930 Forums
=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: ratioci nation on September 13, 2006, 11:24:00 am
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So no talk of him here yet. How will he do? Somebody in the Post article compared it to Barry coming in in '78, I cried a little at the comparison.
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I heard that he's an inexperienced hothead, and Cropp was the better choice. But that's from a friend who works for Williams. Also, Fleet Feet always had the most arrogant assholes working there.
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honestly, its hard to say, as a Ward 4 resident I worship the ground he walks on, he gets things done like no other politician I've ever seen....I am hopeful but also aware that the DC govt has a tendancy to chew people up and spit them out
but paving alleys and solving parking ticket problems is different from running the city
I think the Barry comparison is unfair and completely off base - Barry filled the city administration with cronies and layabouts, problems we are still dealing with today.....Fenty has an almost messianic zeal when it comes to making the city run better
Given a choise between him and Linda 'the female Marion Barry' Cropp it was a no brainer.....and don't get me started on those upper NW elitists who made Marie Johns their pet candidate - I don;t care if she was Verizon CEO - I had Verizon for years and it had some of the worst customer service I have ever seen.....
If I were Charles Ramsey or (insert city department head here) I'd be working on my resume....
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Originally posted by brennser:
Barry filled the city administration with cronies and layabouts,
Like Linda Cropp...
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Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
Originally posted by brennser:
Barry filled the city administration with cronies and layabouts,
Like Linda Cropp... [/b]
which is why she deservedly didn't win.....I mean she was president of the school board for ages and just ran the schools into the ground
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I think Williams brought in a lot of people that probably deserve to stay, although people see him as heartless, he did an amazing job turning the city in the right direction. I was no Cropp fan, and since I left I didnt really have a favorite. I just remember the bad old days before Williams and would hate to see them return.
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Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
Originally posted by brennser:
Barry filled the city administration with cronies and layabouts,
Like Linda Cropp... [/b]
And Anthony Williams, who was exactly what D.C. needed in 1999 after Barry was inexplicably voted back into office. Anyone who owned or bought a house in DC when Williams was elected made very good money.
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Originally posted by Relaxer:
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
Originally posted by brennser:
Barry filled the city administration with cronies and layabouts,
Like Linda Cropp... [/b]
And Anthony Williams, who was exactly what D.C. needed in 1999 after Barry was inexplicably voted back into office. Anyone who owned or bought a house in DC when Williams was elected made very good money. [/b]
actually Williams was appointed by the control board, not Barry
don't get me wrong here - I think Williams did a pretty good job as mayor and I personally benefitted greatly from the increase in property prices - and he deserves great credit for his transformation of downtown
however I also think he checked out shortly after the beginning of his second term and did not focus enough on improving the machinery of government
having a million dollar house is all well and good but if your trash isn't collected or if you get tickets because some antiquated DMV computer thinks you own a car you don't own or if your building permits get stuck for 6 months in the planning office downtown or you have to spend 20 grand a year putting your kid in private schools it doesn't do you a hell of a lot of good does it?
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Originally posted by brennser:
having a million dollar house is all well and good but if your trash isn't collected or if you get tickets because some antiquated DMV computer thinks you own a car you don't own or if your building permits get stuck for 6 months in the planning office downtown or you have to spend 20 grand a year putting your kid in private schools it doesn't do you a hell of a lot of good does it?
he did stop getting as much change as he had earlier on, but he had also made a lot of enemies by then, these were all problems before Williams in office including ALOT more, there wasnt a single city service that worked at all well before Williams was in office
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Where's the law saying you HAVE to spend 20K a year on sending your kid to private school?
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Originally posted by Weird Little Self Loathing Man:
Where's the law saying you HAVE to spend 20K a year on sending your kid to private school?
Yeah! Rhett went to public school his whole life. Look how well he turned out.
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Originally posted by Weird Little Self Loathing Man:
Where's the law saying you HAVE to spend 20K a year on sending your kid to private school?
as usual, you're missing the point
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fenty runs marathons, cropp is a fat f. because she lost the race she is gonna retire. so much for her drive and ambition. fenty is hungry. maybe he will put ac in dc's public schools.
