Live in DC? No way

Some people have asked me if I ever would consider living in the city of Washington, DC. My answer always has been "no way." Here's why: the United States Congress. Why do I say that?

Primarily for the benefit of visitors to my blog from other countries, let me give a brief civics lesson.

Washington, DC, also known as the District of Columbia, is not a state. It is a federal district that was created by Congress, the legislative branch of the U.S. Government, in 1871 to be the seat of the Capital of the United States. Article One of of the United States Constitution provides for a federal district, distinct from the states, to serve as the permanent national capital. The United States Congress has supreme authority over Washington, D.C.; residents of the city therefore have less self-governance than residents of the states. The District has a non-voting at-large Congressional delegate, but no senators. (Source: Wikipedia, cited under the GNU General Public License.)

And there's the rub: while the DC City Council can pass all the laws it wants, everything the Council does is subject to review of Congress, and can be changed or killed at the whim of any Member of Congress from any state. That's what really bothers me. Meddling by Congress in local affairs is abominable, and happens all too frequently. Sure, go buy a machine gun -- a gun-nut Congressmember from Indiana who is in the pocket of the NRA is trying to force that to happen in DC.

How would you like it if your state legislature, or city or town council, passed some legislation and a bozo Congressmember from another state for purposes of political grandstanding steps in and interferes with it?

That's really why I could never live in the city of Washington, DC. Congress meddles too much in local affairs. It is shameful, and some Members of Congress have no shame.

There are some other reasons why I would never live in DC, as well -- taxes are exorbitant because there is not much of a base to tax. 22% of the land in the city is owned by non-taxable entities, such as the federal government, embassies, religious institutions, and non-profit organizations. Homeowners bear a significant tax burden as a result.

I have often commented on the actions, or inactions, of the local city elected officials and appointed leadership, but being active in my home county in Maryland in these affairs, I realize how politics is portrayed by media spin, and the truth is often in the middle somewhere. However, I just couldn't bear to live in a place that continues to elect Marion Barry to office -- first as Mayor then now as a City Councilmember. What a buffoon. He is a politically savvy guy, but a (?) nonetheless.

Sure, I enjoy showing my nation's capital to the world through photos and giving tours to friends and family. But I never would want to live there. Give me The Free State (Maryland) and my county that has a casual and mature kind of tolerance. Let me rant and rave to my elected Representative in Congress, and my state's U.S. Senators. Let me engage in the political process regarding legislation pending before my state's General Assembly. Let me testify about legislation being considered by my County Council. Anytime. But when state or local legislation passes, let it stand. Don't let a politically-motivated ding-dong from another state come tell my state or county elected leaders that they're going to change our laws. No way, no how, not where I live.