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| | '''Washington, D.C.''', also known as the '''District of Columbia''' or simply '''D.C.''', has since 1800 been the capital of the [[United States]].<ref>http://www.senate.gov/reference/reference_item/Nine_Capitals_of_the_United_States.htm</ref> | | '''Washington, D.C.''', also known as the '''District of Columbia''' or simply '''D.C.''', has since 1800 been the capital of the [[United States]].<ref>http://www.senate.gov/reference/reference_item/Nine_Capitals_of_the_United_States.htm</ref> |
| | Legally the name of the city is "District of Columbia."<ref>[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=016/llsl016.db&recNum=0454 District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871.] [[Library of Congress]]</ref><ref>[http://countystation.com/washingtondc.html District of Columbia Information.]</ref> | | Legally the name of the city is "District of Columbia."<ref>[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=016/llsl016.db&recNum=0454 District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871.] [[Library of Congress]]</ref><ref>[http://countystation.com/washingtondc.html District of Columbia Information.]</ref> |
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| − | The self-interested, often deceitful conduct of power brokers in D.C. results in its nickname as "the swamp," which also fits the historical climate the region. In addition, its nickname as the "[[deep state]]" reflects how there is an entrenched [[liberal]] bureaucracy in D.C. that serves itself rather than the people of the [[United States]] who pay the bills.
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| − | Most people who work in policy-making positions in D.C. are married to (or have a relationship with) someone who holds a different policy-making position. These relationships have a binding effect that prevents policy-makers from acting independently based on [[logic]], values, or the interests of the [[America]]n people, and their policy decisions or recommendations are often self-serving.
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| | [[File:DC2.jpg|thumb|400px]] | | [[File:DC2.jpg|thumb|400px]] |
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| | ==Criticism== | | ==Criticism== |
| | + | Since many of the early buildings were built with slave labor, and Washington had a very active slave trading market, some African-Americans view the city as symbolizing the slave contribution to building the United States. |
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| | + | Until the mid-nineteen century, much of the area along the Potomac River was literally a swamp. As a result the headquarters of the State Department and the surrounding neighborhood is called Foggy Bottom. The absence of effective mosquito control made spending summers in Washington a malaria risk. The self-interested, often deceitful conduct of power brokers in D.C. results in its nickname as "the swamp," which also fits the historical climate the region. In addition, its nickname as the "[[deep state]]" reflects how there is an entrenched [[liberal]] bureaucracy in D.C. that serves itself rather than the people of the district who pay the bills with a separate D.C. income tax and property taxes. |
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| | + | President [[John F. Kennedy]] famously commented that Washington had all of the efficiency of a Southern town and all of the charm of a northern city.<ref>http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/washington_is_a_city_of_southern_efficiency_and_northern_charm/</ref> |
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| | + | A majority of the residents of the District of Columbia are African-American. Some people who work in policy-making positions in D.C. are married to (or have a relationship with) someone who holds a different policy-making position. These relationships have a blinding effect that prevents policy-makers from acting independently based on [[logic]], values, or the interests of the [[America]]n people, and their policy decisions or recommendations are often self-serving. |
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| | == Symbols == | | == Symbols == |
| | [[File:DC flag.jpg|thumb|DC flag.]] | | [[File:DC flag.jpg|thumb|DC flag.]] |