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My point is, until parents that give a shit about their kids' education start putting their kids in public schools, the public schools are going to be filled with kids of parents who don't give a shit.
Originally posted by brennser:
Originally posted by Weird Little Self Loathing Man:
Where's the law saying you HAVE to spend 20K a year on sending your kid to private school?
as usual, you're missing the point [/b]
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actually Williams was appointed by the control board, not Barry
According to Anthony Williams' bio,
"Appointed by former DC Mayor Marion Barry to lead the District to financial recovery, Williams restored fiscal accountability for District agencies and balanced the city's budget."
I think Barry is the one who actually picked him. He was forced to do so by the Control Board.
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<img src="http://dodos.kolsason.co.il/prodspics/Who%20Gives%20a%20Shit.300%203143.jpg" alt=" - " />
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Originally posted by Weird Little Self Loathing Man:
My point is, until parents that give a shit about their kids' education start putting their kids in public schools, the public schools are going to be filled with kids of parents who don't give a shit.
Originally posted by brennser:
Originally posted by Weird Little Self Loathing Man:
Where's the law saying you HAVE to spend 20K a year on sending your kid to private school?
as usual, you're missing the point [/b]
[/b]
You're right, there are lots of parents who don't give a shit. However there are lots of parents who do give a shit, put their kids in public schools, get very involved and hands on, witness first hand the dysfunctional disaster that is DCPS, and for the sake of their kids consider private or charter school options......and for that matter while I think parental involvement is important, there are many many other factors that go into a successful school system....look at MoCo.....lots of parents there don't have to give a shit because the school system is a well-oiled machine
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Originally posted by Relaxer:
actually Williams was appointed by the control board, not Barry
According to Anthony Williams' bio,
"Appointed by former DC Mayor Marion Barry to lead the District to financial recovery, Williams restored fiscal accountability for District agencies and balanced the city's budget."
I think Barry is the one who actually picked him. He was forced to do so by the Control Board. [/b]
ok, so Barry picked him....I still don't see how a single hire somehow absolves him from my cronies and layabouts comment....
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Just move to the 'burbs like Rhett did:
Newsweek - Top 100 Public High Schools (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8759025/site/newsweek/)
5 - H-B Woodlawn | Arlington | Va. |
11 - Richard Montgomery* | Rockville | Md.
17 - Wootton | Rockville | Md. |
23 - George Mason* | Falls Church | Va. |
29 - Bethesda-Chevy Chase* | Bethesda | Md. |
34 - W.T. Woodson | Fairfax | Va.
44 - Washington-Lee* | Arlington | Va. |
50 - Langley | McLean | Va. |
51 - Yorktown | Arlington | Va. |
70 - Churchill | Potomac | Md. |
79 - Walter Johnson | Bethesda | Md. |
83 - Robinson* | Fairfax | Va. |
94 - Chantilly | Chantilly | Va. |
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But then you wouldn't be near all the cool hipster bars or DC! Never.
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
Just move to the 'burbs like Rhett did:
Newsweek - Top 100 Public High Schools (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8759025/site/newsweek/)
5 - H-B Woodlawn | Arlington | Va. |
11 - Richard Montgomery* | Rockville | Md.
17 - Wootton | Rockville | Md. |
23 - George Mason* | Falls Church | Va. |
29 - Bethesda-Chevy Chase* | Bethesda | Md. |
34 - W.T. Woodson | Fairfax | Va.
44 - Washington-Lee* | Arlington | Va. |
50 - Langley | McLean | Va. |
51 - Yorktown | Arlington | Va. |
70 - Churchill | Potomac | Md. |
79 - Walter Johnson | Bethesda | Md. |
83 - Robinson* | Fairfax | Va. |
94 - Chantilly | Chantilly | Va. |
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Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
5 - H-B Woodlawn | Arlington | Va. |
my alma mater
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Probably why you didn't need to go to college, right?
