The Public Interest
Dear Public:
Back in November, a report from two nonprofit groups, Citizens for
Tax Justice and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, tracked
the federal taxes paid by 280 corporation between 2008 and 2010. It “found
that 30 paid zero taxes or used loopholes to wind up with negative tax
rates. Local utility Pepco Holdings paid the lowest rate of all the
firms investigated, clocking in at nearly minus 58 percent.” Of Pepco,
the study found, “Last year, Pepco Holdings made $229 million in
pretax profits, the study said, and claimed $270 million in federal tax
credits, making the company’s tax rate about minus 118 percent,” http://tinyurl.com/3pzbu7y.
Pepco has earned the title of the most hated company in America
because of its sub par service, its power outages, and its
unreliability. So how has it been able to build on that record to make a
profit from federal taxes? “The electric utility paid $3.8 million to
lobbyists in that period, while it paid no taxes. In fact, it made $508
million in profits from federal tax rebates. . . ,” http://tinyurl.com/7pgjvnp.
Pepco has fared just as well at the local level because of the
investments it has made in cultivating cozy relationships with DC
politicians, particularly in supporting the constituent services funds,
campaigns, and political causes of incumbent councilmembers. Public
attention has been recently been directed to the contributions of
Jeffrey Thompson and the profits his companies and associates have
reaped as a result. Pepco has operated in the same way as Thompson, and
with just as little public oversight over the past decade. Both Thompson
and Pepco have built reputations as public benefactors through the
contributions that they use to advance their own interests and to
increase their profits at the public’s expense.
Betty Noel, who served the public’s interest well in the Office of
the People’s Counsel for three decades, has been nominated by Mayor
Vincent Gray to be a commissioner on the Public Service Commission.
Pepco has zealously campaigned against her, claiming laughably that it
would be “corrupt” to have a commissioner who had represented the
peoples’ interest, and who had challenged Pepco’s privileged
position in the past. Its argument is essentially that a prosecutor
should never be appointed as a judge, because a prosecutor who had
worked against criminals could not be objective in judging criminal
cases. Pepco is pressuring the councilmembers who are deeply in its debt
to repay its favors by voting against Noel’s nomination and against
the public’s interests.
Even worse, the Washington Post is furthering Pepco’s cause,
working against the interests of Washington’s citizens and giving
councilmembers cover to sell out the citizens and serve Pepco’s
financial interests, by arguing, as it did today in an editorial, that
it is in the interest of good government to ensure that no one who had
taken a position against Pepco in any of its past cases should be able
to serve as a Public Service Commissioner regulating it, http://tinyurl.com/7y3h34f.
Councilmember Yvette Alexander will hold a markup of the nomination in
the Committee on Public Services and Consumer Affairs on Thursday
afternoon, at which she is expected to introduce a resolution
disapproving of Betty Noel’s nomination. Councilmembers who are
members of the committee — Alexander, Mendelson, Graham, Cheh, and
Bowser — will either vote for Noel or for Pepco. Their votes will
reveal whether they are dedicated to their citizens and constituents or
to their financial paymasters.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Nearly Free Street Parking in Southwest
Mary Williams, mslaw1121@aol.com
Though the District has recently struck gold from parking fines, it
is not an equal-opportunity enforcer or collector. As a District
resident, I have to pay four dollars for two hours of parking whenever I
drive downtown to my office, and I have paid way too many $25 tickets
near the courthouse when I have gone over my time by a few minutes. But
each day hundreds of out-of-town drivers can park for free or for less
than one dollar an hour on Buzzard Point in Southwest, not far from the
Navy Yard and Waterfront Metro. There is ample street parking available
between the 1700 block of S Street, SW, and First Street, SW, to the
1900 blocks and the James Creek Marina. And the dozens of employees who
make the daily trek from Maryland and Virginia to the Coast Guard
headquarters are allowed to park up to twelve hours a day without fear
of getting a ticket for staying in one spot for more than two hours. The
price for such convenience? About $8 for the entire twelve-hour day. A
quick check of the many vehicles parked there on any given day revealed
only two cars out of hundreds were ticketed shortly before 10:00 a.m.
So, while DC parking enforcement seems to show up regularly to ticket
residents in my neighborhood — except when the Nats employees park
there — I would like to know why this particular area of the city gets
twelve-hour meters and pays less than the two dollars per hour rate to
park? We can assume that the cars belong to federal employees who can
afford to pay. Politicians should quit talking about a commuter tax and
consider how much we give away on a regular basis.
