Sin City
Dear Washingtonians:
Jonetta Rose Barras’ article, "The Wrong Moment to Ease DC’s Pot
Laws," http://tinyurl.com/pq434ag,
examines Councilmember Tommy Wells’ and Councilmember David Grosso’s
efforts to decriminalize and/or legalize marijuana in DC. "Grosso has
argued that decriminalization doesn’t go far enough. But his proposal
goes way too far, potentially turning marijuana into a DC industry right
alongside tourism. It would allow for the production, transportation and
sale of marijuana. It also would permit the transfer, without
remuneration, of up to two ounces or less of dried marijuana or five
grams of hashish and marijuana-infused products to anyone age 21 or
older. The Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) would
issue and renew licenses to sell the drug, and a 15 percent wholesale or
retail sales tax would be set."
The council’s efforts fit well into a natiowide movement to turn
downtown cities into public playgrounds for what previous generations —
and most of the current generation — would consider misbehavior. The US
used to have two cities in which public bad behavior was encouaged — Las
Vegas and New Orleans. Now many cities are competing with them to be sin
cities. Henry Grabar, in the current issue of Salon, writes, "Downtown
revitalization secret: let us drink in public!: Struggling downtowns
reinvent themselves by encouraging drinking, as new open container laws
bring out energy,"
http://tinyurl.com/l6nt2x7. That's a great idea. Encourage public
drunkenness and a little drug use, too, in order to create vital
neighborhoods. Meanwhile, as we encourage old sins, we create new ones,
such as smoking tobacco, drinking sodas, and eating high-calorie foods,
on which we vent our disapproval and about which we pass new laws. What
kind of city do you want Washington to become?
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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For those who want high rise structures, please go to Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, or New York City. The DC government is allowing the
developers, and not the collective wisdom of the elected members of the
DC council, to run this city. Structures more than 150 feet in the air
would turn this city into a concrete monument to the greed of certain
people who wish that this city was more like where they came from (if
they did come from such a city). Canyons erected for the making of money
can and will smother this city, void of trees and full of shadows.
Massive energy usage by these structures will only raise the bills of
those residents left in the dust by the massive buildings that will
overshadow us all. DC has been a city of quaint structures, some built
in the 1700’s, 1800’s, even into the 21st century, architecture that
would cost a fortune to reproduce in today’s market. That. would give
way to sterile buildings devoid of any redeeming value, filling the
streets with more traffic, simply because transportation in this area is
a joke only able to move cattle from one work site to another. Idiot
planners building streetcars on lines that defy explanation not knowing
that the purpose of the streetcar was to connect neighborhoods and
shopping areas with work areas in between. And insult to injury by
erecting overhead wires that are forbidden by federal law meant to
maintain the beauty of this city.
Beware, greed will force most of the residents out of the city; then
the city will become like the one in the movie "Things to Come." I am
certain that the surrounding counties are watching the action that is
taking place and are prepared to not allow any encroachment by the
planners of this great plan to cause undo havoc on their jurisdictions.
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DC? Manhattan? Geography
Gabe Goldberg, gabe at gabegold dot com
Gary snarked [themail, September 26], "Of course, for those Smart
Growth advocates who think the only good model for urban planning is
Manhattan. . . ." Have you actually been to Manhattan? I just returned
from three days there; it’s a wonderful blend of many neighborhoods,
each with distinct vibe, amenities, pluses/minuses. (Just like DC!) It’s
not all evil towering skyscrapers, it’s also plenty of leafy quiet
streets and distinct mixed-use communities. With that blend it’s a
wonderful model. Have you ever seen a change you liked? (Maybe not: cars
rule, bikes are bad, height-limits sacred) Have you seen Mosaic District
in Fairfax? It turned a grungy industrial intersection into
diverse/pleasant/ popular mixed-use resources. Maybe DC can do that.
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Councilman Jim Graham proposed a parking plan for all of Ward 1 that
the Department of Transportation (DDOT) placed in operation. However, as
was stated when the plan was first proposed, the plan was only as good
as enforcement by the Department of Public Works (DPW). Unfortunately,
DPW has failed to perform its duties as enforcers of the parking plan.
Accordingly, tickets are rarely issued for violations of the plan in the
central part of Ward 1. Enforcement is only for those that live to the
west of 16th Street, NW, and not in areas east of 16th Street, NW. Not
once has a ticket been seen for RPP Violations. On occasion tickets are
issued for violations of Ward 1 only parking violations. Violators
attending the bars and restaurants get a free ride because there seems
to be some sort of understanding with these same bars and restaurants to
back off from issuing tickets. The same holds true of MPD, which doesn"t
do DUI stops in close proximity to U Street, NW. What can the residents
do except complain to DPW? Maybe an investigation of the situation by an
independent source like the I-Team can prove that enforcement of parking
regulations is biased and selective due to under-the-table agreements
with certain businesses. May be the residents of the area will get a
more concerned representative that will understand the plight of having
to find a parking space at 1:00 a.m.
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