Is New DC Becoming the Old DC Again?

I write this post as I just got my property tax assessment which, incredibly, has increased again. I doubt that I could sell my house for what I could two years ago but the DC assessors think that I could and then more. I couple that thought with the pothole in front of my house that is growing by the day and is just dying to kill my tires. Are we going back to the bad old days in DC?

Tony Williams rescued this city from the brink of disaster by improving city services and getting the budget in balance. His efforts were rewarded by huge increases in property values, as people moved back into the city as the dysfunction eased, potholes were paved and city services improved greatly.

But instead of learning from the lessons of the past, the DC Council has acted like pigs at the trough by enacting a crazy $1.5 billion renovation of all schools despite the fact that they are half empty and refusing to fix that problem first. They also want to throw $50 million to upgrade Abe Pollin's Verizon Center.

DC is sliding back into the bad old days of ignoring citizens' concerns, fleecing them for their money at the expense of providing basic services. My measure of good DC services is the pothole index, and it is looking very bad right now. It reminds me of when I moved to DC ten years ago and the place was a mess.