Pandas Pay Taxes, Too
Dear Voters:
Now I'll expose the best kept secret in DC: we're having a presidential
primary election next Tuesday. If you were reading just the Post and the Times,
you wouldn't know it. Of course, the Presidential primaries in the Democratic and
Republican parties are settled issues, although we in themail have been discussing ways to
use or vote to bring DC issues to the attention of presidential candidates. But this
election will fill many major offices in the local and national parties, and nobody is
paying any attention. You have a last chance on Sunday to persuade a few voters that your
candidate for any of these offices is better than the other guy. Write to themail.
The lowest voter turnout in any DC election was 5.5 percent of the
registered voters, in the 1997 special election in which Linda Cropp was first elected
chairman of the City Council. We may well beat that record on Tuesday. If you can persuade
a few subscribers to themail, you'll probably win the election for your candidate.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Utility Cuts Are Not Technology Firms
Danilo Pelletiere, dpelleti@gmu.edu
I was stunned at Sunday's Washington Post article on utility
cuts. There can be little public policy justification for the CFO/Mayor's offices actions
for a number of reasons, but two stand out.
1) Instituting a fee based on length of cable laid is a tax to address
specific public costs from the cuts. These are not only the costs of repair but also the
economic costs of disruption to the city of what is largely a private service. In this way
a fee is a market based mechanism that makes firms internalize costs they would not
otherwise be inclined to incur (and indeed they did not). As such, a fee provides a
disincentive for poorly planned operations and an incentive for coordination and
efficiency. Since the Post article suggests most jurisdictions institute such a
fee, it could not be construed as a competitive disadvantage. The current state of the
city's streets certainly is. If general business taxes are too high, then lower them.
While this may reduce revenues, it doesn't increase costs. Instead, the CFO/Mayor's office
decided to skimp in an area that clearly and perceptibly increased public costs and
reduced revenue, and above all gives our city a black eye.
2) The idea that not charging for cable cuts is somehow a sound high-tech
business development strategy is absurd. First, cables are not firms. Once they are
installed, information traffic can pass through the District or to and from existing firms
and residents without additional jobs being created. Second, there is little economic
justification to suggest that lower fees increase on-line capacity. The decision to
install capacity is made based on current and expected demand. As long as fees are not
excessive this demand will be met and the costs of fees distributed across all rate payers
in the network. On this note and third, given existing tariff structures it is unlikely
that any cost savings Bell-Atlantic and others received were passed on to District firms
and residents only. No, any savings would either be distributed to customers network wide,
or perhaps more likely to stockholders or to investment or employees within the firm. I'd
like to know if anyone has evidence that District residents and firms pay less for
bandwidth than they would in other cities.
Since such a well educated group of men was bound to understand these and
other arguments against the scheme, one is left to wonder why they persisted.
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Attention needs to be turned toward the risk factors that make it
difficult for many students to receive a good education. Regardless of the leadership of
the School Board or Superintendent or City Council, these causal factors must be
addressed. They are abuse of alcohol, drug abuse, cigarette smoking, violence, and
premature sexual activity, as identified by the Institute for Youth Development. I am the
Washington, DC director of Free Teens (www.freeteens.org),
a nonprofit that promotes through educational and media projects the benefits of
abstinence from sexual activity until marriage. Our program has been taught in several
schools here in DC. Parents, students and teachers and Principals appreciate the benefits
of the program. However, the HIV/AIDS education office of the DC public schools has not
shown support for the program. Linda Wright, the director of that program, specifically
said that her office was not following the Federal Guidelines regarding abstinence only
education. The Federal guidelines for abstinence education programs outlined in Title V
are: A. Has as its exclusive purpose, teaching the social, psychological and health gains
to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity. B. Teaches abstinence from sexual
activity outside marriage as the expected standard for all school-age children. C. Teaches
that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock
pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and other associated health problems. D. Teaches
that a mutually faithful monogamous relationship in the context of marriage is the
expected standard of human sexual activity. E. Teaches that sexual activity outside of the
context, of marriage is likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects. F.
Teaches that bearing children out-of-wedlock is likely to have harmful consequences for
the child, the child's parents and society. G. Teaches young people how to reject sexual
advances, and how alcohol and drug use increase vulnerability to sexual advances. H.
Teaches the importance of attaining self-sufficiency before engaging in sexual activity.
