[SkateDC] yet more on Parking in DC

Sat Jan 23 20:19:49 PST 2010

Hi All,

Didn't mean to open a can of worms with my comments, but it's too late for that, the little critters are wriggling everywhere.

Just wanted to post the new parking information so that those like me, who perhaps don't follow the news in DC as closely as we should, didn't end up getting $30 tickets for parking where we used to park for free.  I've grown accustomed to parking in my usual places to the point where I often don't bother to read the parking signs or meters.  The fact that the parking fees in DC were changing was kindly brought to my attention by someone and I'm just passing on the information to anyone else who may be as clueless as I was.

I remain unhappy about the change, but I hope I didn't leave the impression that I didn't think DC had the right to do whatever it wants with its parking.  In fact, looked at from a purely economic point of view, maybe it's a smart decision in my case.  I'm pretty cheap; so maybe the revenue from the admittedly paltry sums of money I spend when I'm in DC will more than be made up by the revenue generated from the new parking fees.  I will be contributing my $2 to $6 dollars whenever I visit DC during the week, however I'll be slightly less likely to visit DC and I'll be slightly less likely to spend money while I'm in DC because I will have already spent $2 to $6 on parking.  I'm no economist and I don't know for certain whether the parking change will increase or decrease revenue to the city.  My hunch is that it will decrease revenue.  Maybe those who aren't as cheap as I am will generate more revenue for the city with the new parking changes. 
 Maybe revenue will increase with the new parking changes.  Time will tell.  In meantime, I reserve the right to be unhappy about the change which I believe will have a negative impact on the city's revenue stream and will definitely have a negative impact on my bank balance. 

I really wasn't going to rant about the corruption and waste in DC government, I'm certain there's enough corruption and waste where I live to keep me busy in that regard without having to drag DC into it.  In fact, I don't disagree with much that Andrew and Susan said about DC.  However, DC made a choice to make the change.  It's the right of DC government to make that choice, and it's my right to have an opinion about that choice.  

Now if I were smart I would leave it at that.  But we all know that's not the case, so here goes:

As far as I know, I didn't pay a penny for the new Nat's stadium, but then I don't remember ever voting to build the new Nat's stadium either.  Nice stadium, I like it fine, but if I had been asked about whether it should have been built with my taxpayer dollars I would have said no.

I'm willing to accept everything Susan and Andrew said about the current situation in DC.  I think it is unacceptable and should be changed.  Does a similar situation exist in Arlington and Alexandria?  I think most would agree that it does not.  Arlington and Alexandria were originally part of DC, but were retroceded to Virginia in 1847.  If the non federal parts of DC (that is, the parts were people live) were retroceded to Maryland I suspect all the currently unacceptable aspects of the situation in DC would similarly disappear.  Retrocession into Maryland would give district residents all the rights of which they are currently deprived, but it would not give them two new senators.  They would have to use the existing two senators that Maryland has.  As a resident of Maryland I'd be happy to share my senators with you.  Lord knows I'm not really using them anyway ;-)  I'll even throw in Van Hollan as your new representative (not really using
 him either), or you can pick a representative of your own choosing for a new  congressional district within Maryland.  So if you want the same representation as the people in the rest of the United States, there you go.  Welcome to Maryland!

Now I'll follow Andrew's advice:  shut up, feed the meter, and skate (but slightly less than I did before).

Cheers,
George

-- On Sat, 1/23/10, SHARON JONES-BARNETT <sjonesbarnett at msn.com> wrote:

From: SHARON JONES-BARNETT <sjonesbarnett at msn.com>
Subject: Re: [SkateDC] yet more on Parking in DC
To: susan at burgerman.net, baxlap at msn.com, skate at skatedc.org
Date: Saturday, January 23, 2010, 8:10 PM

Yeah, my family's coming to visit, but there's no way we're dining in DC due to parking restrictions :(

~Sharon Jones

Realtor 
Licensed in DC, MD and VA
http://www.SharonSells.ListingBook.com
Office:  703-207-8504
Cell:  202-415-1397
Efax: 1-757-299-4617
Remax Distinctive

> From: susan at burgerman.net
> To: baxlap at msn.com; skate at skatedc.org
> Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 14:22:29 -0500
> Subject: [SkateDC] yet more on Parking in DC
> 
> Just to prove that I can out-civics lecture anyone: before you MD & VA
> residents take this opportunity to rant about corruption and waste in DC
> governance, do please remember that our admin and council are severely
> hamstrung in deciding how to allocate their puny resources. Go ahead and
> point the blame for draconian parking regs that are guaranteed to put
> downtown restaurants out of business on the congressional representatives -
> elected officials, put there by real citizens like y'all - who control our
> budget.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: skatedc-bounces at ligemail.lig.net
> [mailto:skatedc-bounces at ligemail.lig.net] On Behalf Of Andrew Baxley
> Sent: Saturday, January 23, 2010 12:05 PM
> To: skate at skatedc.org
> Subject: Re: [SkateDC] Parking in DC
> 
> 
> Yeah the new parking regs totally suck. But, as a DC homeowner, I
> understand the district's need for creating revenue streams. Pardon the
> civics lecture, but here goes:
> 
> 
> 
> Even with the most responsible government, DC's tax base is limited. A large
> chunk of DC is composed of federal agency buildings that pay no property
> taxes. Allowing no buildings taller than 12 stories in DC cuts into the
> property taxes that could be generated from high-rise condos. 
> 
> 
> 
> And people who live Maryland and Virginia and work in DC don't pay any DC
> income taxes. In other parts of the country, people who work in one state,
> but live another pay income taxes in the state where they work. Congress
> isn't about to allow that sort of commuter tax here anytime soon. 
> 
> 
> 
> That shiny new baseball park? Maryland and Virginia didn't pay a dime for
> it.
> 
> 
> 
> Suburbanites have been getting a free ride in DC for a long time and would
> do well to get over themselves. So, while the new regs suck, they're
> entirely understandable. To amend a long-time motto, "shut up, feed the
> meter, and skate!" (;-) 
> 
> "That's peanut butter!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuT5kMoYc1w
> 
> 
> 
> > Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 08:06:59 -0800
> > From: skatewash at yahoo.com
> > To: skate at skatedc.org
> > Subject: [SkateDC] Parking in DC
> > 
> > Folks,
> > 
> > Here's a change I was hoping wouldn't happen, but it looks like it already
> has:
> > 
> > D.C. raising parking meter fees, extending enforcement hours
> > Briefly, as of 1/19/10 metered parking will now be enforced until 10 PM
> Monday through Saturday, with rates of $0.75 to $2 per hour depending on
> location. Obviously this will impact those who drive to the Wednesday and
> Friday night skates and any special skates on Saturday. Sunday parking is
> still free (so far).
> > 
> > For more details:
> > 
> >
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/09/AR2010010901
> 456.html
> > 
> > Maybe this will encourage more people to come into the city in the
> evenings and on weekends </sarc>
> > 
> > Not a happy skater,
> > George
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > SkateDC mailing list
> > SkateDC at ligemail.lig.net
> > http://ligemail.lig.net/mailman/listinfo/skatedc
> 
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