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Kinda makes you wonder why the government just doesn't go ahead and hire EVERY unemployed person.
0% unemployment! No downside!
So simple yet the feds just ignore this obvious solution.
Not a bad idea. If we spent all the money we waste in iraq and afghanistan and foreign aid to rebuild our domestic infrastructure and scientific research, we could cut unemployment drastically. But your greedy GOP buddies would lose out.
You know you are putting down people who aren't in D.C. doing "truly important global work" with that remark.
C'mon, now...
Actually, no, I wasn't. What's wrong with marketing refrigerators or designing apps? I was just giving two examples of work someone interested in international policy probably wouldn't enjoy or be very good at. I never said one is better than the other, as my quote you copied clearly states. I mean, imagine life without refrigerators! Have you been to the Iowa town where Maytag's based? The company's struggles have become the town's struggles. If only more people could be employed marketing refrigerators... If you haven't noticed, slick marketing and engineering design isn't exactly a gift of many people in the DC area. That was my only point.
Quote:
Everybody knows Reagan wasn't a conservative. He was a big government republican who started out as a socialist.
I've always said that the U.S. defense budget should never be more than 4% of GDP in peacetime.
Bring our boys home from Europe and Afghanistan and let's enjoy the peace dividend.
Tell me...how come showing concern about billions of dollars of government waste is always turned into "he hates government workers"?
Actually, many people think of Reagan as the ideal conservative - most conservatives, actually. Heck, a lot of people scared of Obama don't even know it was Reagan who introduced czars to the White House.
I have no problem with showing concern about billions of dollars of government waste. Your language and endless attacks against this region and everybody in it leads me to believe you hate government workers, even though most federal workers are spread throughout the country and world. You like to stalk this forum because of what it represents in your mind, not because it's the end-all-be-all of federal spending. If you want a different message out there, write different ideas.
I mean, I haven't seen anyone - aside from perhaps BigCityDreamin - even suggest DC is superior to other places or that it's some blind, self-congratulatory mecca like the capital city in The Hunger Games. It's a government city. Those of us who live here accept it - sometimes begrudgingly - as just that, for better or worse. I think a lot of people have tried to engage with you on the complex role of government in an imperfect market, only to have you resort to broad swipes as if we who don't even have a vote in Congress somehow dictate the policies and budgets made by the people sent here by votes from the rest of the country.
I just think your anger is misdirected, though not without solid grounds that government and contractors are too bloated. I certainly agree with that.
I mean, I haven't seen anyone - aside from perhaps BigCityDreamin - even suggest DC is superior to other places or that it's some blind, self-congratulatory mecca like the capital city in The Hunger Games. It's a government city. Those of us who live here accept it - sometimes begrudgingly - as just that, for better or worse.
I feel that DC is an underrated city. To me personally, the DC metro area is the 2nd best place overall to live in the U.S. But, more objectively, DC is a top 5 U.S. city. It is government city, but that's a limited view of what this area has to offer. There is so much more - great museums, parks and public spaces, historical and cultural attractions, festivals, universities, art galleries, hotels, a wide variety of restaurants, public transportation, sports, concerts, nightlife, outdoor activities, affluent neighborhoods, ethnicities...
I think that if the DC area advertised itself properly, then most people across the country would be amazed at what it has to offer. It definitely packs a strong punch.
I feel that DC is an underrated city. To me personally, the DC metro area is the 2nd best place overall to live in the U.S. But, more objectively, DC is a top 5 U.S. city. It is government city, but that's a limited view of what this area has to offer. There is so much more - great museums, parks and public spaces, historical and cultural attractions, festivals, universities, hotels, a wide variety of restaurants, public transportation, sports, concerts, nightlife, outdoor activities, affluent neighborhoods, ethnicities...
I think that if the DC area advertised itself properly, then most people in this country would be amazed at what it has to offer.
Well, I don't know how one defines the best place to live. Based on your prior comments, I assume you're referring to New York City but I'd bet most people would not consider that the best place to live, especially considering how rarely one actually uses the brightest shining amenities there (Broadway, MoMA, etc...). I've always liked DC for having a lot of urban amenities without the crush of humanity that New York has. It'd be nice if we could pay a little less for those amenities, though, as I'm not sure this area offers enough to justify the endless increase in housing rates relative to other cities.
Everything you list is present in any government city in the developed world, as well as pretty much any major city period (except the public transportation). I mean, St. Louis has all that and so does San Antonio. Those features are not mutually exclusive to market-driven versus government-driven cities. Obviously this area has a lot of offer and, perhaps best from my perspective, has bought into the notion of building around transit rather than highways, so the quality of life keeps going up even as more people move here.
Not a bad idea. If we spent all the money we waste in iraq and afghanistan and foreign aid to rebuild our domestic infrastructure and scientific research, we could cut unemployment drastically. But your greedy GOP buddies would lose out.