Also, the Office of Maternal and Child Health within the Department of
Health applied for Federal funds to be used for the above purposes. However, after
numerous calls, letters, and meetings, I cannot find out what the funds were used for, and
promised guidelines for nonprofits such as Free Teens to apply for funding were never
produced. I began attempting to apply for these funds in December, 1997. Contacts with
Councilmembers Ambrose and Allen also produced almost no information about the use or lack
thereof of these funds. It is apparent that there is little interest among the above
parties in addressing this issue using an abstinence only teaching approach as advocated
by the above federal guidelines. If this is true, why did DC apply for the Federal funds,
and what has been done with them? Is the District saying that 6th grade through 9th grade
students, which is the primary audience reached, should be expected to have sex?
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Independent Teacher Evaluations
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aol.com
There were five responses in my personal E-mail box from my posting that
recommended independent teacher evaluations and a radical change in the way that teachers
are paid. All of the respondents agreed that teacher evaluations are a must. Four of the
respondents identified themselves as teachers in the DCPS.
Interestingly, however, all four of the teachers responding said that
there are major problems with the poor quality of principals in the schools and that an
independent evaluation of the principals in all the schools is desperately needed. Two of
the responding teachers said that good teachers have left their school to teach outside
the DCPS because of the lack of good leadership capabilities by their school's principals.
Sounds like there are real problems with the principals in the DCPS and
they, like those who are not capable of teaching in the classrooms, should be replaced.
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Pandas and Sales Tax
Betty Ann Kane, member of the FONZ Board of Directors, bettyannkane@sprintmail.com
Several recent commenters on the Mayor's ill-thought out proposal to make
city funds available for part of the cost of bringing pandas to the Zoo an erroneous
statement about DC sales taxes. While it is true that the Smithsonian does not collect DC
sales tax on items purchased at its mall museums, because of a Congressional exemption,
that is not the case at the Zoo. Although the Zoo is a Smithsonian institution, all of the
concessions at the Zoo — the gift shop, restaurants, snack bars, and parking —
are operated by the Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ). FONZ charges the applicable D.C.
sales tax on all purchase, food, and parking at the Zoo. In 1999, FONZ remitted $625,000
in sales taxes from its concessions to the D.C. government. FONZ is a non-profit 501(c)(3)
organization that runs the Zoo's educational, cultural, and outreach programs, and
provides support for exhibits, research, and other important Zoo activities. FONZ provides
millions of dollars a year to support its educational programs as well as donating funds
to the Zoo, through funds raised from the concessions, membership, fund-raising events,
gifts and grants. One FONZ project I am particularly happy about was the purchase of a bus
to bring D.C. school children to the zoo — since, unlike in the suburbs, DCPS
transportation is unavailable or unreliable for field trips. FONZ has committed to a large
capital campaign to not only bring the pandas but also provide a suitable new panda house
and physical setting, research, and education.
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Oddity in DC “Yellow” Pages
David Sobelsohn, dsobelso@capaccess.org
I just noticed an oddity in the residential white pages of Bell Atlantic's
DC yellow pages. The entry for the letter “P” begins with “Parker,”
“Pasley,” and “Plummer” before going into alphabetical order (with
“Paabo”)! None of the first 3 names has an address. Check it out: pages 333-34
in the book that expires this month. Any theories to explain this phenomenon?
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The Other Monopoly
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com
Speaking of monopolies, take another look at the op-ed page of the Post.
Week-after-week, month-after-month, and year-after-year the same tired and weary
columnists spout the views we already know they hold. You would think they got tired of
hearing their own voice. If you're a prince or king you're also entitled to space on the
op-ed page, but please, no commentary by non-noble riff-raff. Is it that the Post
is lazy or indifferent that they don't publish a more varied diet of op-ed pieces? If you
value a marketplace of ideas, call them on it. Take a one month leave of absence from your
subscription if your courage is mild, or a longer leave if your courage is stronger. Let
them know why you're leaving, too. Newspapers are particularly vulnerable to losing
subscribers, and will change only when subscribers start walking away. Did someone there
forget that they exist to serve our needs?
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Evolving Perspectives of the District by the
Governing Elite
Mark Richards, Dupont East, mark@bisconti.com
The way the federal government has viewed the District shifted from one of
citizens providing a safe place for the federal government, to one in which citizens were
dependents with the federal government as their Governor and state legislature, to one in
which the land belonged to the federal government for national experiments for national
models, and where citizens lost their rights by being born or moving there. In the early
years, President Monroe called upon Congress to devise ways “to better adapt to the
general principles of our system” without “infring[ing] the Constitution.”