The southwest area is not the only one with on-street parking that
benefits commuters. In the newly renovated area of southeast near the
Marine Barracks and the former Arthur Capper housing development are
streets filled with commuter vehicles. Rarely do you see a parking
ticket on these cars, which are also parked for the entire day. Consider
lowering our residential parking fees and collect from those who don’t
pay taxes here.
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Birth Certificates for Adoptees from Maryland
Linda Clausen, aubergine999@aol.com
Bill HB 719 in the Maryland legislature will give original birth
certificates to all individuals who were born in Maryland and were
adopted. If you live in DC and were adopted here, but were born in
Maryland, please write to Access Maryland at info@obcmaryland.org. This
bill could help you to get your original birth certificate if you do not
already have it.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Upcoming Candidate Debates, March 15, 20, 22
Ann Wilcox, wilcox_ann@yahoo.com
Hope you can join us at some of these upcoming candidate debates for
at-large candidates and others. Most start at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 15, Cleveland Park Citizens Association, at the
Cleveland Park Public Library. Tuesday, March 20, Ward 7 candidates
debate at Ward Memorial AME Church, 241 42nd Street, NE. Thursday, March
22, Kalorama Reed Cooke Citizens Association, at Goodwill Baptist
Church, 1862 Kalorama Road, NW.
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Sondheim on Music, March 19
Sue Hemberger, smithhemb@aol.com
On Monday, March 19, at 7:00 p.m., The Friends of the Tenley Library
and Middle C Music are cosponsoring a talk by Mark Eden Horowitz, Senior
Music Specialist at the Library of Congress, on his work Sondheim on
Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions. Mark curates a number of
twentieth century music collections at the Library and he coproduced its
concerts in honor of Sondheim’s seventieth birthday. His presentation
will include video clips of his interviews with Sondheim, as well as a
live performance by singer Liz Ennis. The talk will be held in the large
conference room upstairs at the Tenley-Friendship Library. When it
concludes, join us at Middle C Music (one block north of the library at
4530 Wisconsin Avenue, NW) for a reception in honor of the author.
Copies of Sondheim on Music will be available for purchase and
signing. This should be a fun evening. This program is part of the
Friends of the Library’s ongoing Local Authors Series as well as part
of a larger celebration of Middle C Music’s tenth year in business.
The Tenley-Friendship Library is located on the corner of Wisconsin and
Albemarle, just across the street from the Tenleytown Metrorail station.
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Sail the Chesapeake Bay on a Budget, March 20
Richard Rothblum, richard@rothblum.org
We still have a few spaces left for new members to attend our Learn
to Sail class, which starts on March 20 at the Cleveland Park Club. Our
sailing club, the Wanderlusters, has two sailing yachts –- a Cal 27
and a Beneteau 29 — that are available to members who qualify as
Captains. The cost of membership for the first year, including an
initiation fee, is just $275. This includes a sailing course that
comprises three half-day sessions on the boats, and four evenings of
classroom instruction. After that, there is a modest rental fee for
taking the boats out on your own. Costs are about a quarter of the fees
that you would expect to pay for a normal charter, and a tiny fraction
of the cost of owning your own boat. The club is nonprofit, and has no
paid employees. The members cooperate in taking care of the boats in
return for free sailing. If you’ve always wanted to sail your own
boat, but were discouraged by the time and expense, this is a great
opportunity. Even if you aren’t interested in captaining, there is
plenty of opportunity for social interaction as crew. The club organizes
group day and overnight sails for members and guests. Check out http://www.wanderlustersailing.org
for much more information, or call me at 255-5211, or E-mail richard@rothblum.org.
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Woman’s National Democratic Club Meetings,
March 20, 22
Patricia Bitondo, pbitondo@aol.com
Tuesday, March 20, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, at the US Department of
State, C Street Entrance, 2201 C Street NW. Must show photo ID at entry.
Fourth annual WNDC/AAFSW celebration, celebrating Women’s History
Month, cosponsored by the Associates of the American Foreign Service
Worldwide. Panel on the evolving roles of women today. Speakers include
Molly Williamson, retired Foreign Service career minister and currently
a scholar with the Middle East Institute; Denise Rolark Barnes,
Owner/Publisher of the Washington Informer; and Musimbi Kanyuro,
president and CEO of the Global Fund for Women. Join with friends and
colleagues to celebrate Women’s History Month with some fascinating
women. The cost of $20 per person includes refreshments. Reservations
required at https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5880/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=34948.
