II think you may be the one smoking crack. Barry resigned from office and eventually went to prison for that drug charge. True, he was elected Mayor again after he got out, but that's democracy. He's now on the City Council, with something approaching 100% of the vote in his ward, one of the poorest in the city.

If stupid people couldn’t vote, it would disqualify a lot more people than reside in Washington, D.C.

So again, can you help the rest of us understand the qualities that Marion Barry posesses that keep getting him public service positions.

I finally convinced my Mom to leave that garbage dump.A few holidays back, I was up there for a visit. Just plain scary, some idiot is paying her 325K for the house. It's a welfare city.
Rika

If I knew the answer to that, I might even understand how Bush came to be elected. Voters don't always make the right choice

Marion Barry is simply a black Ted Kennedy.

The reason why Marion Berrykeeps winning elections is that he simply is the BEST man running for the office...all his oponents are Heroin Addicts...

Fellas, I don't condone a crack smoking mayor (or a reformed one for that matter). But honestly how many of you have actually set foot in another quadrant other than NW? Go to SE, NE and you will see, not hear of the social ills that plague this nations capital. I'm sorry, I work with the youth, and they are the ones who are the greatest victims. I'm assuming most of you came from backgrounds where you had both parents, and an environment which allowed you to do kid like things (play on a jungle jim, go bike riding, or play football). The sad reality of it is this type of recreational activity doesn't really go in in the majority of DC. The parents that actually give a crap about their kids (this is the minority) and try to raise them right with morals and values keep them in the house all the time, locked up like a prisoner. The ones whose parents couldn't give a rats ass about their kids, or don't even know they have kids, are left to be raised by the streets. And I can tell you from first hand the streets of DC are no place for a kid to be raised from. The likelyhood of that child turning out normal(going to college, getting a good job, etc) is very minute. The sad reality of the district is that the Gov't and citizens with say and power would rather build stadiums and invest in sports teams, than in the schools and DC public education. Part of the problem is that most of the people with middle to upper class income send their kids off to private school. Little to no investment goes into DC public schools. So the kids who come from a low income household become subjected to a horrendous learning environment lose the appeal to enjoy or take interest in their education. Looking at asbestos in the ceiling, not having enough textbooks, frustrated and burned out teachers, fights, and gangs in schools all cause these kids to create the image in their minds that the system is designed to make them fail. That leads to widespread drop out rates, and a quick entry way to a life of crime. This is the root cause of Marion Barry getting jacked. The youth (ages 8 - 18) of DC are running wild in DC living out a real life grand theft auto video game. Part of it has to do with their inability to disassociate what they see or hear in the media with reality.


And on the case of why Barry was elected, DC is an African -American city. They want someone who they can relate to, who will be African-American, and not act like it. Just look at the uncle tom Mayor Williams, see how much improvement he did to social life of those living in the ghetto under his term. DC needs some radical changes, and it's going to take kicking some doors down. The problem is those in power don't want to take on this responsibility because of the political implications.

So how do you feel about Bush and Cheney with DUI?

How about Clinton? Oh, that's right...he "never inhaled"...

Maybe that could be Barry's defense. He lit up the crack pipe but didn't inhale...

Rick, Well, now you are just being silly.

Yeah, silly me...equating Clinton's use of weed with Bush's DUI...what a wacky guy I am!!

Par I applaud your efforts, BUT they have criminal backgrounds so they vote for the same ?, relate to him.. guess so. Give me this and that, you owe me.
Those poor parents (lazy) poor kids (even lazier),
your right ,my sister send hers to a private school,she can because she works. DC is like NO just less water.There are good people in both cities..they rely on themselves and dislike supporting the lazy rest. Those poor and downtrodden you write about...care little about themselves,their kids or city. They want a check.
Rika

So Rick, DUI is no big thing to you, huh?

Good post, Par.

Nope, DUI is a big thing to me....just like doing illegal drugs is a big thing to me.

Smoking pot illegally is apparently no big thing to you though.

So someone trying marijauna in the privacy of their own house is equated to someone driving drunk.
Just want to get that straight. They are the same to you?

BTW, many people could not inhale. I can't inhale. So you have someone who said he could not inhale and equate that to someone convicted of DUI. Wow.

Continuing your logic, my child having a glass of wine with dinner is as bad as DUI.

I don't think so.

Sadly, Detroit is having many of these same problems. Politics over progress. The missed chances that city has seen due to political pressure is stagering.

The people of Detroit don't want a mayor, they want a black mayor.
They don't want a school board, they want a black school board.

And thats fine, I can understand that, but some really great ideas and projects have been canned because of fear of white control in the city. A recent multi-million dollar school privitization project comes to mind...

Steve I think that smoking dope and DUI are both illegal. I think they are both wrong. You are the one undertaking moral relativism here. I never said I thought Bush driving drunk was ok.

Par,

We are still waiting for your "enlightenment".... Why are you silent?

Joe A