President Jackson urged Congress to treat the District like a Territory (“It was
doubtless wise in the framers of our Constitution to place the people of this District
under the jurisdiction of the general government, but to accomplish the objects they had
in view it is not necessary that this people should be deprived of all the privileges of
self-government.”) President Harrison was more direct: “It is in this District
only where American citizens are to be found who, under a settled policy, are deprived of
many important political privileges without any inspiring hope as to the future.” He
said, “The people of the District of Columbia are not the subjects of the people of
the States, but free American citizens.” In theory Harrison may have been right, but
not in reality. He died a few days later of an illness from the weather. He was a doctor.
By 1843, President Tyler articulated the view that District citizens were
dependents who required “parental care” by “their legislature”
(Congress). Over the next three decades, this view evolved to the District as “the
grounds of the National Capital” (President Grant, 1874). At last, after local
self-government had been withdrawn completely, President Hayes announced in 1877.
“The capital of the United States belongs to the nation, and it is natural that the
American people should take pride in the seat of their national government and desire it
to be an ornament to the country.” From an object of ornamentation to enlarge the
pride of people living in the fifty states, President Theodore Roosevelt added a new point
(1902) — the District as a place to pass experimental laws, which might serve as a
model for the states. And in 1910, President Taft articulated the idea that citizens who
moved to the District lose their political rights: “The truth is this is a city
governed by a popular body, to wit, the Congress of the United States, selected from the
people of the United States who own Washington. The people who come here to live do so
with the knowledge of the origin of the city and the restrictions, and therefore
voluntarily give up the privilege of living in a city governed by popular vote . . . and
must be content to subject themselves to the control of a body selected by all the people
of all the nation.”
The view shifted again after World War II, during the Cold War, and the
Civil Rights years. Presidents Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon all viewed the
contradiction as startling, and a propaganda threat of the Soviet Union. Over a few
decades, the District gained a limited Presidential vote, an elected school board, a
non-voting Delegate to Congress, limited home rule. As the mood of the nation changed in
the 1980s, President Reagan was elected. The District came to be viewed as a “welfare
child.” In 1993, with Democrats in control, the House voted on and opposed the
District’s appeal for statehood (by 63 votes). President Clinton, the first president
to support D.C. statehood, developed and signed a “Revitalization Bill” to
assist the D.C. out of a financial crisis (in part created by the federal government). The
bill (unofficially) recognized the federal government as the District’s “state
legislature” when it removed a state responsibility from the District — courts
and prisons. After District citizens lost two lawsuits against the federal government,
President Clinton wrote the District’s non-voting Delegate: “I have long made
clear my support for statehood for the District of Columbia. One of the most important
attributes of statehood is the right to elect Senators and Representatives. My
Administration will continue to find the best means of achieving that goal, just as we
have worked to help the District restore its economic health and to pass the way for the
return of power to the District’s elected officials.”
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A good friend recently made me aware of themail, and I'm grateful. Out
here in Portland, OR, I scan the Post, but I'm a real local. Hence, this quick comment
about the great piece on guidebooks. I grew up in Anacostia (AHS, '46) and twenty years
ago was president of the Chevy Chase (DC) Citizens Association. Although I lived only a
few blocks from Frederick Douglass' estate for several years, I never heard about him
through elementary, junior, or senior high school. Although long, long ago, it suggests
that not only guidebooks can have myopia.
The rankings of the guidebooks provided a shock: Anacostia was mentioned
more often (4 times) than Chevy Chase (1)! Rather than compare them, however, I would say
that my many years in the District seem to be invisible — metaphorically, of course
— regardless of where I lived.
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I read every issue of themail from cover to cover and, although I have
opinions on many of the subjects covered, I often don't have enough information to be
willing to speak out. But I think the general bashing of Williams and his efforts is
really pathetic — why can't we give the guy a break? How many years of our beloved
ex-Mayor did it take to create the mess Williams inherited — can we not be
encouraging and supportive instead of beating him over the head at every turn! And
speaking of our ex-Mayor, the prospect of his going for the at-large council seat makes my
blood run cold — but he's like a bad cold you just can't shake. And three cheers to
the cops who kept the peace while the IMF/World Bank did its thing. Good job! And what can
we do to attract Al Gore's attention and get him to stop
treating us like chopped liver?
