VirginsDear Neighbors: The District isn’t the only territorial issue Congress is being forced to grapple with. Political status is a hot topic in Puerto Rico and becoming more so in the U.S. Virgin Islands. According to Reuters:
****************** Jeff, I’d like your readers know that we read dc.story at WTOP and get many useful story ideas from your well-informed and articulate contributors. Jim Farley Program Director, WTOP 1500 AM JTFnews@aol.com [I don’t want to scare anyone off from posting. But with a distribution list of close to 1,100, plenty of District machers—Yiddish for "The One Who Gets Things Done"—take their cues from dc.story postings. Your influence is felt in the media and political circles. You’d be surprised if I told you who gets dc.story, but I won’t since I keep the list private (rest assured). But your observations and reporting do make a difference—and will continue to do so. One other point. Please don’t assume because I founded the Northwest Side Story that all readers come from Ward 3. It’s far from the truth. We regularly get submissions from all parts of the city—except, alas, Anacostia. And we even have readers following your musings from around the world. In fact, it would be nice to hear from the folks in China, Pakistan, and so forth now and again. Jeff] ////\\\\\////\\\\////\\\\/////\\\\ Also free! dc.movie: Free movie passes, short movie reviews, and movie discussion. Send an email message to story@intr.net to subscribe. Cheers, '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Crime I moved into a house very close to the U-street\Cardozo metro two and half years ago. When I first moved into the neighborhood, I would say "Hi" to people and try to be as friendly as I could be. Eighteen months ago, a 17-20yr old tried to mug me, as a group of neighborhood kids watched. I was able to get away from the mugger and call the cops, but of course, none of the kids had seen anything or knew anything. My house was broken into and food and beer and a radio were stolen. I suspect for a variety of reasons, that this was petty crime done by teenagers. My car (a 97 escort) has been vandalized (along with many others in the neighborhood) several times with "gang" graffiti. (e.g. "12th & T Mob" scratched into my car hood) I have never said anything to "12th & T Mob," (a group of teenagers) and since I work and go to grad school at night, I am rarely around the neighborhood anyway. I feel sad and angry about this situation. Sad because I know that one of the main reasons why this is happening is that I am white and the "neighborhood" kids are black. And I believe in their eyes, I am rich. I have new car, wear a suit, etc. I feel angry that their crimes are considered "pranks" or "not as important" as other crimes by the local police. I feel angry that I will end up having spent over a thousand dollars to replace\repair the damage that these "kids" have done. Angry that witnesses in my own neighborhood will not speak up. Angry that these kids are neglected by their parents, our community, and the government. Angry that they will quickly become hard criminals and soon begin to do more than just scratch-up cars and petty robbery. **** Barry’s Response to Crime I was really outraged by Mayor Barry’s response to the Federal role in D.C.’s public safety problem. In the Post 2/8 he said the problem is guns. Now I’m not an NRA backer but I do believe that DC’s "gun control" is ineffective and wrong headed. Barry says "These guns are coming from Maryland and Virginia. The federal government can help mobilize the FBI and everybody else around here to assist us on stopping these guns at the border. What we need from the federal government is an iron net around Washington." I can just see the AFT agents stopping the pickups and Sport Utility Vehicles coming in from VA with guns in the glove box. I think it’s significant that more and more of our aggressive driving incidents involve guns. But I don’t think the answer is more regulation, more police inspections, or more of the government being involved in the private lives of law abiding citizens. [The mayor held a press conference Friday to announce that crime is down, his reforms are working, and he’s got public safety under control. Thought you’d want to know. Jeff] ---- Death Penalty In response to John Whiteside’s commentary on Sen. Hutchinson’s legislative proposal to have the death penalty in response to heinous crimes such as the murder of a police officer. Sen. Hutchinson’s initiative should be applauded, not condemned. In your article you say that DC has no voice in Congress, that "no one in Congress answers to us" .Doesn't the timing of Sen. Hutchinson’s proposal indicate something? Perhaps Sen. Hutchinson’s motives are her own — I am in no way suggesting that the District should praise Sen. Hutchinson and wait for her to do more, DC should be making these proposals — but apparently she is listening to what is happening in the District. I also heard the NPR coverage of this story, and I distinctly recall hearing that Sen. Hutchinson would disregard her proposal in favor of one that came out of the district, whether for or against capital punishment, and that she would support the District’s motion. Perhaps Sen. Hutchinson is a step in the direction of bringing the voice of the District to Capital Hill. ---- Volunteers Anyone? While I enjoy hearing, reading and thinking about local issues as much as the next person, I found the last group of postings disheartening. While the