The citizens of the District elected, and continue to return to public office, a political machine completely incapable of providing the barest minimum of public services. What this machine has proven itself very capable of is padding the public payroll with thousands of persons who are loyal but have few real capabilities needed to run the city. Until such time as the voters of the District of Columbia demand performance, rather than plums and perks, from their elected officials, no amount of money from any source is going to fix what ails this very sick city. It is terrible what this has done to the city, as illustrated so well in your story. I can neither afford to pay the taxes nor start a family in a city with such inadequate schools and such uncontrollably growing crime.
Roads are in disrepair and garbage is left uncollected.
As a fourth-year medical student at Georgetown University, I am keenly aware of the atrocities at D.C. General Hospital. Call any District government agency and chances are the phone will not be answered or you will be hung up on. I hope someone, anyone, can solve the District's problems. It once was and still is in some ways a great city, but as of June I will no longer be a resident. Proponents of this diagnosis often believe it is caused by severe childhood abuse.