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The Demonstrators and the Police
Bryce A. Suderow, streetstories@juno.com
I was appalled by most of Sunday night's letters written in the themail on
the subject of the demonstrations near the World Bank. Most of the letters fell into two
categories. First, we support whatever the police did because those demonstrators were
evil; intent on turning D.C. into another Seattle. Second, we support whatever the police
did because we don't agree with their demonstration.
Among the demonstrators on Constitution Avenue on that violent Sunday were
three progressives who I have known for years, Joan Drake, John Steinbach, and John's wife
Louise, who is 94 years old and in a wheelchair. They left in Joan's vehicle two minutes
before the police attacked the demonstrators. Joan is certain that if the three of them
had been caught up in the police attack, Louise would have been killed. A small price to
pay for law and order, perhaps, according to the police apologists. After all, in the
immortal words of one of your E-mailers, “You do what you gotta do.”
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DCPD and the IMF/WB
Matthew Kessler, matthew@stand.org
I was pleased to see the positive postings regarding the DCPD's
performance during the IMF/WB protests. I live downtown and had no worries whatsoever. I
thought they handled every situation that arose very professionally. Although the
protesters had said coming in that they were committed to peaceful protests, I believe
some credit is due to the presence and fine prevention that Chief Ramsey and his force
showed. Kudos to Chief Ramsey for being on the front line and protecting our city.
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No Commendations for the MPD Please
Danilo Pelletiere, dpelleti@gmu.edu
The MPD did an adequate job during the IMF-World Bank meeting. By
generally showing restraint (in action but not in dollars spent) they avoided mayhem. But
as has been pointed out, that's their job. Many of the things they did were not part of
their job. Saturday's mass arrests and the preemptive strike on a trumped up fire code
violation smacked of police state tactics. Among other things, I've never heard of
possessions being confiscated in a fire inspection. On that note, I've also never heard of
a Molotov cocktail in a plastic bottle. Perhaps that's why the evidence disappeared from
the public eye. On top of that, only half of the puppets and other props were returned to
protesters. I'm sure in the coming months more will be heard on these issues. And I agree
that many of the claims and suits will likely be without merit. Some of them, however,
will have merit and the city will pay.
Therefore, at the end of the day the D.C. Police spent over $5 million,
closed down downtown, and made nearly three times as many arrests as they did in Seattle.
Things did not get out of hand, and perhaps that is a success, but I wouldn't be in a rush
to hand out any commendations. As a final note, there seems to be a decidedly different
tone among those that observed the protests first-hand in some way and those that got
their images from television.
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Several of the pundits at The Post, especially Marc Fischer,
Michael Kelly, Jonathan Yardley, and whichever editor penned the title to Friday’s
Letters to the Editor (“Rebellion Without a Cause”), dismissed the possibility
that those who protested against World Bank and IMF in mid April had any legitimate
grievance. The general attitude is “in my day, we had something real to protest
about.” I'm old enough to remember that their counterparts on newspaper op-ed pages
thought otherwise. For their benefit, and for the benefit of the few themail contributors
who agree with them, I offer a few quotes:
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, at the April meeting of G-77
(developing and poor nations, representing 80% of the world’s population), on the
failure to reform international aid and lending practices at the World Bank and IMF:
“A major threat to international peace and security.” Said Musa, Prime Minister
of Belize: “[World Bank and IMF policies] have stabilized poverty.” Arthur
Mbanefo of Nigeria, official spokesman for G-77: “I, for one, support the
demonstrators. Many countries have rejected the results of various policy initiatives of
the World Bank and IMF.” (Guardian Weekly, April 18)
You might also check out some enlightening essays by Mark Weisbrot:
“Globalism on the Ropes” at http://www.tompaine.com/opinion/2000/03/03/2.html
and “What the protesters are protesting” at http://www.tompaine.com/news/2000/04/03/2.html.
By the way, anyone who still admires the restraint of law enforcement officers should read
the updates at http://www.a16.org. The behavior of US
Marshals was especially atrocious.
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More on the Protests
Michael Bindner, mbindnerdc@aol.com
I think we've adequately aired our views on the protests. However, the
story does not end there. For the whole story, check the A-16 web site for the misconduct
by the Federal Marshal's Service in dealing with the Jail Solidarity practiced by the A-16
arrestees. It is quite shocking. Perhaps we should rethink the turning over of our prison
system to the feds, if this is what they are capable of.
