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it's them hormones in the milk bro

ac/dc
and when he slammed into you it was the only human contact he had all week.

[[[17] adsf February 13, 2009 - 10:58AM Went to DC for inauguration -- Arrogant nerds make me want to fight! (And that's just the Obama wannabes -- the Bushies were even worse)]]

i noticed that people in DC have none of the street ballet skills that you find in other cities, where people can eat, talk and read while walking without crashing into each other. in fact, in DC, it seemed that there was this aggressiveness and that people intentionally bumped into each other. so i tried an experiment, stopping dead in my tracks as someone drew near. and sure enough, even with plenty of time to avoid it, they slammed into me.

i think there's a lot of self-loathing in DC, a lot of anger.

thanks jon

* DC has more power, but doesn't always know how to get out of its own way to properly wield that power. Gridlock is more common in DC than the locking of up the financial markets we going on right now.

* Who is to blame? It's hard to know. We can't regulate against the kind of willful stupidity that led to this mess -- and which leads to most bubbles. However, DC could have done more than it did to discourage it and to call it out. This mess really took both DC and NYC working together.

* As for which is better? Well, they are both diverse in people and food. Both have incredible cultural resources and events. Both have youthful energy. The key difference, in my view, is that NYC runs around the clock and DC shuts down more at night. This leads to an unrelenting intensity in NYC that cannot exist similarly in DC. If you like that, NYC is your city. If you prefer something a bit more chill, DC is your place.

To whomever made the comment about Glass-Steagall act, re Chuck Schumer, please enough revisionist history here. In 1999, Republicans controlled BOTH HOUSES of congress. The Wikipedia entry for the act reads as follows:

The bill that ultimately repealed the Act was introduced in the Senate by Phil Gramm (Republican of Texas) and in the House of Representatives by Jim Leach (R-Iowa) in 1999. The bills were passed by Republican majorities on party lines by a 54-44 vote in the Senate[12] and by a 343-86 vote in the House of Representatives[13].

Wherever did you get the idea that Chuck Schumer was responsible for repealing the act?

Again, setting up A v. B is wildly oversimplistic. NY sends more taxes to DC than we get back. Who's to blame? People throughout the country elect people only focused unthoughtfully on the idea that they are in their own universe w/o involvement in either the world outside where they are elected and the world beyond the US borders. What this silly question points up is the foolish idea of trying to separate and isolate cause and effect in complicated issues, rather than trying to thoughtfully address the pieces of the whole.

Have lived/worked in SF, LA, Chicago and now for 6 years in NY. NY is very insular. "They do not know what they do not know" The people in DC are not trained economists/financial management experts, the people in NY are not stewards of the public trust with the priority of representing the best interests of good government. In fact, DC doesn't either for that matter. We are on a sinking ship-- the first to leave are the rats and people lucky enough to have lifeboats. I do not believe any entity in the US is in power. Follow the Money--who owns most of our debt? They're in charge.

Went to DC for inauguration -- Arrogant nerds make me want to fight! (And that's just the Obama wannabes -- the Bushies were even worse)

PS in NY I'm a lover not a fighter.

That first caller nailed it: Schumer is indefensible on this one.

But this question is, obviously, pretty much window-dressing. The ruling 1% made this happen, in DC and NY and elsewhere; the elites of the Democratic and the Republican party, the bankers that own them, and the media that cheered them on (and continues to cheer). It's fun to pretend it has to do with those cities specifically, but it doesn't.

yes, the food is better in nyc. and the shopping. but for quality of life issues - riding my bike or walking to work (and way better weather), slightly (and only slightly) more affordable housing (that is usually much more beautiful than an east village walk-up), free museums that i actually used when i lived there, interesting people and an international vibe, a clean metro that works, the friendliest cab drivers on the planet, a sense of history that has been lost in nyc as corporate capitalism knocks down every old building in the name of money...i'm a new yorker born and bred, dragged my feet when I had to move to dc. now i'm back in ny and am surprised to find i really miss dc (not to mention the fact that i no longer have to stick out my tongue or give the finger to the white house when i ride my bike past it...).

NYC has much better restraunts hands down. as for the economy I blame Washington for pushing the banks to lend more but i blame the individual who took out these loans. they knew that they would not be able to pay their loans if the rates went up. what happened to personal responsibility

did u know the DC subway stops at like 11 pm
no wonder they can't get anything done

i had to leave nyc for work! got a media job in dc where in nyc they are laying everyone off in media/news.

i miss nyc and the food! does anyone deliver?

I'm a New Yorker looking to escape NY's pitiful economy for D.C.'s bubble! Not looking forward to using their subway system, though. It's clean and efficient, for sure; but it's nowhere near as accessible as New York's (read: fewer stops and no 24-hour service)! In a better economy, I'd take New York rat-infested subways over D.C's inaccessible system any day!

Biggest problem with DC is that, unless you work on the Hill or for a lobby group, you're frankly kind of a second-class citizen.

In NYC you can be in advertising, theater, finance, real estate, etc, etc and STILL feel like you're as important as anyone else.

Bryan
greed is god!

DC has more power - They have intelligent people there. Not necessarily the most powerful. But DC's IQ is much higher than that in NYC. - Just look at City Hall, CIty Council and Wall Street. Total idiots!

Please move on beyond this simplistic discussion of reality. Both are to blame, as are all the other cities, suburbs, and rural areas of the nation. We hear enough about the purported moral values of the "heartland" and the corruption of "Wall Street" and those inside the "DC beltway." All of these simplifications detract from the real problems in America--a generalized willingness to blame others rather than accepting responsibilty for their own action, including voting for parties who spout deregulation rhetoric. By framing the question as "it's either DC or NYC," you've already let millions off the hook who should be sharing the blame.

i just left nyc to move to dc b/c there were no jobs in nyc! i now have a media job in dc while in nyc they're laying everyone off in media/news!

i miss nyc and the food! does anyone deliver?

DC and DC.

There's an old fable in which a man takes in and cares for a snake. When the snake bites and kills him, the snake explains, "What did you expect, I'm a snake?!"

Wall Street is a bunch of snakes, but you can't blame them for their nature.

I blame DC. They're ostensibly doing The People's Work, and should've been acting as the conscience of the Wall Street snake.

DC has no say in government. NYC is not much better. The most powerful entities right now are the unaccountable, mysterious, ignoble and unhappy cabals who run Beijing, Moscow, Riyadh, Albany, etc.

corps own the government NYC will always be king!

When former Goldman Sachs Master of the Universe Hank Paulson went ON BENDED KNEE to Nancy Pelosi last September, I think it was a paradigm shift, where the biggest New York bigwig had to curtsy to the new "power" in DC. But that was only temporary.
Someone wrote on the Lopate board yesterday the Chomsky quote that government is just the shadow cast by big business. I am sure it will remain that way.
Still, I think we're reaching the point where the US public is going to demand some accountability, and neither DC nor NY are going to play a major role in this. I expect Madame DeFarge will be more instrumental. As hjs says, "I wasn't invited to the party, so I can't be sad that it's over."