Originally posted by who the fuck are you?:
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
5 - H-B Woodlawn | Arlington | Va. |
my alma mater [/b]
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Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
Just move to the 'burbs like Rhett did:
Newsweek - Top 100 Public High Schools (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8759025/site/newsweek/)
5 - H-B Woodlawn | Arlington | Va. |
11 - Richard Montgomery* | Rockville | Md.
17 - Wootton | Rockville | Md. |
23 - George Mason* | Falls Church | Va. |
29 - Bethesda-Chevy Chase* | Bethesda | Md. |
34 - W.T. Woodson | Fairfax | Va.
44 - Washington-Lee* | Arlington | Va. |
50 - Langley | McLean | Va. |
51 - Yorktown | Arlington | Va. |
70 - Churchill | Potomac | Md. |
79 - Walter Johnson | Bethesda | Md. |
83 - Robinson* | Fairfax | Va. |
94 - Chantilly | Chantilly | Va. |
yeah, we could but we like living in DC, and believe me it has nothing to do with hipster bars
and from a selfish point of view we are actually in pretty good shape for the next few years - our daughter goes to a public elementary school that compares well to any school in the burbs
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Originally posted by brennser:
he gets things done like no other politician I've ever seen....
but paving alleys and solving parking ticket problems is different from running the city
.....Fenty has an almost messianic zeal when it comes to making the city run better
These are the things that Williams brought to the District, certainly in his first term. Running this city efficiently, like a business or any other project. Whatever failings people think Williams had, he brought a new type of governance to the District and I thank him for it. I hope Fenty moves forward in the same vein. To me, Cropp offered the specter of a return to the 'old guard.' May not be entirely the case, but enough so for me to err on the side of "new."
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Originally posted by Weird Little Self Loathing Man:
My point is, until parents that give a shit about their kids' education start putting their kids in public schools, the public schools are going to be filled with kids of parents who don't give a shit.
Not the case at all. I've done a lot of work with the DCPC schools (not in the past few years, but a lot in the late 90s, early 00s). There are all kinds of parents that are really involved, who care deeply and get things done for their own kids' schools. Does this make the full system better? Not necessarily. And I'm betting that you assume that the 'involved' parents all live in a particular zip code or two (where the parents are largely sending kids to private schools now). Also not the case. What I found most amazing (and inspiring) is how parental and community (ie, non-parents) involvement varies by no rhyme or reason. It's usually about the principal. And note, it usually involves non-parent community involvement as well. There are some schools that are real bastions of success (on a relative scale).
I think what Brennser may have experienced or heard about is when you have a few parents trying to fix a school, and they find themselves alone -- you need a critical mass to get things done. So individual families can be frustrated with their school situation.
I'm not defending the DC school system, trust me. I'm not sure how it gets fixed, but it needs systemic change.
Parents, though, are not where the real fault lies.
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Just curious, what do you like about living in DC? Don't you work in the burbs? You know, you could get the same house you have for half or 2/3 the price in the burbs...
Originally posted by brennser:
QUOTE]yeah, we could but we like living in DC, and believe me it has nothing to do with hipster bars
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Then why did Williams endorse Cropp, and not Fenty?
Originally posted by Bags:
To me, Cropp offered the specter of a return to the 'old guard.' May not be entirely the case, but enough so for me to err on the side of "new."
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I think bad parenting is much more to fault for societal ills IN GENERAL, much moreso than school boards or schoolteachers or school administrators.
Part of this is in part sue to societies expectation that families have two wage earners rather than one.
Originally posted by Bags:
Originally posted by Weird Little Self Loathing Man:
My point is, until parents that give a shit about their kids' education start putting their kids in public schools, the public schools are going to be filled with kids of parents who don't give a shit.
Not the case at all. I've done a lot of work with the DCPC schools (not in the past few years, but a lot in the late 90s, early 00s). There are all kinds of parents that are really involved, who care deeply and get things done for their own kids' schools. Does this make the full system better? Not necessarily. And I'm betting that you assume that the 'involved' parents all live in a particular zip code or two (where the parents are largely sending kids to private schools now). Also not the case. What I found most amazing (and inspiring) is how parental and community (ie, non-parents) involvement varies by no rhyme or reason. It's usually about the principal. And note, it usually involves non-parent community involvement as well. There are some schools that are real bastions of success (on a relative scale).
