12 January 2010

In Today's News

The United States has a new nation's capital ... of capitalism: David Frum opines on how the financial power of the world's greatest country has shifted from New York to the District.
But as Washington gains, the country loses. It loses something more than its ideals of free enterprise and private ownership. It loses the very American idea of a capital as a specialized locale to which specific tasks are delegated -- not an American Versailles where favors are distributed and attendance is mandatory.
While I agree that the federal government should never be in the business of business, Mr. Frum is a fool to imply that, at least over the past century, it hasn't been the ultimate decision-maker of financial dealings in this country. That the rest of the free-market movers and shakers have finally discovered this was bound to happen.

District metered parking will cost you $2 an hour ... or not: The city is looking at implementing a performance-based parking system.
The District is raising rates at most of the city's 17,000 meters to $2 an hour, expanding enforcement until 10 p.m. in eight "premium demand zones" and enforcing meter parking on Saturdays. The changes are expected to generate up to $7 million a year in additional revenue for the cash-strapped city.
The DDOT may succeed in changing people's commuting behavior. It just might not be the change for which they were hoping. I suspect that we'll start seeing this practiced more.

Washington Capitals to the rest of the Southeast Division - "Who's your daddy?": My Caps are 9-1 against its Southeast rivals, holding a 16 point lead over the second-place Tampa Bay Lightning (who they've defeated 12 straight times). Additionally, they're only 3 points off the lead in the Eastern Conference and 6 points off the lead in the league. With 38 games remaining in the season and with the return of several key members from injured reserve, expect to see them climb the leader board as the season progresses. A run for the Stanley Cup isn't out of the question, so long as the solid defense they've been playing lately doesn't waver.

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