During Recession, Political Class in Washington D.C thrives

We all are affected by the continuing recession, or well maybe not all.  There is the privilege class, the class of people who work in the nations's capitol. To be blunt, I speak of the folk with connections and political pull.

Well, that Hope 'n Change thing can only be spread so far, even in Washington D.C.

Washington Sees Incomes Soar as Most of U.S. Declines

American incomes have tumbled over the last decade. But for many people in Washington, D.C., it’s been something of a party.

The income of the typical D.C. household rose 23.3% between 2000 and 2012 to an inflation-adjusted $66,583, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, its most comprehensive snapshot of America’s demographic, social and economic trends. During this period, median household incomes for the nation as a whole dropped 6.6% — from $55,030 to $51,371. The state of Mississippi, which had one of the biggest declines, dropped 15% to $37,095: Nearly one in three people there have an income that is near the poverty line.

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But D.C. — which wasn’t hit as hard as other major U.S. cities by the 2007-2009 recession — is a different story. Its local economy is expanding faster than the broader nation, and its property market is soaring , thanks in part to increased federal-government spending and an influx of federal contractors, lawyers and consultants.

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The share of people in D.C. experiencing what’s called “deep poverty” — incomes that are 50% below the poverty line — actually rose between 2000 and 2012 from 9.4% to 10.4%. Forty-five U.S. states saw this rate rise over the same time period. But D.C.’s rate is the highest in the country, beating out Mississippi.

WALL STREET JOURNAL

Emily Miller testifies on Washington D.C. Gun Laws

I have already posted about Emily Miller of the Washington Times writes of her odyssey to legally buy and keep a gun in Washington D.C.

Emily Gets Her Gun

Last Monday Miss Miller testified before the  District of Columbia Council’s Judiciary Committee
Can't remember anyone accusing city council of being the most bright of folk, but this guy, Mr.Mendelson doesn't understand the basics of market forces.

BUYING A GUN IN WASHINGTON D.C.

2008, in District of Columbia v. Heller, the  Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution
A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
ruled it is just what it says. A Right of the People.
Seems crazy that it took so long to clear that up. Still, it was very niggardly in just how far those rights extend and allowed for repressive laws to frustrate citizens from exercising our rights.

In a series of articles by Emily Miller of the Washington Times, we follow her as she navigates the bizarre trail to legally own a gun in one of the most crime ridden cities in America, Washington D.C.

MILLER: Emily gets her gun
I want a gun. I don't feel safe living in Washington, D.C. and want to protect myself. I'm starting today by going down to City Hall to find the gun permit office to tell them, "I want a gun." This series will follow me as I navigate the city bureaucracy and outdated rules in order to legally buy a firearm.

That is how it began. I was mostly intrigued in her latest writing.
 Steps to gun ownership in D.C.

My quest to get a legal handgun in Washington, D.C. feels daunting.

I went to the D.C. Firearms Registration office two weeks ago to start the process of getting a legal gun by picking up a 22-page packet of forms and instructions.

Since then, I've been overwhelmed by all that is required before I can take legal possession of a purchased gun.


I needed to get organized, so I made a checklist of the required steps, bringing order to the complicated mess of instructions given by the city.
I’m going to work my way down this LIST


I didn't copy all 17 steps here, you can find them here: LIST.

This part of her quest is just creepy.
D.C.’s only gun source

Room 1140 on the DMV hallway is marked with a small sign “CS Exchange” and a taped-up paper that warns away anyone who might be looking to fight parking ticket. Behind the nondescript brown door is the private office of Washington D.C.’s only legal gun broker: Charles Sykes.

You can’t just go out and legally buy a gun in the nation’s capital. If you purchase a pistol from another state, whether in person or over the Internet, you can’t ship it to your residence in the District, nor can you drive it back over the Potomac river.

In the 21-page packet of papers given to potential gun owners from the Firearm Registration Section, there is not a single word to explain how one would go about bringing a purchased gun into the city after registering it.

You can find all about her quest here:  GUNS