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if it weren't for the federal government there would be no d.c. what are you talking about? The city was built on a swamp specifically for the purpose of being the capital of the united states.
And all the tech companies and other ancillary business in d.c. is only there because of the federal government and its money.
Everything about dc has the federal government to thank.
If the federal government wasn't there then the height restrictions would not exist and dc could certainly support some high towers, but it's quite a leap to assume it would be number #2 or #3... even more absurd to make the claim considering it's an impossible hypothetical.
You do know that only something like 20% of jobs in the DC metro area are related to the federal government, right? Sure, many tech and other sector industries provide government services, but they're still private. And no, it wasn't built on a swamp. The area that now comprises the original city of DC was mostly farmland, while some of it near the Potomac was dredged to create the Tidal Basin and straighten up the river.
I don't particularly see why people are railing that DC can only exist because of the government. Other cities are dominated by specific industries with a mix of others thrown in. What would Los Angeles be without entertainment? How about San Francisco and originally the financial, now tech, industry? It doesn't really matter why a city is important, but rather how it stands relative to others in the country. By most metrics, DC outperforms nearly every city and metropolitan area in the country by a long shot. So what if it's due to the government? The federal government can't solely be responsible nowadays for a city that has the second largest CBD by commercial square footage as well as total area after Midtown Manhattan in the US.
You do know that only something like 20% of jobs in the DC metro area are related to the federal government, right? Sure, many tech and other sector industries provide government services, but they're still private. And no, it wasn't built on a swamp. The area that now comprises the original city of DC was mostly farmland, while some of it near the Potomac was dredged to create the Tidal Basin and straighten up the river.
I don't particularly see why people are railing that DC can only exist because of the government. Other cities are dominated by specific industries with a mix of others thrown in. What would Los Angeles be without entertainment? How about San Francisco and originally the financial, now tech, industry? It doesn't really matter why a city is important, but rather how it stands relative to others in the country. By most metrics, DC outperforms nearly every city and metropolitan area in the country by a long shot. So what if it's due to the government? The federal government can't solely be responsible nowadays for a city that has the second largest CBD by commercial square footage as well as total area after Midtown Manhattan in the US.
Actually many studies have shown that more than 40% are either direct Fed employees or basically based on direct contract work (this covers many industries) Additionally if you were to include the support jobs of this ~45% the number would increase. The Fed absolutely drives the DC area and many (not all) of the tech sectors are nearly direct outgrowths of the Fed and the economy it creates. That 20% is really low and ignores many of the jobs of all the Govt contractors, many on direct bid (basically consultants for the Govt)
20% hahahaha yeah right, just b/c it is a private firm w/ no bureaucratic entity, they are still getting a gov check. Lot's of big money making Non Profits there. Lots of Law Firms whose only existentence is b/c of the bloated fed gov. It's way over just 20% link.
Also, what would LA be without entertainment? Umm... it was and still is the #1 manufacturing hub in the u.s., has been forever. Central Valley in CA and mining/timber were the original backbones of the CA economy.
20% hahahaha yeah right, just b/c it is a private firm w/ no bureaucratic entity, they are still getting a gov check. Lot's of big money making Non Profits there. Lots of Law Firms whose only existentence is b/c of the bloated fed gov. It's way over just 20% link.
Also, what would LA be without entertainment? Umm... it was and still is the #1 manufacturing hub in the u.s., has been forever. Central Valley in CA and mining/timber were the original backbones of the CA economy.
Well guess what, tens of thousands of companies nationwide are providing government services, some in DC, some not. Does a real estate firm that helps lease government space then count in your percentage? How about Dell if they were to make computers for government employees? After a while, you can't just say that any sort of involvement means that somehow you count into that percentage.
Well guess what, tens of thousands of companies nationwide are providing government services, some in DC, some not. Does a real estate firm that helps lease government space then count in your percentage? How about Dell if they were to make computers for government employees? After a while, you can't just say that any sort of involvement means that somehow you count into that percentage.
Of course there is a cut off, the point was... The FED GOV drives the DC economy, not private businesses themselves. If the gov changed policies and got less tax dollars, those priv companies would go away.
I'm not sure why this is even being debated particularly under the leadership of Bush/Obama which have made the size of the federal government to unprecedented levels, and yes it is significantly more than a 20% driver.
Of course there is a cut off, the point was... The FED GOV drives the DC economy, not private businesses themselves. If the gov changed policies and got less tax dollars, those priv companies would go away.
I'm not sure why this is even being debated particularly under the leadership of Bush/Obama which have made the size of the federal government to unprecedented levels, and yes it is significantly more than a 20% driver.
One of the many perks of being the nations capital.
This stuff has been debated about a million times, and we always get the same answers.
key words are answers. we get a group of answers. fact of the matter is you can probably find a city in all countries that clearly outpaces the other, but I doubt you would ever find 5 cities that place 1-5 in every category in a country. there will always be some that do well in certain categories but falter in others
I would pick DC as one of my top 4 though
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