Contact Patricia Fitzgerald, 232-7363, ext. 3003. Make check payable to
the Woman’s National Democratic Club.
Thursday, March 22, luncheon with Dr. Sandra Cheldelin, Women Waging
War and Peace: International Perspectives of Women’s Roles in Conflict
and Post-Conflict Reconstruction. Sandra Cheldelin is the Vernon M. and
Minnie I. Lynch Professor of Conflict Resolution and director of the
doctoral program at George Mason University’s School for Conflict
Analysis and Resolution. She has worked with more than 150 organizations
on conflict resolution and lectures on workplace violence, race, gender,
and conflict. She has conducted conflict resolution sessions and
conducted research in Bosnia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Israel, Italy,
Turkey, Liberia, and China. During the course of her academic career,
Dr. Cheldelin has held numerous administrative posts, including those of
provost at Antioch University academic dean at the California School of
Professional Psychology. She is an active scholar-practitioner,
psychologist, and expert in organizational conflict. Dr. Cheldelin has
written extensively on conflict and crisis intervention and written or
co-authored several books, including Deconstructing Women, Peace and
Security, scheduled for release this September. Dr. Cheldelin will
share her firsthand accounts of women’s movements across the globe and
describe the richness of women’s experiences during wartime and
reconstruction. At the Woman’s National Democratic Club, 1526 New
Hampshire Avenue, NW. Bar opens at 11:30 a.m.; lunch 12:15 p.m.;
lecture, presentation, Q&A: 1:00-2:00 p.m. Members $25, nonmembers
$30; lecture only $10. Register at https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5880/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=34237
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National Cherry Blossom Festival Family Days,
March 24-25
Stacy Adamson, sadamson@nbm.org
National Cherry Blossom Festival Family Days encourages participation
from all, with blossom-inspired crafts focused on architecture and
Japanese arts and design. In honor of the Centennial Celebration
commemorating the hundred-year anniversary of the gift of cherry blossom
trees, Family Days, sponsored by Safeway, expands to a full weekend,
Saturday, March 24, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 25, 11:00
a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thousands are anticipated to attend the seventh annual
free Family Days which contains over ten hours of family entertainment
featuring hands-on activities and performances from area youth and
groups from around the globe.
Create a shoji screens and pop-up architecture at the National
Building Museum station, construct cherry blossom popcorn trees with
Safeway , make wood-clothespin kokeshi doll ornaments with Howard
University, dress up in traditional Japanese clothing and write
postcards with the National Children’s Museum, make a cherry blossom
pin out of kimono cloth with The Textile Museum, decode blossoms “spy-style”
with the International Spy Museum, enter the Peter Max Kids Coloring
Contest by creating a version of the Official 2012 Commemorative Poster
by the world-renowned artist, and learn about climate change, renewable
energy, energy conservation and the science of solar through Sharp
Electronics Corporation’s Solar Academy program
For the milestone anniversary, the United States Postal Service will
release two Cherry Blossom Centennial Forever stamps, and the
Day-of-Issuance Ceremony is on Saturday, March 24. A sure collector’s
item, the beautiful and unique images form the left and right halves of
a single, panoramic view of cherry blossom trees in bloom around the
Tidal Basin. Purchase the stamps for the first time at Family Days and
collect first-day cancellations.
Global and local performers will take the stage throughout the
weekend and keep the energy building: Tohoko University Jazz Band from
Japan; Motoki Hirai, grandson of the composer who wrote the seminal work
Sakura, Sakura, does a story-telling piano piece with violin
accompaniment; Bach 2 Rock; Blues Alley Youth Orchestra; Boys and Girls
Clubs of Greater Washington Teen Arts Performers; Buckhead Girls Choir
from Georgia; Culture Shock; Nen Daiko; Shizumi Kodomo Dance Troupe; and
The Washington Ballet.
Family Days is supported by The Washington Examiner and media
partner 98.7 WMZQ at the National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW
(Judiciary Square Metro, Red Line). Free; five dollars suggested
donation. Individual registration is not required. Scouts and other
large groups should visit http://www.nbm.org
to register. For more information, contact Stacy Adamson, sadamson@nbm.org,
272-2448, ext. 3458.
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