Healthy
Dear Health Care Consumers:
Years later, the city is still paying for the costly mistake of
closing our only public hospital, DC General, in southeast. After
spending tens of millions of dollars propping up the former owners of
Greater Southeast Community Hospital — has anyone ever calculated the
total amount of subsidies — the government is now spending $79 million
to underwrite the purchase of Greater Southeast by a new buyer,
Specialty Hospitals of America.
This week, Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi warned that the $79
million may be just the down payment that DC taxpayers will be required
to pay (http://www.dcwatch.com/govern/cfo071023.htm).
Gandhi wrote that he had three concerns: first, that the company buying
the hospital, Specialty Hospitals of America, is not financially stable.
Its unaudited financial statements show that it is $34 million in debt,
which it offsets by claiming an asset of $34 million in good will. He
also writes, second, that SHA’s five-year business plan for the
hospital lacks detail, and does not provide a convincing case that it
will be financially successful. Third, he warns that the District’s
lien on the hospital site, which it is counting on to secure its
investment, will have to be at least partially released in order to
allow future development on the site.
When councilmembers were faced this week with these problems and the
likelihood of the District government’s ballooning future costs to
underwrite Specialty Hospitals of America, they collectively shrugged
their shoulders. Hey, it’s not their money. More documents regarding
the sale are linked to at http://www.dcwatch.com/issues/health.htm.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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When he was elected last November as chairman of the city council,
Vincent Gray said that he would propose several new initiatives with
regard to the workings of the council. In his inaugural address in
January, Gray detailed some of these initiatives to “expand the
council’s capacity to perform our basic functions,” including the
creation of a policy office “to support the work of councilmembers in
tackling broad, crosscutting policy issues” (http://www.dcwatch.com/council/070103.htm).
After nearly nine months in office, Chairman Gray held a press
conference on October 1 to announce the establishment of the Office of
Policy Analysis (OPA) and the Policy Advisory Council.
According to Gray, OPA “has been formed as a centralized office of
the Council of the District of Columbia with the mission to provide
comprehensive, nonpartisan, and objective research and analysis on
defined legislative/policy issues to members of the council.” In his
press release, Gray also argued that OPA will result in “enhanced
policy creation and development.” The director of OPA will be Donna
Cooper, a former aide to Councilman Orange and former clerk of the
Committee on Government Operations. The office will have four policy
analysts and a budget of $311,141 for FY2008. Gray’s proposal also
calls for the creation of a Policy Advisory Council to “provide policy
guidance and support to the newly created Office of Policy Analysis.”
At the October 1 press conference, Gray announced that Brookings scholar
Alice Rivlin, a former chair of the District’s Financial Control
Board, would chair the Advisory Council. Gray bristled when asked the
other members of the Advisory Council, and did not release their names
until October 22, at another press conference (http://www.dcwatch.com/council/071022.htm).
Reviewing the membership of the Advisory Council, one is struck by
the following: 1) almost all the members are academics, representing
virtually every college and university in the District, despite serious
town-gown conflicts that divide many neighborhoods in DC. The policy
directive establishing the Advisory Council makes it clear that members
“who are affiliated with policy organizations and/or institutions,
also serve as formal points of contact for their respective
organization/institution.” 2) Most of the members are active in
national issues, and only a few are knowledgeable or experienced in
local DC issues, certainly not regarding the workings of the council. 3)
The Advisory Council has no political diversity; almost all members
represent the liberal wing of the Democratic party. 4) Most importantly,
the Advisory Council contains no representative of community or civic
groups that have the most knowledge about the workings of the council
and the most experience with the council’s running roughshod over
residents’ interests. The council may be sick and in need of healing
intervention — even drastic surgery — but instead of consulting
experienced surgeons it has asked for advice from distinguished
theoreticians who haven’t seen the inside of an operating room.
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Republican Committee calls for US Attorney to
Investigate Councilmember Evans
Robert Kabel, DC Republican Committee, press@dcgop.com
[A letter to US Attorney Jeffrey Taylor] The DC Republican Committee
brings to your attention recent media reports involving Ward 2 DC
councilmember Jack Evans and lobbying firm Patton Boggs. In 2003, DC
announced it had selected five firms to provide lobbying for the city.
Records show the majority of fees have gone to Patton Boggs, the
prominent firm based in the District that also employs DC Council member
Jack Evans.
Mr. Evans is chairman of the DC Council’s Committee on Finance,
overseeing the DC Office of the Chief Financial Officer, which is
handling the lobbying contract. He earns about $92,500 as a council
member and reported earning a Patton Boggs salary in 2006 of $240,000 a
year, a raise of more than $50,000 above what the firm paid him in 2005,
city records show. More recently, Mr. Evans voted to give a tax break to
CareFirst in 2004 after Patton Boggs filed papers stating that the Evans
lobbied Congress for the health care company, federal and city records
show. His vote for the tax breaks came more than a year after his
employer, law firm Patton Boggs LLP, had filed a report with the Senate
that listed him as a lobbyist for CareFirst.