problems we face in DC are daunting, I can’t help but thinking that there seems to be as much talk with little action in this group and there is with many of our city’s "leaders." I agree strongly with the writer who suggests that our collective complaints and dialogue may be cathartic but are not ultimately effective. She asks what sort of collective action is possible. How are dc.story subscribers involved in their neighborhoods? How about sharing how we’re working (either on a volunteer basis or in the political realm) to give others ideas on how to become involved? This might give us some sense of empowerment as well as an opportunity to take some meaningful action. ---- Police Stickers As it happens, the Fraternal Order of Police called my home while Officer Grooms was in the living room taking a report. (On my car, totaled while parked in front.) I said to the F.O.P. solicitor, "Hold on a minute," and went to ask Officer Grooms his opinion. "Are they legit?" I asked. "Do the police ever see any of the money?" He said, "You never know where that money is going. I wouldn’t give them anything." I went back to the phone and informed the solicitor that a police officer recommended that I not make a donation, and they hung up. For what *that* is worth. **** Randy Wells wellsr@guvax.georgetown.edu The Fraternal Order of Police (aka Police Union) has a fundraising campaign going. I received a call two days ago, asking for a contribution of about $50. Since the Police seemed to have been showing their face for a change in my neighborhood of late, I was vulnerable to their plea. I talked the caller down to $35 (for the Bronze Sticker), and then asked from where he was calling. I expected to hear Maryland, certainly not DC, but would you believe _New Jersey_. I got the packet 2 days later, with some mumbo-jumbo about the funds paying for survivor benefits among other things. By the way, the donation is not tax deductible. I also got a phone message asking for donations to pay for "Freedom Flights"—trips for young District students to Africa to "broaden their horizons" .Sounded like a good cause, and they were willing to accept as little as $20. Where to send the money? Marcus Garvey School. **** Dan Wedemeyer dw0066a@american.edu Same thing happened to me the same morning. I don’t know if it was a police officer, but the guy was soliciting donations for the Fraternal Brotherhood. The way I understood it, the sticker was a (weak) incentive to contribute, not a commodity to be purchased for $75.00. Regardless, a Sunday morning call is the surest way to _keep_ me from contributing. **** Peppie Wagner Joseph_Wagner@nih.gov I too was called last week by the police department asking $75.00 for a bronze sticker. I have had my car broken into once on Macomb Street and have witnessed two break-ins myself. The police never responded to my calls, even to the thefts in progress; needless to say, I did not respond to their call either. ----- Commuter Tax Bob, in dc.story you write: "Why tax Fannie Mae and tax commuters? If Fannie Mae were taxed 300 million a year why would it want to stay in D.C. Any other municipality would be crazy not to want a money maker like that even without the ability to tax the profits. It uses virtually no services and yet has a big payroll of taxable employees." Are you referring to "commuters" and "taxable employees" in the same paragraph? Hmm! What about commuters who take Metro (whose revenues are shared among the jurisdictions) and bring their lunches (bought at suburban supermarkets)? And wouldn’t these same District businesses use — and pay taxes for — the same utility and telephone services if their employees had a payroll deduction to the District of Columbia? What does the commuter get in return, you ask? How about a nice cushy white-collar job that allows them to move out of the city and escape taxes, escape the responsibility of paying for services for poor District residents who are excluded from these high-paying jobs? How about slow response time from police — who, because of the lack of commuter taxes — are understaffed and far out manned by the criminals who, desperate to escape their poverty, are driven to violence by the fact that there is no hope for a better life? What about the potholed streets that would surely be fixed more quickly but for the $1 billion a year in tax revenue commuters take from the city??? Commuters can come into the city at their leisure, enjoy the job, cultural and entertainment opportunities, then flee to the suburban comfort of their pastoral homes — and enjoy the state services paid for by their own neighbors’ payroll taxes. Maybe District businesses should get a tax break for hiring residents — not the commuters who leech off the fruits of these businesses. ---- DC income tax A new colleague of mine just moved here from St. Louis. He is working in DC, living in MD, and wanted to know how much income tax he would have to pay to DC. In St. Louis, which straddles the Miss , in Illinois and Missouri, your primary income tax obligation is to your place of employment, not residence. So, although he lived in Missouri, his wife worked in Illinois and paid Illinois income taxes. Intriguing idea! I suppose if you are a state, you can pass laws like that and not have Congress meddle in your tax structure. ---- Ward 6 Council Race John Whiteside’s posting was right on target - be outraged about what’s happening in the city. I can’t belive how this beautiful city has changed in the 17 years that