Fleecing
Dear Sheep:
The next massive fleecing of the people will be another big stadium
giveaway, a government financed and underwritten stadium for the new
owners of the DC United soccer team (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/05/AR2007010500755.html,
http://www.washingtontimes.com/blogs/storyview.php?StoryID=20070109-021810-7709r&TopicsID=sportsbiz,
http://www.examiner.com/a-498107~Fenty_is_noncommittal_on_new_D_C__United_stadium.html).
These newspaper stories all suggest that the new team owners are more
interested in the real estate and development opportunities that will
come with the new stadium at Poplar Point in southeast than they are in
the team, and there’s no reason to doubt that.
In a list of suggested questions and answers that was prepared for
the Victor MacFarlane, the lead DC United owner, to use at his press
conference yesterday, one of the answers is, “DC United cannot be
profitable in its current venue. There is every possibility that will
change — and I look forward to working with the mayor and the city
council on that. We need to put the team in a new venue to make it
profitable, and make for the best possible fan experience.” In a
“messaging” document, the new team owners say, “DC United Holdings
is fiercely supportive of the DC United team players, the organization
management and the fans. As such, as the opportunity to build a better
stadium is determined with and through Mayor Fenty’s office,
MacFarlane and Chang will both participate in bringing an improved venue
to fruition.”
In the wake of the public’s outcry over the wasteful and massive
giveaway of the baseball stadium, there will be some delay as city
officials figure out how to hide the subsidies and pretend that the city
isn’t giving them a massive amount of land for and around the stadium
and also paying the construction costs. The mayor and city council will
probably be able to do that, judging by how easily they hid in full
sight a two-million-dollar gift to the Lerners to decorate their
baseball stadium. Instead of giving the money to the Lerners to buy the
art, they gave it to the DC Arts and Humanities Commission. Then the
Lerners generously donated space in the stadium to display the Arts and
Humanities Commission’s art. In fact, I wonder whether the Lerners are
getting a tax deduction for their public-spirited gift of exhibit space
to the District.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
##############
Another Stupid Idea
Ralph J. Chittams, Sr., chittams@sewkis.com
Catania and Cheh have introduced a bill requiring all girls under the
age of thirteen to get a new “nationally debated vaccine against HPV.”
Catania and Cheh claim the vaccine will prevent cervical cancer. That is
a lie! Catania and Cheh want to force all girls younger than thirteen
years of age to receive a shot to prevent a sexually transmitted disease
— HPV. That is the truth! If you don’t want to get a sexually
transmitted disease, don’t have sex. Wow, was that so difficult?
Catania stated: “With January being National Cervical Cancer Awareness
Month, now is the perfect time for the District to lead the nation in
the fight against what is in essence a preventable disease.” He can’t
possibly be that stupid. This shot will not prevent cervical cancer. HPV
is not the universal precursor to cervical cancer. This shot will not
prevent cervical cancer. The shot is a prophylactic measure against HPV,
a sexually transmitted disease. Vaccine is defined as “any preparation
used as a preventive inoculation to confer immunity against a specific
disease.” Therefore, by definition, this shot is not a vaccine against
cervical cancer; it is a vaccine against HPV.
So, because some sexually promiscuous, morally challenged individuals
in our society make bad choices, we are now going to force all of our
young girls to receive this vaccine, regardless of any possible negative
long-term effect this drug may have on their bodies. Give me a break. I
have a better idea. Instead of closing the barn door after the horse has
escaped, let’s teach our children how not to make bad decisions in the
first place! Instead of teaching elementary-aged children the proper
method of using a condom, introduce a system-wide true love waits
program which will teach everyone (boys and girls) how to respect their
bodies. And for you anti-Christian zealots, the program does not have to
contain a religious element.
No amount of legislation at the back-end can correct poor
decision-making at the front end. If we are truly going to make a
difference, we have to address the cause, not the effect.
###############
Last week, in addition to announcing his education initiative, Mayor
Fenty also unveiled “his Administration’s strategy for optimizing
the city’s community policing efforts.” Fenty’s press release
detailing his public safety initiative and Acting Chief Cathy Lanier’s
statement outlining a series of “goals and action items” are at http://www.dcwatch.com/mayor/070105.htm.