The DC Republican Committee requests your office to investigate if
Mr. Evans violated the DC employee regulations, which states the
following: 1803.1: For one (1) year after the date of initial employment
with the District government, an employee required to make a disclosure
under this section will be screened from, and shall not participate in
any manner, in the District government’s decision to enter into,
extend, modify, or renew a contract or consultancy engagement with the
employee’s former employer (hereafter, “procurement action”).
1803.1 (a) An employee shall avoid action, whether or not specifically
prohibited by this chapter, which might result in or create the
appearance of the following: (1) Using public office for private gain;
(2) Giving preferential treatment to any person; (3) Impeding government
efficiency or economy; (4) Losing complete independence or impartiality;
(5) Making a government decision outside official channels; or (6)
Affecting adversely the confidence of the public in the integrity of
government. (Source: DC Employee Code of Conduct)
DC residents deserve nothing less then complete transparency from
their elected officials and we hope your investigation will determine if
a violation of law was committed.
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The best thing about taking cabs in DC under the zone system is that
you can ask the driver how much the fare will be from point A to point B
before getting into the cab. If you are unwilling to pay the quoted
fare, then check with another driver, take the Metro, or walk.
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Taxis, Part 67 in an Ongoing Series
Zee Roe, cirdan0@yahoo.com
I’m not sure what to make of the outpouring of support for the zone
system, other than perhaps that longtime DC residents seem to fear
change. When I first arrived in DC, I got taken by cab drivers with
every single ride. I learned the zone system, and its absurd number of
surcharges and caveats (more or less). I always made a point to ask how
much I owed, and (obviously, this is anecdotal) every single time the
cab driver added a couple bucks on top of what I actually owed, and
admitted it when corrected. Why bother reporting violators when there
are nothing but?
Since then, I’ve stopped taking taxis altogether in protest of
their abject corruption. I’ll give ‘em the respect that one of the
other posters seems to think they deserve when they actually deserve it,
not before. Meters might help, but until the rule allowing cab drivers
to pick up multiple fares at the same time happens, I don’t think I’ll
be changing my mind.
Props to congress (for once) for forcing Fenty to grow a spine, even
if the taxicab commission hasn’t.
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For more current information than the web site that Ed Barron
suggested to locate speed traps in DC [themail, October 21], you may
want to check out the Metropolitan Police Department Automated Traffic
Enforcement web page, http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1240,q,560157,mpdcNav_GID,1552,mpdcNav,|.asp.
From here you can access lists and maps of red-light and speed
enforcement cameras. There are so many inaccuracies, outdated updates,
and missing locations on the speedtrap.org page that it looks like that
site wants you to get caught. The MPDC page is much more complete,
current, and interactive. Plus, on the MPDC page you can suggest new
locations online for red light and speed camera enforcement to help
protect our children from crazy drivers.
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Observing the speed limit makes speed traps moot.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Fall Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics
Recycling, October 27
Nancee Lorn, nanceelorn@yahoo.com
The DC Department of Public Works (DPW) will hold its fall household
hazardous waste and electronics recycling drop-off day on Saturday,
October 27, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Trash Transfer Station at 3200
Benning Road, NE,
Residents may bring old cleaning and gardening chemicals; pesticides
and poisons; acids, varnish and oil-based paints; solvents; aerosols;
wood preservatives; spent batteries of all kinds; roofing tar; chemistry
sets; automotive fluids, computer monitors, and TV screens to the
collection site for free, environmentally safe disposal or recycling.
Monitors and TV screens must be intact, not cracked, punctured, or
shattered.
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The Washington Revels Celebrates a Tudor
Christmas, December 8-16
Connie Ridgway, kaniru4 at yahoo dot com
Every year the Washington Revels presents a Winter Solstice/Christmas
show at the George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium for about
10,000 people over eight performances. This year we celebrate the
twenty-fifth anniversary of the Washington Revels with a visit to Queen
Elizabeth’s court (circa late 1500s). The music, dance, traditions and
costumes of the period will transport you to a magical world. The
Washington Post calls the Revels "one of those rare events that
delight people of all ages."
This year’s show will run Saturday December 8 through Sunday
December 16 (weekends only) in afternoons and evenings both weekends.
Purchase your tickets through http://www.revelsdc.org,
or call tix.com at 1-800-595-4849. Discounts available for families and
groups. Call the Revels office at 723-7528 for more information.
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