed their moving vans for DC because of A.) the Job Opportunity and B.) The Generous Income that comes with high-demand professionals.

When the Telecom and Dot.Com Bubbles were brewing in the 1990s, many recent computer science and business grads from around the country flooded the DC area because of the lucrative job opportunities. Many young IT professionals had to choose between Silicon Valley, NYC or NoVa/DC. NoVa/DC wins because of the cost of living was cheaper than in the SF Bay region or New York.

You had the Next Boom Wave with Homeland Security and the Lobbying Industry during the 2000s. Billions of federal government dollars were flowing to local firms concentrating on anti-terror security and defense. The Iraq and Afghanistan wars showered contractors with more cash. Meanwhile on K Street, the number of registered lobbyists doubled in the DC area during this decade thanks to Republicans selling every inch of regulation to corporations. DC law firm offices experienced a doubling or tripling of staff. Pay raises and bonuses were at insane levels for the DC-based lawyer/lobbyist.

Where else in the United States can computer engineers, IT business executives and lawyers make so much money (THE EASY WAY) from the US federal government? People come to DC for the big pay day and a shot to become a influential person. All of those hellish school years of achieving the 4.0 GPA, grueling AP courses, months of SAT test-prep so you can get that 1500 score, and a spot in a blue-chip university--has to pay off some how.

In the end, if the federal government cuts funding to contractors and outlaws corporate lobbying, you will see so many moving trucks leaving the DC area. Only then, will DC become an affordable place to live. A better quality of life for most people.

[KStreetQB]

Originally Posted by coldbliss

Stuff

So if we rewrite the first amendment to ban corporate lobbying, eliminate tens of thousands of government contracting jobs, and we experience an economic and population exodus out of DC, then it will become more affordable and quality of life will increase.

Well, I guess it will become more affordable. Not sure I follow you on the quality of life thing though or the probability of this happening to a meaningful degree, or even going at all in that direction in the next 10 years.

[14thandYou]

Originally Posted by coldbliss

In the end, if the federal government cuts funding to contractors and outlaws corporate lobbying, you will see so many moving trucks leaving the DC area. Only then, will DC become an affordable place to live. A better quality of life for most people.

Yeah, I don't think so. First of all, even if such a far-fetched (and likely unconstitutional) scenario were to come true, it would be so devastating to DC's economy that the quality of life would suffer immensely. (Imagine Manhattan if the financial industry abruptly disappeared.) Are people in Detroit relishing their newfound economic freedom because houses are more affordable? Do people living in DC now reminisce about the good old days in DC, when it was a cultural and dining backwater and the inner city was a drug-strewn prostitution-crazed war zone?

Of course the job market is good here--no one's ever argued otherwise. It's definitely one of the good things about the city. But this notion that DC is a place where people only come to make a few bucks, and then bolt for greener pastures is nonsense, and completely short-sells the trappings of the city itself. In my own circle of friends and acquaintences, not a single one of them moved to DC simply because they could make more money. Certainly, the robust economy was part of their decision-making process, but many other quality-of-life factors did as well.

Many of us who live here simply find DC a good place to live. In my own field, I could have chosen any number of metro areas in which to reside and would have had no problems finding work, yet I chose to live in DC, because I like what the city has to offer. I've found that the people who typically complain the loudest about the cost of living in DC are those who either don't live here, or who live in far-out burbs where they paid too much for their single family home and are frustrated by long commutes, traffic and living costs. But I can't imagine living in a nicer urban environment than where I currently reside.

[coldbliss]

The point of my post is that DC is a money-magnet. As long as Uncle Sam keeps showering tax-payer money on DC-area contractors, bigger paychecks and more jobs will be happening. As long as Congress gives more sweet heart deals to big corporations (Hello, Wall Street!), law firms will continue to expand with more lobbyists and more bonuses. That's a good thing for the regional economy but a lousy deal for cost of living standards. And a crappy deal for the US taxpayer who does not have the benefit of living in the Washington, DC region!