After a review of both documents, it is apparent that the
administration does have a list of goals, which can be boiled down to
reducing crime and the fear of crime, but that is no real public safety
plan. There are some new slogans and there are some new names for old
programs, such as returning to decentralizing the homicide division,
which was tried and failed under Ramsey. But there is no plan and no
strategy.
###############
Congratulations to the residents of North Portal Estates for winning
the fight to raze an eyesore (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901753_2.html?sub=AR).
My only concern is that the owners of this property will ultimately
profit to the tune of $400,000 because of a mistake made by officials at
DCRA. I have no problem with anyone being “made whole,” with
reimbursement of all legal and construction expenses, but why should we,
the DC taxpayer, ultimately give them a windfall of nearly a
half-million dollars over what they paid for the land and building the
house?
In October 2006, at a meeting attended by residents of North Portal
Estates, Minh Vu (the property owner), and District officials, everyone
was agreed that a dreadful mistake had been made, and the District
committed to fixing it. During the meeting Mrs. Vu insisted that all she
wanted was to be “made whole” after this blunder. The Post
article pointed out that residents would be reimbursed for the legal
fight and that neighbors adjoining the property would be allowed to
purchase the land. None of these neighbors stand to profit from this
mistake, so my question is, hearing that Mrs. Vu merely wanted to be
reimbursed for all her costs associated with this deal, then who
negotiated this one-sided six-figure payout? I didn’t know that that
meant the rest of us would have to ante up. Thanks, DCRA.
###############
DPW Schedule for MLK Holiday
Vera Jackson, vera.jackson@dc.gov
Following is the schedule for Department of Public Works services for
the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday, Monday, January 15. District
government offices will be closed for the observance of Martin Luther
King, Jr., holiday. Most services will be suspended, including DPW trash
and recyclables collection, street cleaning, parking enforcement, and
towing. All services will resume on Tuesday, January 16. Trash and
recyclables collection schedule will slide one day for the remainder of
the week citywide.
On the Saturday after a holiday the Benning Road trash transfer
station operates on a regular weekday schedule, which is open from 4
a.m. to 6 p.m.
###############
I Say Watch Out for Ed Barron
Brigid Quinn, bridigq@yahoo.com
I think you usually do a good job of keeping unnecessary pejoratives
out of themail. The latest from Barron (on Council Chairman Vincent
Gray, January 7), however, is mean spirited schlock that does nothing to
further the debate on District-related policy or issues, and thus doesn’t
deserve its space in the mail.
###############
The DMV and SSNs
Clare Feinson, cfeinson at erols dot com
The last time I went to the Department of Motor Vehicles to renew my
license, I was told I could no longer have my Social Security Number on
it and I was required to have a random number. I liked having my SSN
because it was easy for me to remember, although of course the security
problems mentioned by Ralston Cox in themail last week are a very real
problem. But it seems that at the DMV, the number you get is not a
standard policy, but sort of a toss-up, depending randomly on the clerk
you end up with.
###############
Takeover of DC Public Schools
Harold Goldstein, mdbiker@goldray.com
Even if the proposed Board of Education is more streamlined, or
whatever, why does anyone think that that will make a lick of difference
in the final product? What matters is what happens in the classroom, and
I see no reason to prefer the new structure to the old structure, or
vice-versa, in terms of providing a quality classroom experience.
This reorganization will only succeed in drawing attention and
resources away from where it needs to be directed.
###############
Beware of Mayor — He Speaketh with Forked
Tongue
Ralph J. Chittams, Sr., Ward 7, chittams@sewkis.com
Whether a Mayoral takeover of the schools is good or bad is not the
subject of this posting. This posting deals with “mayoral
schizophrenia.” Note to the lawyers: I am not saying that Mayor Fenty
is mentally ill.
