I could have told you that…totes. DC FTW!

DC just won YET ANOTHER top honor!  My home town is also home to the top cocaine and alcohol abusers!  WEEEEEEEE!  Not surprising considering our former mayor.  Also, am I the only one who felt like the entire city went in the closet when Bush took power?  Overnight suddenly weed was out, blow was in, and everyone was suddenly ’straight’…at least in public.  Sad times.  I’m just surprised peeps can afford blow on those government salaries…I guess the cost of living is a little less than it is here in DC.  When I was doing time in our Nation’s Capitol, there was plenty of partying going on but I didn’t dare to dream we were number one in the country!  In probably related news, we are also crushing in the AIDs/HIV catagory and 3rd in Mary Jane.  Good times.  GO CHOCOLATE CITY!

D.C. residents rank as top cocaine, alcohol abusers | Washington Examiner.

Whoo-Hoo! DC Council Votes to Recognize Gay Marriage!

You know you’re on the right (read “correct”) side of an issue when Marion Barry is opposing it!  DC’s resident assclown was the lone vote against recognizing out-of-state gay marriages.  In an ideal world, DC would allow full marriage rights but recognizing out-of-state gay marriage is a nice first step.

D.C. Council Votes to Recognize Out-of-State Same-Sex Marriages – US News and World Report.

Ah DC…as usual, too cool for school

DC is laughing in the face of the Second Great Depression and basking in the soft glow of lobbyist cash bonfires and  building a wall to protect it from the third world poverty that the rest of the country is suffering through.  Ah my hometown.  DC is in a strange place right now.  Typically, every administration changes the flavor of the city.  With Clinton, parties raged on, weed was popular and everything was cool and laid back.  With Bush, coke became all the rage, prepsters were back on top and Georgetown and dock shoes were all the rage.  Now with Obama, the city seems a little lost…there’s tons of cash flying around because everyone is trying to bend the President’s ear and everyone is looking for a job in the new administration and government.  As the daughter of a government employee, I can tell you, YES…the benefits are AWESOME.  And countless Americans are finally realizing that working for Uncle Sam and living in a city that’s WAY cheaper than NY or San Fran is not at all a bad thing.  So where other cities have businesses shutting down and bars and restaurants begging for customers, it makes sense that a new douchebag magnet like this one would be opening up.  Let’s all drink “Bailouts” and laugh at the rest of the country!  Speaking of, I’ll be checking this place out on April 17th.  A bar ain’t open until I’ve knocked one back there.  Yes…I’m that “big” in DC.  Or at least I seem to think so.

Wonkabout: The D.C. Guide. : Another ‘Hip’ Restaurant Opens On U Street … With a Drink Called ‘The Bailout’.

Case In Point: The man who saved too much and the family that saved too little

Here are two examples that are entirely too typical of the current economy.  Rick Rose is a Washingtonian who saved and saved, bought a conservative apartment but is still struggling after nearly a year of unemployment.  The Wilsons are a family that spent and didn’t save for the the financial situation they currently find themselves in.  The Post will be following both Rose and the Wilsons for the next few months to see how they cope with their joblessness and the financial fiasco it’s created.

What is so crazy about the current job market is that entire fields and labor sectors seem to have evaporated almost overnight.  In my personal opinion, this all feels like a HUGE market correction.  It feels like our over consumption and spending as a country created employment and jobs based on credit.  Now that the bill has come due on both a personal and national (even global) level, it seems like employment is shrinking back down to it’s natural levels.  I think the big question now is where do people like Rick Rose, the Wilsons and I go for new jobs?  Do we become janitors or UPS delivery people as other articles have detailed?  Or are there other markets and fields that will develope out of this economic tragedy?  Hard to say but I’m still looking.

Michelle Singletary – Down but Not Out: Overcoming Job Loss – washingtonpost.com.

HIV/AIDS up 22% in the District

And now my hometown is getting great press!  DC’s HIV/AIDS rates are soaring.  There is “every mode of transmission” and DC’s rates are “higher than West Africa”.    It’s actually not funny at all and is incredibly tragic but it’s important that people are aware that AIDS is still very much a problem.  It’s a preventable disease and the rates should be going down.  Hopefully releasing this report will increase awareness and prompt the city to make this a priority.

At Least 3 Percent of D.C. Residents Have HIV or AIDS, City Study Finds; Rate Up 22% From 2006 – washingtonpost.com.

Where the Wild Things Are…is also where the jobs are

Forbes just released a list of the worst cities for job searching and the best.  Anchorage is up at the top of the list!  Apparently they have tons of health care jobs and some other stuff going on.  There are certainly some interesting towns but most of the job growth seems to be in seasonal industries like tourism or agriculture.  It’s certainly an interesting slide show and it’s fun to day-dream about being an apple farmer…of course the dream is a little different than the reality.

Where The Jobs Are, Spring 2009 – Forbes.com.

Can’t find a job? Move to DC! And become a Spy!

 

 

 

As a native Washingtonian, I noticed a while ago that one of the many advantages of living in DC is the fact that it’s typically pretty protected from the economic and employment trends of the rest of the country.  The city is there to support the Federal government which is a fairly reliable and dependable employer, especially in days such as these.  It should come as no surprise that while the rest of the country’s jobless aren’t even getting call-backs, DC is hopin’!  Guess it’s time for me to dust off my lobbying clothes and get on that band wagon (My Grandpa was a spook and the family doesn’t need to go there again).  

 

Amid Economic Crisis, Jobs Can Still be Found in Health Care, Tech Fields and Even Espionage – washingtonpost.com.