The US government has a budget deficit running at $1.5 trillion or some where abouts. That's deep red ink. How much tax-payer money is getting wasted on crappy contracts and corporate giveaways? Sooner or later, the federal government will have to slash spending on payroll, contracts, and reduce subsidies to big business. How of much of the deficit-cutting will hurt the Washington, DC economy? It will hurt like hell. Excessive spending by the Feds has certainly helped the DC economy. Take away the deficit spending and the DC area real estate bubble goes POP. Any property owner in a gentrified part of DC has to be scared s***less about this prospect. Sorry, man.

In my post...I wrote about why people come to DC; I never addressed why people leave. Many people bolt from DC after a few years of working here. Come to DC in your 20s; leave when you are in your 30s and ready to settle down with wife and kids. They leave for a multitude of reasons: new job opportunity, cost of living headaches, the gridlocked traffic, the weather or they just want to experience life in a new city.

[juniperbleu]

Originally Posted by coldbliss

In the end, if the federal government cuts funding to contractors and outlaws corporate lobbying, you will see so many moving trucks leaving the DC area. Only then, will DC become an affordable place to live. A better quality of life for most people.

I get what you're saying, but don't agree with you on this point. A lot of things that people enjoy about DC (restaurants, entertainment, etc) depend on the higher incomes. Get rid of those incomes and you could lose those businesses. I wasn't around here, but from what I've heard the quality of life before the massive influx of money wasn't so hot.

[Missingatlanta]

I left DC about 1.5 years ago for Atlanta. I'd only moved to DC for a job opportunity. I'm happy I left, because I was able to afford my dream home. The only thing I really miss about DC is the night life!

[coldbliss]

To be blunt, what is the difference between prostitutes and drug dealers that once hanged out on many K Street corners (If you are a long-time resident, you know what I am referring to) and the lobbyists and contractors who work in the shiny offices at the same locations today?

Prostitutes and drug dealers bring down your property values. Oh, the humanity. The lawyers and contractors rob the nation's treasury in broad daylight. When those scumbags spend their $$$$ at fine DC restaurants and entertainment, ask how they earned that money in the first place. I almost have more respect for the DC pimps and drug dealers in this respect.

Originally Posted by juniperbleu

I get what you're saying, but don't agree with you on this point. A lot of things that people enjoy about DC (restaurants, entertainment, etc) depend on the higher incomes. Get rid of those incomes and you could lose those businesses. I wasn't around here, but from what I've heard the quality of life before the massive influx of money wasn't so hot.

[KT13]

Originally Posted by juniperbleu

I get what you're saying, but don't agree with you on this point. A lot of things that people enjoy about DC (restaurants, entertainment, etc) depend on the higher incomes. Get rid of those incomes and you could lose those businesses. I wasn't around here, but from what I've heard the quality of life before the massive influx of money wasn't so hot.

I agree. Cheaper COL as a result of vast rapid unemployment and drastic price drops isn't going to make people's lives so much better here or make this area desirable for someone to move to. Look at other areas where the COL have dropped dramatically or where massive unemployment plagues the area as a result of the recession. Do you really think people living there are enjoying their lives more because they can now buy the same house for less? Do you think people are now moving there un-masse to snag rock bottom real estate and get in line for low paying jobs? Do you think someone walking away from their mortgage and losing all their hard earned equity (especially when it's a significant amount of money) is going to do so with the smile on the face?

Low COL and high unemployment places exist today and have always existed. There also were places with higher levels of prosperity and higher COL and there always will be. No industry is immune from the downfall and no city is immune from price reductions, even Manhattan.

[KT13]

Originally Posted by coldbliss

Where else in the United States can computer engineers, IT business executives and lawyers make so much money (THE EASY WAY) from the US federal government? People come to DC for the big pay day and a shot to become a influential person. All of those hellish school years of achieving the 4.0 GPA, grueling AP courses, months of SAT test-prep so you can get that 1500 score, and a spot in a blue-chip university--has to pay off some how.

It is the same reason why people move to NYC or Bay Area or LA any other high COL, high opportunity place.

Originally Posted by coldbliss

In the end, if the federal government cuts funding to contractors and outlaws corporate lobbying, you will see so many moving trucks leaving the DC area.

Do you really believe all these contractors and lobbyists will give up without a fight? Do you see what's already happening to the entire Healthcare reform? If the cuts were to happen they won't come crushing overnight and most likely will be structured in a such a way as to allow the contractors and lobbyists to re-group concentrating their efforts on how they can milk the government tit from another angle.