In Fenty’s inaugural address he affirmed voting rights for the
citizens of the District of Columbia and threw his support behind the
movement for DC Statehood. Then, less than one week later, the same
Mayor Fenty publicly announces his intent to circumvent, and thereby
disenfranchise, the citizens of the District of Columbia by obtaining
Congressional approval to amend the DC Charter.
What? How do you do that? If Fenty wants to take over the schools
without the support of the citizenry, then stop talking about voting
rights for DC citizens. If Fenty is serious about voting rights for DC
citizens, then he should take his case for wresting control of the
schools directly to the people and have them vote in a referendum.
Remember Mayor Fenty, the same way you were voted in, you can be voted
out. You can’t amend the DC Charter to change that — or can you?
###############
Why I Support a Mayoral
Takeover of DCPS
Wendy Sefsaf, wfelizali@aol.com
First and foremost I support the idea of change because, as you know,
the current system is not working, nor has it worked for many, many
years. However, we are likely in for a grand debate over this takeover,
which I invite. What I fear though is an all-out war. The longer the
fight over governance wages, the less time we will have for tackling the
real issues. We need to urge the council not to draw this out. What I
see as the biggest issue this new authority will address is inaction.
While Dr. Janney is a smart man who has come up with two fairly good
strategic plans for our system by way of the Master Facilities and
Master Education Plans, (MFP and MEP) he has failed to make progress in
funding and executing them. I believe a direct line to the mayor can
change this.
For example, the MEP calls for innovative schools and more autonomy
for high performing schools. Two years later nothing has actually
happened on that front. Wilson Senior High School publicly went after
more autonomy but didn’t get it. (I know there are many reasons for
that, but, alas, nothing has happened). Ross and Mann Elementary Schools
have signaled interest but have not been able to get any traction. The
MEP also has some other great ideas, like every school must have a
librarian, art program, and carefully outlined special education and
custodial services. It calls for turning select high schools into
academies and has plans for fixing the special education crisis, but
these things cost money. We don’t need additional "unfunded
mandates" (we got those from No Child Left Behind). What we need is
action!
For the past two years, the superintendent has failed to ask for
sufficient funding for our schools. This year we will be short $13
million; last year we were short about $10 million. (This is one of the
reasons they want to cut the small school subsidy to schools like
Stoddert, Mann, Ross, Hearst, and Hyde, so they could realize some
savings.) The superintendent has some great ideas, but he hasn’t been
able to execute many of them, and the board of education has done
nothing to address this inaction (and frankly, they have been part of
the problem). I believe with a direct line to the mayor, who creates DC’s
budget, he will have more success in getting the funding to support his
vision, as he will have more of an opportunity to market his plan to the
mayor and council — the folks who hold the purse strings!
With mayoral control, the superintendent (or chancellor, which is the
new title) will have to meet with Fenty weekly to outline his goals and
will have to provide weekly progress reports. (This is what all the city
agency leaders will be required to do.) In my view, the Board of
Education has never provided this kind of rigorous oversight or
management of the school system. My confidence in the initiative also
comes from seeing who Fenty has chosen to run the Deputy Mayor of
Education’s office. Victor Reinoso served as the BOE rep to Wards 3
and 4 for two years. It took him a little time to get his feet wet, but
he has shown himself to be an intelligent and responsive steward of our
concerns at the local schools.
Additionally, Eric Lerum, Reinoso’s new chief of staff, served as
Kathy Patterson’s legislative counsel for education and previously
worked at the BOE. As you remember, Kathy Patterson chaired the
education committee. Eric Lerum was the lead staffer behind the original
School Modernization Act. He was also at every BOE meeting I ever
attended. He understands the issues very well. Another great gain comes
through Bonnie Cain. Bonnie is an education activist and was also one of
the grassroots drivers behind the School Modernization Campaign, and she
is on Victor’s senior policy team.
On another note, the argument is being made that anything brought
before the federal government will be tinkered with, by them, to our
disadvantage. (They would have to approve this change to the DC
charter). This is always a risk, but if we show the Feds an action plan
to reform our school system, we are more likely to slow down an eventual
federal takeover of our school system, which is in a downward spiral.