Actually, no, I wasn't. What's wrong with marketing refrigerators or designing apps? I was just giving two examples of work someone interested in international policy probably wouldn't enjoy or be very good at. I never said one is better than the other, as my quote you copied clearly states. I mean, imagine life without refrigerators! Have you been to the Iowa town where Maytag's based? The company's struggles have become the town's struggles. If only more people could be employed marketing refrigerators... If you haven't noticed, slick marketing and engineering design isn't exactly a gift of many people in the DC area. That was my only point.
Actually, many people think of Reagan as the ideal conservative - most conservatives, actually. Heck, a lot of people scared of Obama don't even know it was Reagan who introduced czars to the White House.
I have no problem with showing concern about billions of dollars of government waste. Your language and endless attacks against this region and everybody in it leads me to believe you hate government workers, even though most federal workers are spread throughout the country and world. You like to stalk this forum because of what it represents in your mind, not because it's the end-all-be-all of federal spending. If you want a different message out there, write different ideas.
I mean, I haven't seen anyone - aside from perhaps BigCityDreamin - even suggest DC is superior to other places or that it's some blind, self-congratulatory mecca like the capital city in The Hunger Games. It's a government city. Those of us who live here accept it - sometimes begrudgingly - as just that, for better or worse. I think a lot of people have tried to engage with you on the complex role of government in an imperfect market, only to have you resort to broad swipes as if we who don't even have a vote in Congress somehow dictate the policies and budgets made by the people sent here by votes from the rest of the country.
I just think your anger is misdirected, though not without solid grounds that government and contractors are too bloated. I certainly agree with that.
You say I make "broad swipes" but you also tell me why I like to (to use your word) "stalk" this forum.
This is exactly what I am talking about.
This is a good example of the classic "D.C. is better than you are and will tell you what you think and what you SHOULD think and we will do this while waving a disapproving finger".
I think once you've been in the District for a few years you don't even recognize the air of "my *bleep* don't stink" you give off to those outside of the Beltway.
I and perhaps two other posters are the only people here even willing to recognize that the core of D.C.'s success is Americans from coast-to-coast sending cash to the City as is the law.
D.C. produces paper and red tape. Please point to any other posts in this sub-forum where D.C. feds talk about perhaps VOLUNTARILY taking a pay and/or benefit cut to help out their fellow Americans.
All I see is complaints of "pay freezes" while other Americans would be happy to have a minimum wage job during this near depression.
I don't expect government workers to quit their cushy, permajobs en masse but throw normal Americans a bone with even a fake consideration of how tough it is outside of bureaucratville.
But, hey, I'm sorry for adding 1 balanced D.C. post against every 250 "D.C. Rox!!" post.
^
Your posts are a good example of the classic "Everyone else is better than DC residents are and I will tell you what you think and what you SHOULD think and we will do this while waving a disapproving finger". I think once you've been outside the District for a few years you don't even recognize the air of "my bleep don't stink" you give off.
Quote:
I and perhaps two other posters are the only people here even willing to recognize that the core of D.C.'s success is Americans from coast-to-coast sending cash to the City as is the law
I've said exactly this ^ multiple times in our conversation alone. For you to claim otherwise is just disingenuous. Once again for the cheap seats: Yes, the city built to house the federal government is driven by tax dollars from other parts of the country. Thank you for that shocking revelation (though, I did read that we are now the 5th largest tech start-up region behind San Fran, NYC, Boston, and Southern California).
Perhaps you don't see that you are precisely what you accuse us of being: arrogant, condescending, and laden with a sense of superiority. If what you do on here isn't stalking, then I apologize. Please give me a better word to describe your string of one-line comments always oozing with sarcasm about how horrible and ignorant we who live here are, even though you don't know us. What talk radio tells you about us should suffice (or is it really Northern Virginians you have trouble with? That's where most of the big money is).
And... I'm not sure what forum you've been reading, but I'd say about 95% of the posts on here are either neutral or negative toward DC. Most of the positive comments are just correcting outrageous stereotypes, such as the claim that most people are just office drones waiting for retirement.
This is a complex, dynamic place with a lot of positives and negatives. For every pretentious politico, there's an impoverished mother raising multiple kids and not skilled enough for most jobs available or an immigrant waiting everyday in the Home Depot parking lot for day labor work to send money back home. I try to present that complexity but you keep reducing any discussion to a comical stereotype as if none of us have lived or traveled outside the beltway in years. Not true, so it's not really worth my time to continue but I'm glad you at least added some substance to your critiques. I honestly do appreciate that.
^
Your posts are a good example of the classic "Everyone else is better than DC residents are and I will tell you what you think and what you SHOULD think and we will do this while waving a disapproving finger". I think once you've been outside the District for a few years you don't even recognize the air of "my bleep don't stink" you give off.
