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Heh. Look, I understand your optimism for DC and its progress. It does indeed have a lot going for it, and there definitely is a segment of the DC economy that is independent of government. However, you have to ask yourself one question: if DC were not the nation's capital, how large would its economy be? I think the answer to this question is: pretty darn small.
DC was established and founded solely for the purpose of serving as the nation's seat of government. You have to consider that even the bulk of the private sector in the DC area (legal, real estate, hospitality, medicine, non-profit, retail, etc.) are ancillary to the federal government and its workers. The same goes for many, many private contracting firms.
The federal government is the foundation of DC's identity -- I don't know why that fact seems to make some people defensive.
To answer your question, D.C. wouldn't be here in the first place. NYC would be the nation's capital like it's supposed to be. My point is, since NYC isn't the nation's capital and D.C. is, it's time to fix the problem by making D.C. a global power in everything like Paris, London, Tokyo etc. etc. etc.
Also, that doesn't make people defensive. It's the actual problem. For some reason, you seem to not realize that. What you just said is what everyone is trying to correct. It's really pretty simple. That is not what D.C. should be.
Dude didn't you hear him earlier? The government is actually holding them back!
From becoming Paris, London, Tokyo? You're correct, however, I'm not talking about currently. I'm talking about over 200 years ago when the mistake was made not to build a capital like London, Paris, or Tokyo. Either keep the capital in NYC, or put D.C. on that level. Obviously they moved the capital to D.C. and now D.C. is trying to get to the level of Paris, London, Tokyo etc. etc. It's really pretty simple.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Duderino
Heh. Look, I understand your optimism for DC and its progress. It does indeed have a lot going for it, and there definitely is a segment of the DC economy that is independent of government. However, you have to ask yourself one question: if DC were not the nation's capital, how large would its economy be? I think the answer to this question is: pretty darn small.
DC was established and founded solely for the purpose of serving as the nation's seat of government. You have to consider that even the bulk of the private sector in the DC area (legal, real estate, hospitality, medicine, non-profit, retail, etc.) are ancillary to the federal government and its workers. The same goes for many, many private contracting firms.
The federal government is the foundation of DC's identity -- I don't know why that fact seems to make some people defensive.
I hate to break it to you guys but, the US as a nation is only getting bigger. The government is not going to shrink in the long term at least. DC is going to stay here for a long while.
That is the problem. Who made D.C. this way pray tell? I said already that D.C. should operate like Paris, London, or Tokyo. If that would have meant D.C. never existed and NYC was the nation's capital, so be it, however, it didn't happen that way and the damage is done. So....FIX IT!
Do what America should have done from the beginning and join the modern world of superpowers where your national capital is a self-sustaining mega city that has a diversified economy large enough that it wouldn't be a parasite. D.C. is the way it is because the idiots that formed the country made it this way trying to reinvent the wheel.
I hate to break it to you guys but, the US as a nation is only getting bigger. The government is not going to shrink in the long term at least. DC is going to stay here for a long while.
And I don't really disagree with any of this
In general my issue is when DC folks refuse to accept the correlation in the first place
and also believe that the organic sectors can not sustain the current growth rates on their own; while long term (and most likely short term too) yes DC has a bright future. Though the Gov't expansion that has been experienced in the recent boom is not sustainable and the organic industry in and of itself can not sustain/maintain the current growth rates
The Gov't is and has been the biggest driver of the DC economy, period; I believe this will continue as the strongest influence locally in DC (meaning reductions may also be felt harder in DC should they take place)
It does seem like some folks living in the DC bubble recently have lost a sense of the reality (not saying you in particular on this) and that recent growth is not the norm nor likely sustainable at the current levels (growth rates) longer term
Centralization and decentralization has sort of ebbed and flowed for the most part - good news for DC is large downswings in this regards are generally not as much a swing as the up swings so the net is continued positive momentum - just personally dont see the same rates longer term
From becoming Paris, London, Tokyo? You're correct, however, I'm not talking about currently. I'm talking about over 200 years ago when the mistake was made not to build a capital like London, Paris, or Tokyo. Either keep the capital in NYC, or put D.C. on that level. Obviously they moved the capital to D.C. and now D.C. is trying to get to the level of Paris, London, Tokyo etc. etc. It's really pretty simple.
Well just to kick things off, DC will never, ever, ever, EVER be on the level of London or Paris.
Also, it's very difficult to suggest creating an independent district for the nation's capital was a mistake. In the past 240 or so years we've seen the US expand and grow into the most powerful country on a military & economic scale. It's hard to say we'd be any better off if the capital had been in a place like NYC. Cities like London & Paris are often viewed as self-serving amongst people in their countries. That was, in fact, a huge reason why the capital has no official affiliation with any state: it was meant to be an equal representative for all states. Without this perceived independence, who knows if the country would have flourished in the way it did.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kidphilly
And I don't really disagree with any of this
In general my issue is when DC folks refuse to accept the correlation in the first place
That's my thing too. I don't deny DC is here for the long term...I'd go as far as to say that it's probably the second most important city in the country at this point. It's even one of my favorite cities in the nation. However it's frustrating for people to deny the federal government's role in the city's success and even to go as far as to say that the government is the reason it's "not on par with Paris, London and Tokyo", despite it being the only reason the city is notable in any way, shape or form.
From becoming Paris, London, Tokyo? You're correct, however, I'm not talking about currently. I'm talking about over 200 years ago when the mistake was made not to build a capital like London, Paris, or Tokyo. Either keep the capital in NYC, or put D.C. on that level. Obviously they moved the capital to D.C. and now D.C. is trying to get to the level of Paris, London, Tokyo etc. etc. It's really pretty simple.
Just out of curiosity, and sorry if I missed it, why do you feel so strongly that DC has to be like Paris, London, etc.?
Right, there's certainly no doubt that DC is here to stay. I'm just saying it's a shame it's gotten so out of control as opposed to what it was supposed to be.
Nobody gives a **** about the 10th Amendment. That's the problem.
There is no deck stacked against DC. What a joke to even suggest that. In fact, DC has no importance outside of govt regulation over the industry and govt run entities like Fannie and Freddie.
I wish DC people would stop acting like federal govt spending isnt their primary economic engine.
^ This. DC is booming, there's no doubt about it. And that booming economy is centered almost entirely around the expansion of the federal government and all its ancillary industries. Law firms, lobbyists, Hill staffers, non-profits, NGOs, defense contractors, not to mention the dozens of federal government departments each with their tens of thousands of employees. The beating heart of DC is the federal government. That's what I never understood about the people that complain about the federal control over DC's budget or DC's lack of real representation in Congress. Without feeding off of the federal government, DC would certainly not be experiencing this boom on its own. It wouldn't even exist. There'd just be Georgetown and Alexandria on the banks of the Potomac and a whole lot of mucky, humid swamp in place of the District.
DC's construction boom: brought to you by the entire nation's tax dollars.
I think I speak for all people in D.C. when I say maybe it's time to switch how we have been going about this.
SO.........
We thank you all for your tax dollars and we are happy to continue to boom riding on your backs.
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