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No, it's not, it's an astoundingly ignorant one. But that is apparently OK; we're apparently fine with trashing people who devote their entire careers to serving this country, accusing them of simply sucking at the government teat and not giving a damn. Fortunately for all of us, most of them ignore that rhetoric and keep doing their job, to the betterment of everyone.
Federal Assessment of Threat of Osama bin Laden Prior to Sept. 11
Federal Assessment of Saddam's Weapons of Mass Destruction
Federal Response to Katrina
Federal Assessment of Weaknesses in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Federal Oversight of Derivatives Trading before Market Collapse
(Hey look...Porn!)
Federal Response to Gulf Oil Spill
and so on and so forth.
Yep, those Federal employees are doing a great job!
Yep, those Federal employees are doing a great job!
That's sure an air-tight case if ever there was one. How about EPA employees working to enforce clean air and water standards? Postal employees delivering our mail? Transportation employees developing our highways and bridges? Park rangers patrolling our national parks? Defense department personnel working to keep our country safe? Education personnel working to improve our country's schools? And on and on and on...
Leadership and management are one thing, the legions of workers dutifully carrying out their tasks on a daily basis are quite another. But understanding that requires adopting a level of nuance that most simply aren't interested in. It's much easier to classify all government workers as incompetent and lazy--makes for much better soundbites, after all.
Nope. It's called urban sprawl and a growing population with an underserved transportation system.
Sorry, but I still can't fathom the argument that an area outside a city transforms over time from a suburban area to an exurban area...IME it's always the other way around. I think you're making an argument that because a Fairfax County - Washington DC commute has increased in the time required to do it, it has been demoted from a suburb to an exurb. I find that argument flawed.
Sorry, but I still can't fathom the argument that an area outside a city transforms over time from a suburban area to an exurban area...IME it's always the other way around. I think you're making an argument that because a Fairfax County - Washington DC commute has increased in the time required to do it, it has been demoted from a suburb to an exurb. I find that argument flawed.
The flaw I see in your argument is that you are looking at Fairfax County as a singular entity and classifying all communities within it as such. The classification of areas near a Metro station, or abutting Arlington and Alexandria, are far different from the areas adjacent to Loudon and Prince William counties, for instance. Seven Corners to me is more suburban; Centreville is more exurban. Which leads to my other point.
The definition of "suburban" versus "exurban" is fluid--there isn't a single formula you can apply in order to identify one from the other. I happen to believe that commuting time and distance plays a significant role--as does the dependancy of the jurisdiction on the region's central business district (in this case, downtown DC). Over the last 20 years, Fairfax has changed dramatically. The development of Tysons as a self-sufficient commerce center has led to an influx of people working there, as opposed to DC. Throw in commuting times of an hour (or more) into central DC, and significant tracts of land that is not connected to DC in any meaningful way, and there are certainly swaths of Fairfax that adopt a more exurban characteristic.
Leadership and management are one thing, the legions of workers dutifully carrying out their tasks on a daily basis are quite another. But understanding that requires adopting a level of nuance that most simply aren't interested in. It's much easier to classify all government workers as incompetent and lazy--makes for much better soundbites, after all.
Actually many feds work hard and are very intelligent. I was very impressed by the Coast Guard helicopter pilots who pulled double shifts during Katrina to rescue people, for example.
Also the Secret Service and NASA scientists seem to do great work.
Notice a theme?
The highly trained, specialists in the government have a pretty good level of competence when you compare to the private work force.
Its the other 95% of the Federal Government that makes me want to put all of my money in gold and silver and live off the grid somewhere!
Whether it's a suburb or exurb, 14thandyou's point seemed to me more that it's much different than DC. You can't compare Fairfax to the vibrant city of DC.
Over the last 20 years, Fairfax has changed dramatically. The development of Tysons as a self-sufficient commerce center has led to an influx of people working there, as opposed to DC. Throw in commuting times of an hour (or more) into central DC, and significant tracts of land that is not connected to DC in any meaningful way, and there are certainly swaths of Fairfax that adopt a more exurban characteristic.
Even though Fairfax county has become the most populated in the area, its residents still know that D.C. is the big enchilada when it comes to things to see and do in the region.
Actually many feds work hard and are very intelligent. I was very impressed by the Coast Guard helicopter pilots who pulled double shifts during Katrina to rescue people, for example.
Also the Secret Service and NASA scientists seem to do great work.
Notice a theme?
The highly trained, specialists in the government have a pretty good level of competence when you compare to the private work force.
Its the other 95% of the Federal Government that makes me want to put all of my money in gold and silver and live off the grid somewhere!
The "other 95%" that you speak of: what makes you assume that they aren't professionals specifically trained in their chosen areas of work? Have you, or anyone you have known, ever applied for a job under the GSA schedule? Do you understand the requirements of, for example, becoming an inspector at the Clean Water Division of the EPA? Or of negotiating trade agreements and treaties with foreign entities?
I've lived in both. At first I saw the thread and thought, oh no, not alike, then I read your post. I think there are many of the similarities that you note (although I don't think DC is trying to pull off a "San Francisco" vibe -- DC is too self-absorbed to do that) are accurate. But like someone else said, you'll find much of that elsewhere, too. I do agree that people in DC seemed to talk about their jobs more, and that DC in general seems to be far more of a one-industry town. (I know it's not -- I didn't work for the federal government myself, but it seemed like everyone around me did!)
If you can't find people you like in DC, though, I doubt you'll have much better luck in SF. I love both cities, and in both cases just tuned out the annoying people. Both cities have plenty of non-elitist, "regular" people, as well as the outspoken elitist types. But if you have a tough time ignoring the obnoxious people in DC you're going to run into the same problem in SF.
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