I've said exactly this ^ multiple times in our conversation alone. For you to claim otherwise is just disingenuous. Once again for the cheap seats: Yes, the city built to house the federal government is driven by tax dollars from other parts of the country. Thank you for that shocking revelation (though, I did read that we are now the 5th largest tech start-up region behind San Fran, NYC, Boston, and Southern California).
Perhaps you don't see that you are precisely what you accuse us of being: arrogant, condescending, and laden with a sense of superiority. If what you do on here isn't stalking, then I apologize. Please give me a better word to describe your string of one-line comments always oozing with sarcasm about how horrible and ignorant we who live here are, even though you don't know us. What talk radio tells you about us (or is it really Northern Virginians you have trouble with? That's where all the big money is).
And... I'm not sure what forum you've been reading, but I'd say about 95% of the posts on here are either neutral or negative toward DC. Most of the positive comments are just correcting outrageous stereotypes, such as the claim that most people are just office drones waiting for retirement.
This is a complex, dynamic place with a lot of positives and negatives. For every pretentious politico, there's an impoverished mother raising multiple kids and not skilled enough for most jobs available or an immigrant waiting everyday in the Home Depot parking lot for day labor work to send money south of the border. I try to present that complexity but you keep reducing me to a comical stereotype as if I haven't left the beltway in years. So it's not really worth my time to continue but I'm glad you at least added some substance to your critiques. I honestly do appreciate that.
I hear ya!
You just want positive, pro-DC comments on this sub-forum. I get it. Fine.
For everyone reading this from outside of the Beltway who is out of work and in need of a high paying job with permanent job security then run, don't walk to the District.
Where is hiring strongest? Businessweek.com ranked the 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas, based on Manpower's data about businesses' Q1, Q2, and Q3 hiring forecasts. So far this year, Washington has shown the strongest overall employment outlook, followed by San Antonio and Greenville, S.C. Employers display the worst employment outlook in Las Vegas, Reno, Nev., and Detroit.
The National Theatre’s free performance series “Saturday Morning at the National” is designed for the whole family. The line-up changes weekly showcasing puppet, magic, music and ballet. Seating is limited and tickets are distributed on a firstcome, first-served basis 30 minutes before the curtain goes up. Check website for performance schedule.
Take in a free performance at The Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage every evening at 6pm. Acts include everything from performances by the National Symphony Orchestra to gospel groups to jazz musicians to poetry slams. The Kennedy Center offers deep discounts to patrons ages 17-25 through its “Attend” program.
Feel the beat of a local tradition: head to Meridian Hill Park on Sundays (weather-permitting) between 3 and 9 p.m. to hear the famous drum circle, a fixture in the park for more than 40 years that brings together people together from all different backgrounds to hear drum beats and watch African dancing. For a hands-on experience, bring your own drum to join in.
Check out free, live music at the National Gallery of Art on Sunday evenings at 6:30 p.m. Concerts feature choral, Afghan, opera music and more, and are held in the West Building (6th St. & Constitution Ave, NW entrance). Seats are available on a first-come, first-serve basis starting at 6pm. No entry after 6:30 p.m.
Head over to George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium, where throughout the year, free shows are sprinkled throughout the performance calendar. The GW Orchestra concerts are all free and open to the public, and you may even catch a live performance by the United States Air Force Band’s Jazz Ensemble.
Get half-priced, day-of-show or advance sale tickets for theater seats at Signature Theatre, the Kennedy Center, Folger Theatre, Imagination Stage and more online at TICKETPLACE.org, run by the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington DC. Or, stop by their booth (7th St between D & E Streets, NW) to purchase tickets in person. It's open Wed. through Fri. from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat. from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sun. from 12 p.m.-4 p.m.
At Arena Stage, half-price HotTix tickets go on sale at the box office 30 minutes before curtain. Students get 35 percent off, and patrons under 30 can take part in the pay-your-age program, with tickets on sale three months before the performance date; purchase by phone (202-488-3300) or in person. Arena Stage also hosts a number of specials, including Entourage Nights, one night events for which groups of ten or more can get 30-percent discounts (some tickets are as low as $25) and network with other theatergoers.
Get a taste of the Bard for a great value at the Harman Center of the Arts. Patrons 35 and under can get discounted tickets to see the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s productions for $15 through their “Young Prose” program. The weekly allotment of discounted tickets is released every Tuesday morning during show season starting at 10 a.m.
The Washington Ballet’s “beerandballet&bubbly” program, patrons are invited to the school to watch an open rehearsal and mingle with dancers afterward over beer. Each preview is $25 and usually runs before a major performance; call 202-362-3606.
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I love d.c.!!!!!!!!