I think what Brennser may have experienced or heard about is when you have a few parents trying to fix a school, and they find themselves alone -- you need a critical mass to get things done. So individual families can be frustrated with their school situation.
I'm not defending the DC school system, trust me. I'm not sure how it gets fixed, but it needs systemic change.
Parents, though, are not where the real fault lies. [/b]
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Originally posted by Weird Little Self Loathing Man:
Then why did Williams endorse Cropp, and not Fenty?
Political and personal reasons are my bet, Fenty and Williams didnt exactly work well together
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Originally posted by pdx pollard:
Originally posted by Weird Little Self Loathing Man:
Then why did Williams endorse Cropp, and not Fenty?
Political and personal reasons are my bet, Fenty and Williams didnt exactly work well together [/b]
I agree...while I like Williams, he's been entrenched in the 'system' now for a while.
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You betcha.
Typical Rhett. Don't be pissy. I never said I didn't need to go to college. Things just didn't work out that way for me. And lucky for me, all's well that ends well and I'm doing just fine for myself.
Don't be hatin on me just cuz you spent tens or hundreds of thousands on your education just to wind up in Springfield.
Originally posted by Weird Little Self Loathing Man:
Probably why you didn't need to go to college, right?
Originally posted by who the fuck are you?:
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
5 - H-B Woodlawn | Arlington | Va. |
my alma mater [/b]
[/b]
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Don't get all defensive. I wasn't hating on you. And there are certainly other places in the area (most places) that we could have bought other than Springfield. We actually like it there.
Originally posted by who the fuck are you?:
You betcha.
Typical Rhett. Don't be pissy. I never said I didn't need to go to college. Things just didn't work out that way for me. And lucky for me, all's well that ends well and I'm doing just fine for myself.
Don't be hatin on me just cuz you spent tens or hundreds of thousands on your education just to wind up in Springfield.
Originally posted by Weird Little Self Loathing Man:
Probably why you didn't need to go to college, right?
Originally posted by who the fuck are you?:
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
5 - H-B Woodlawn | Arlington | Va. |
my alma mater [/b]
[/b]
[/b]
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Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
Just move to the 'burbs like Rhett did:
29 - Bethesda-Chevy Chase* | Bethesda | Md. |
My school. But those rankings mean absolutely nothing, they're based on test scores and the percentage of students taking certain standardized tests or enrolled in the corresponding courses. It really gives no true meaning to the overall educational experience that exists outside of a few numbers.
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I'll be there is a postive correlation though.
Originally posted by Graace:
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
Just move to the 'burbs like Rhett did:
29 - Bethesda-Chevy Chase* | Bethesda | Md. |
My school. But those rankings mean absolutely nothing, they're based on test scores and the percentage of students taking certain standardized tests or enrolled in the corresponding courses. It really gives no true meaning to the overall educational experience that exists outside of a few numbers. [/b]
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If only people who had a vote in DC actually cared as much, it could really make a difference.
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I forgive you.
This time.
Originally posted by Weird Little Self Loathing Man:
Don't get all defensive. I wasn't hating on you. And there are certainly other places in the area (most places) that we could have bought other than Springfield. We actually like it there.
Originally posted by who the fuck are you?:
You betcha.
Typical Rhett. Don't be pissy. I never said I didn't need to go to college. Things just didn't work out that way for me. And lucky for me, all's well that ends well and I'm doing just fine for myself.
Don't be hatin on me just cuz you spent tens or hundreds of thousands on your education just to wind up in Springfield.
Originally posted by Weird Little Self Loathing Man:
Probably why you didn't need to go to college, right?
Originally posted by who the fuck are you?:
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
5 - H-B Woodlawn | Arlington | Va. |
my alma mater [/b]
[/b]
[/b]
[/b]