Some have expressed concern that Mary Landrieu will tinker with anything
sent to Congress and invite more charters into the system. Well I have
news for them -- parents put their kids in charter schools because the
traditional public schools aren’t serving their kids. The fastest way
to stop the growth of charters is to fix our public schools.
Do I have concerns? Yes! Where will we go to complain? Who will hear
us parents? This is an issue they say they are currently working to
address. They are devising a plan to create an ombudsman for public
education that we can call who would work from complaint to resolution
with parents. They say it works in other places. And we would also have
our normal route -- our councilmembers and the mayor’s office, who
some argue have been more responsive than their Board of Education
representatives in the past. My other concerns are: will the DC council
step up to educate themselves on the issues and look for ways to resolve
them? Will they ever stop saying that our school system is overfunded
and continue to refuse to fund us adequately? Or will they go find the
supposed waste and do everything else in their power to get us the
resources we need?
Also, will the modernization funds be well used? The school
modernization campaign committee looked at the concept of a construction
trust/authority versus keeping it under DCPS control. We found that
other cities who used construction trusts did have schools built on time
and usually within budget, but the issue of whether the buildings built
were educationally sound came up? That issue can be resolved on the
front end with plenty of input by parents, teachers and principals. An
oversight board appointed by the Mayor, Council and BOE is in the
original legislation and needs to be utilized!
What has DCPS done so far to prove to us that they should keep the
construction in-house? They have developed a Master Facilities Plan,
which has come under fire by parents and education activists for not
being well thought-out. But most importantly, they have shown us through
their actions that they have not ramped up their ability to do this or
work with other agencies necessary to execute it like DCRA. Their
inability to get the Filmore trailers open on time and their last minute
decision to bus kids to Hamilton while Hardy was being renovated have
eroded confidence in their ability to execute this long-term
modernization plan.
We elected this mayor so overwhelmingly because we are looking for a
new way, a fresh outlook and hopeful alternative to the way things were
being run. By creating a deputy mayor of education and staking his
reputation on improving our schools, Fenty is taking a huge political
risk. He would be much smarter to let the status quo stand, but that isn’t
what we elected him to do. Some say this could be the final nail in the
DCPS coffin, but I believe it may just be our last best chance.
###############
Quandry in DC: Revamping Education without
Revamping Governance
Len Sullivan, lsnarpac@bellatlantic.net
Mayor Fenty has only been in office a week, his bullpen isn’t
broken in yet, and already the cynics and naysayers are challenging
everything from his motives to his hat. Both Fenty and Gray ran on
education as their top priority, and won strong support citywide. In our
representative democracy, they were elected to do what they decide is
best, not to protect individual whims, paranoias, fiefdoms, and
backyards. In their glibly dismissed inaugural addresses, both clearly
enunciate their strategies for alleviating DC’s endemic socioeconomic
problems. Gray says: “we must address the health and social influences
that [impact on] the lives of children long before they get to school,
often predisposing them to failure. Only integrated approaches to
education, health and social services can effectively address these
concerns.” Fenty says: “. . . our pledge to be the next great
world-class city is not based just on locking people up. . . .
Thoughtful solutions, rooted in rebuilding the family and the fabric of
the community, will be the cornerstone of our city’s future. . . .”
(Amen!)
Our capital is threatened more by its dysfunctional social
infrastructure than by terrorism or global warming. This decay is rooted
in urban poverty and squalor, in turn rooted in inadequate family
education. Solutions will require real change: extraordinary measures
granting greater line authority with less compromise; better integration
of agencies with similar crosscutting tasks; and separation of
functionally dissimilar tasks. The US has often used czars to resolve
critical problems. Other DC agencies can benefit from the same
streamlined solutions (e.g., contracting). Fenty promises accountability
for those given the authority to achieve their goals. How about equal
accountability for those blocking his way with sneers, negativism, and
delaying tactics?
