How This Shutdown Might Affect Your Trip to DC

photo uploaded to flickr by Simon CocksYou've probably heard a far bit about the budget jostling on Capitol Hill recently. Now I imagine most of you don't hang out in bars where C-SPAN is on round the clock, so you may not be totally up on all the ins and outs, but there's a very real chance that by the close of buisness March 4th, the Federal Government will be operating without a budget.

To grossly oversimplify the issue, the Federal Government authorizes and appropriates funds on a yearly budget. Once that budget runs out at the end of the Fiscal Year (Sept 30), Congress and the President can approve a temporary extension, or Continuing Resolution (CR). This is what the Government has been operating under since October, and the current one runs out March 4th. On that day, thanks to Art. I, Section 9 of the US Constitution (look it up yoursefl!) and the Anti-deficiency Act, it is now illegal for the Federal Government to pay its workers, outside of essential folks. The Congressional Research Service recently wrote an excellent report (.pdf) if you're a government affairs junky.

Click to read more ...

Arlington National Cemetery - A Literary Tour?

Pulitzer winner Kennedy - uploaded to flickr by leonArlington is well known as the final resting ground of America's heroes, Presidents,  and military greats, but it's rarely thought of as a literary destination. However, amongst its 300,000+ permanent residents, surely one or two would able to turn a phrase, right? Let's take a look at a few:

Click to read more ...

Knocking out the Monuments: Pershing Park

photo uploaded to flickr by wallygThe eleventh day of the eleventh month of the year has become a day we celebrate the sacrifices of all those who have served our nation, from the early days of our country to the present day. But we're going to take a minute on Veterans Day to examine the story of one in particular who is closely tied to the historical antecedents of today: Gen. John J. Pershing.

Situated on Pennsylvania Avenue and 15th Street NW, Pershing Park is remarkably secluded considering its prominent location. It is, in fact, quite easy to walk by and never notice, and even easier to miss if you're driving.

Click to read more ...

Weekly Washington: Same Old, Same Old

photo uploaded to flickr by J-BlueDiscussion continues to swirl around the Constitutionality of Washington, DC's nearly 100 year old tour guide licenseing program. The Institute of Justice's Robert McNamara laid out their position againt licenses in last week's Washington Post's All Opinion's Are Local column, and the Guild of Professional Tour Guide's President Jim Heegeman rebutted in this week's (WaPo Tag Fail: listed under "crime"). Both gentlemen further discussed the issue in person on the Kojo Nnamdi Show. The Washington Post aparently clipped and pasted the Institute of Justice's press releases in writing this Op-Ed, which must have taken as much as thirty minutes to research and write. John Kelly calls the Institute's lawsuit "ridiculously apocalyptic in its descriptions of the dangers of D.C.'s regs, raising the specter of taxi drivers being thrown in jail for pointing out the Washington Monument."

Click to read more ...

Weekly Washington : Lincoln and More...

It has come to my attention that maybe, just maybe, there are other news organizations covering items of interest in the Washington, DC travel and tourism world besides this humble effort. In that vein, I’m launching my “Weekly Washington” feature to let you know of some of those relevant items.

Click to read more ...