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This Saturday night, on the 10 o'clock news, Fox 5 is devoting 11 minutes
to a major story examining the MPD's homicide department. Reporter Paul Wagner put
together this story.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Million Mutt March, Sunday, March 7, 2000
Stacey Patmore, DaisyPatmore@earthlink.net
On Sunday, May 7th, the first annual Million Mutt March will take place at
the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Spokesmutts from area animal shelters will march to speak
on behalf of mutts nationwide who suffer as a result of canine discrimination. Posters and
literature will be distributed on: mutt myths, adopting a mutt, and “100% Pure
Mutt” certificates will be presented to dogs of blended heritage. Participating
shelters will distribute information about their organizations, and adoptable dogs will
wear special bandannas for recognition at the event. Canine marchers will dine on cake
specially prepared for the event by Three Dog Bakery from Maryland.
The public is invited to bring their canine companions (mutt or purebred!)
to join in the Million Mutt March. To participate, marchers must complete an online
registration form at http://www.metropets.org/mmm.
The deadline for registration is May 1. For further information, contact MetroPets Online
at 301-490-5266.
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Wayson Lee will present his lucky 13th workshop on hypnosis, this time on
noontime relaxation techniques, at the Martin Luther King Library, 901 G Street, NW, main
lobby on May 3 at noon. For more information, call the philosophy, psychology, and
religion division of MLK at 727-1251.
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CLASSIFIEDS — FOR SALE
Moving and must sell: 1) Small navy blue leather sofa, a few small
scratches (about 5' wide, 3' deep), $100. 2) Teak bookcase, very good condition, (4' tall,
3' wide, 1' deep), $100. Woodley Park, Lisa Lopez, 462-8865 or ChaacCom@aol.com.
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CLASSIFIEDS — WANTED: LOVE LETTERS
We are looking for love letters to be included in a book called Love
Letters: Romance in America by Raina Moore. Love Letters will be published
by Hyperion/Lifetime Television. If you, your parents, or your friends have love letters
or E-mails to contribute, please let us know at rmoore@adlerbooks.com.
There is more information about the book at http://www.adlerbooks.com/loveletters.html.
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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS
Handyman and Other Home Services
Joan Eisenstodt, jeisen@aol.com
In the early days of this list, David Burka of Delbe Home Services (DHS),
posted about their “one stop shop” for all home services. Since then, they've
been written up in the Post and elsewhere. We joined and have been very pleased
with the results. DHS finds the appropriate people to do whatever the job and does the
scheduling or facilitates the scheduling with the workers and the client. The work is
guaranteed and reasonably priced. I strongly recommend them. E-mail David at dhs@delbe.com.
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House Painter
E. James Lieberman, ejl@gwu.edu
I was happy with work done by O.E. Angel Painting, 301-933-1247.
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Some time ago I asked about stonemasons, and someone recommended a man
named (I think) Falcone. I've mislaid both his telephone number and the E-mail address of
the person who recommended him, and will be grateful if you will send it to me again.
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CLASSIFIEDS — CITY PAPER PREVIEW
Dave Nuttycombe, webmeister@washcp.com
From washingtoncitypaper.com's LOOSE LIPS column, appearing this Friday:
GIMME AFFORDABLE SHELTER: Mayor Anthony A. Williams was in trouble long before he stepped
into the meeting hall the night of Wednesday, April 19, at Ward 1's St. Augustine Catholic
School. “We want the mayor! We want the mayor!” chanted a crowd of tenant
activists bent on persuading Williams to nix the imminent evictions of hundreds of
low-income families from crumbling properties in Columbia Heights.
When the mayor finally paraded into the hall, he met the jeers of a constituency convinced
that he is the newest foot soldier in a government-sponsored offensive to whitewash the
city's neighborhoods and transplant the underprivileged to Southeast or other peripheral
locales.
Read the entire Loose Lips column here: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/lips/lips.html
From washingtoncitypaper.com's CITY LIGHTS page, here are a few early
warnings for upcoming events:
SUNDAY: Representatives from nextMonet.com, curator Annie Adjchavanich, and gallery owner
Cheryl Numark present “Art on a Shoestring: A Workshop for First-Time
Collectors” at 1 p.m. at the Corcoran Museum of Art's Hammer Auditorium, 500 17th St.
NW. $12.
TUESDAY: Gerald Clarke discusses his book Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland at 7 p.m. at
Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free.
More details and more critics' picks are available online at http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/pix/pix.html.
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themail@dcwatch is an E-mail discussion forum that is published every
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