Major efforts to take DC to the next level will necessarily involve
significant risks. These could include: lightweight czars; inappropriate
targets based on excessive expectations in time and/or performance; and
inadequate bases for assessing accountability. To NARPAC, the greatest
risk would be to assume that DC schools, comprised mostly of
family-disadvantaged kids, can aspire to meet any time soon the
(average) standards of schools with mostly family-advantaged kids. There
is a world of difference between replacing missing plumbing fixtures and
substituting for missing functional parents. Take a look at our 2004
analysis of the huge variation in NAEP scores by school district and
racial composition at http://www.narpac.org/PER.HTM#penaep03,
and in parental capacity at http://www.narpac.org/PERENTS.HTM.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS AND CLASSES
Videoblogging and Digital Storytelling Classes
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com
Are you interested in learning how to put your own videos on YouTube,
Google Video, and the Internet Archive? Would you like to learn the
basics of digital storytelling on the web using free and low-cost
software tools? I’ll be teaching both subjects in affordable classes
via the Takoma Park Recreation Department. These small group classes,
for teens and adults, are open to the public and are starting in mid to
late January. I also teach these subjects privately and in small groups
at other locations in the DC area. Further details at
http://2007classes.blogspot.com.
###############
DC Public Library Events, January 13
India Young, india.young@dc.gov
Saturday, January 13, 2:00 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial
Library, 901 G Street, NW, Room A-5. Poetry extravaganza 2007, honoring
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This program honors Dr. King in dance,
poetry, and music. For more information, call 727-1281.
###############
Please come and join others who will commemorate the life of Dr.
Martin Luther King and promote his legacy of nonviolence and peace at
the Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Peace Walk on Monday, January 15, at
9 a.m. More than thirty local organizations and a host of individuals
will join for a two-mile (more or less) walk from the Big Chair at 2100
MLK Avenue, SE, to Covenant Baptist Church located at 3845 South Capital
Street, SW. Rev. Christine Wiley, co-pastor of Covenant Baptist Church,
and members of Covenant’s Social Action Committee will provide
refreshments and a program honoring Dr. King and addressing our
responsibility and role in “Rebuilding the Beloved Community.” We
hope to see you and yours there.
###############
MLK’s Poor People’s Campaign Continues
Kilin Boardman-Schroyer, kschroyer@dc-cares.org
Come to a forum on poverty in the nation’s capital, Wednesday,
January 17, 6:30-8:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public,
but reservations are required. To register or for more information,
including location, contact Kilin Boardman-Schroyer, 777-4457 or kschroyer@dc-cares.org
In November of 1967 Martin Luther King, Jr., and his colleagues
launched the Poor People’s Campaign. This campaign focused on the
economic injustice of poverty in a country with such abundant wealth.
The campaign, which Dr. King called the “second phase” of the civil
rights struggle, transcended racial lines and brought together all
people who faced “limitations to our achievements” due to poverty.
Unfortunately, Dr. King was assassinated before he could fully pursue
this crucial initiative. Over thirty-nine years later, little has
changed in terms of our economic disparities. Globally, nationally, and
locally we continue to be faced with severe economic segregation.
Specifically, DC has some of the worst poverty in the country, topping
the charts in terms of our child poverty rates. Close to one in five
residents in the District live in poverty today and that number
continues to grow.
Join us on January 17 to honor and participate in the pursuit of Dr.
King’s goal of economic justice for all. Expert panelists will
discuss: our city’s current poverty levels; the undeniable connection
between poverty: healthcare, crime, employment, and literacy; and how
you can get involved!
###############
themail@dcwatch is an E-mail discussion forum that is published every
Wednesday and Sunday. To subscribe, to change E-mail addresses, or to
switch between HTML and plain text versions of themail, use the
subscription form at http://www.dcwatch.com/themail/subscribe.htm.
To unsubscribe, send an E-mail message to themail@dcwatch.com
with “unsubscribe” in the subject line. Archives of past messages
are available at http://www.dcwatch.com/themail.
All postings should also be submitted to themail@dcwatch.com,
and should be about life, government, or politics in the District of
Columbia in one way or another. All postings must be signed in order to
be printed, and messages should be reasonably short — one or two brief
paragraphs would be ideal — so that as many messages as possible can
be put into each mailing.