Wednesday, July 16, 2008

The thing about DC

is that it literally exists because there is a Federal government. You know that, I know that, homeless people in Indonesia know that. Megan, however, has lived there almost a whole year, but she seems to be having trouble remembering that basic fact.
The war on drivers, continued:

Just kidding. While out with a bunch of friends last night, I realized that the real friction is not between drivers, bikers, and pedestrians; it is between commuters, and people who live here.
...
Commuters into DC do not even have the excuse for their sense of entitlement that commuters into New York or San Francisco have: that without them, the businesses wouldn't be there, and the economy of the city would drastically suffer. The business of DC is mostly various non-profit, or very thinly profitable, entities that do not pay significant taxes--only a quarter of DC's revenue comes from sales and business taxes, and of course a lot of those are paid by the residents. The business that does bring substantial revenue into DC, tourism, is not going anywhere, because they're not going to move the Washington Monument to Silver Spring.
Or Congress, or any of the number of important Federal Departments and Agencies which require staffing.
And, to ask again, does Megan not realize that a significant percent of those commuters are probably lifelong DC residents who left the city to raise a family or escape rising rents? No? Oh, ok. Cause in NYC it's the same way and.. No? Alright.

2 comments:

M. Bouffant said...

"Sense of entitlement?" She said that?

Anonymous said...

Heh. Pretty funny. I'm still going to ride in the traffic lane at 10 mph on my beach cruiser and fuck up your morning commute, though.