I’ve lived here. I, like all of you, want to see things improve. The next chance to make that happen comes this spring with the Ward 6 City Council election. This week I checked on the records at the Office of Campaign Finance to see who was getting the money. Remember what they said with Watergate: "follow the money" .I did, and here’s what I discovered. Sharon Ambrose, the retired D.C. employee, raised the most money ($10,000), with the Rev. George Stallings ($8,585) second, and Rob Robinson ($4,910) and John Capozzi ($1,755) coming in well behind the leader. Rob Robinson’s itemized receipts revealed two checks for $500, each from H. H. Leonards, a.k.a. the O Street Restaurateur. H.H. Leonards was involved in special interest council legislation which I understand Rob Robinson worked on. But, it gets better. Ambrose, the darling of the D.C insiders, received %68 of her contributions from groups or individuals with affiliation to wholesale beverage institutions, insurance company political action committees, government consultants, et al. It is no wonder after reviewing the special interest money listed above, and with events like the Ibex shooting, ABC complaints from the citizenry, and a quality of life in DC that has deteriorated over the last several years, good people lose hope. The money drives people’s actions. The answer is - this is business as usual in Washington D.C. politics. We need a change! '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' dc.queries I n-e-e-d your assistance to wade through the bureaucracy of the DC Government. I’m trying to obtain my automobile tag stickers. This year in haste I erroneously paid cash at Signet Bank, instead of the previous non problematic method of sending a check with the invoice through the postal service. I have retained the receipt I received from the bank. Can anyone direct me to a the correct office where the line is not constantly busy, a living being answers the phone, who is at least in the vicinity of someone who has a clue about the topic under discussion, who possess some experience in handling problems of this nature. Patricia Williams pwilliams@juno.com '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' dc.events Rabbi Laibl Wolf will be speaking about "Kabbala and Jewish Meditation" this Monday night Feb. 17 at 7:30 PM at the new District of Columbia Jewish Community Center (1529 16th St. NW, corner of 16th and Q Streets, Tel: 202-518-9400). $15 / $12 for DC JCC members. For more info, contact the Tree of Life Institute at 202-362-4264 or 1-800-MEANING. Rabbi Wolf, from Melbourne, Australia, has been a student and teacher of Kabbala and Hasidism for over 25 years and has been described as the most prolific and gifted teacher of Jewish Mysticism. He is an ordained Orthodox Rabbi, lawyer, educational psychologist and spiritual mentor. A universal teacher of the Hebrew mystical path, Rabbi Wolf bridges the teachings of the west and the east and welcomes people of diverse spiritual orientations. Pamela Gorelick Gorelick@aol.com ----- Dinner and Discussion at Magen David, February 19, 1997, doors open at 7:30. Mr. Edwin Shuker, will describe the demise of the Jewish Community of Iraq, Saddam Hussein’s "Reign of Terror", and the escape from Iraq, through the Kurdish mountains, of his family. To commemorate the 500th anniversary of the expulsion of Jews from Portugal, there will be a presentation of a film on the "Marrano’s of Belmonte" .The dinner will be of Iraqi foods. The cost for the Dinner and Discussion is $9.00. For further information or directions call 301-770-6818, between the hours of 9am-12pm, Monday through Friday. Please call 301-770-6818 to RSVP. Sandy Barsky sandy.barsky@gsa.gov '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' dc.market House for Rent
ALEX - Brick 4 BR SFH, gourmet kitchen, huge recroom, den, 2 fpl, screened porch w/ceiling fan, deck, ½ acre wooded lot. Near 495, 395 and Old Town, Alex. $1,350. Call (703) 313-8239.Mary Despian HLEB63A@Prodigy.com --- Men’s Bikes For Sale Ten speed road bike 20" frame, black and in solid shape. $75. 30+ year-old English ‘Hurcules’ 3-speed, 17" frame, red, slightly beat up, but with high cool-factor. Swept back moustache-style handlebars. $50. Brian Kemler bkemle@agccs.lmco.com --- Home Maintenance Services Delbe Home Services is a one-stop resource for all of your home needs. We have been taking care of maintenance problems for over 25 years right here in your neighborhood. Call us for any problems at (301) 652-7201 or visit our web page at <http://www.delbe.comhttp://www.delbe.com for more information. David Burka dhs@delbe.com ---- Buying A Computer? Computers. Buying one shouldn’t be so scary. Setting one up shouldn’t be so scary. Getting on the Internet shouldn’t be so scary. Jeffrey Itell (He’s not so scary either.) Story@intr.net 202.244.4163 ================= dc.story is a discussion group. The opinions stated are the sole responsibility of the authors. dc.story does not verify the information provided by readers. ---------------- For fast, reliable Internet services and cutting edge Websites contact Michael Mann at Internet Interstate mmann@intr.net. Web: <http://www.intr.nethttp://www.intr.net ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ dc.story—Your Electronic Backfence <http://www.dcstory.comhttp://www.dcstory.com Kibitzing by Jeffrey Itell (story@intr.net) Copyright © 1997 by Itell Communications, Inc. All rights reserved |
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