Washington DC is not Paradise

Too many people there,definitely one of the last places that I would want to live.

The same story can be said about any city, big or small.

It also can be said of towns of as well.

In my experience I've met good and bad in both a city environment and small town country environments. Both of which I could single out issues.

That's the problem with the whole earth. I've done my part to overpopulate as well, but at least I take care of mine myself.

All cities have their problems, but I've always heard that D.C. was trashy. I've never been there myself.

My favorite "big" city is Detroit. I grew up right next to it and it holds a special place in my heart. Places are run down, broke, over ridden with homeless people, corrupt, etc... but I still love it.

I've helped out several homeless people in my small town, even if it was just buying them a few bottles of water during the summer heat. Theres one man that has been sitting by Walmart for 2 months now, hes out there everyday with a sign that says "need help." I stopped the first week he was there and asked him what he needed, he said money to get on his feet. I told him no, but I'd be happy to buy him lunch and a drink, he refused. He also reaked of liquor. If you go by there at about 9am, you'll see him puking in the bushes every single morning.

You cant help someone, or something, that wont help itself. Be it a person, a town, a state, a country, etc.

(Hopefully I didnt derail this too much)

Btw I agree that DC is no paradise... good museums and archives for a history buff, but the city itself, meh. But in fairness, I think what you describe - the apathy, entitlement, homeless problems - exists about the same in every major city in the nation these days. I visit most of them on a pretty regular basis, and there are times I literally forget where I am, because it doesn't really matter. Most places have lost their character these days... I was just talking about this with someone and we tried to come up with cities that still had a vestige of their own character. The only ones that came to mind for me were New Orleans and Seattle; certainly neither of them is a paradise either, but when you're in one you can kind of tell. (In fairness, that's mostly because of geography).

But New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, DC etc... all about the same.

Every generation thinks it is the greatest generation. During the first depression folks were already so poor they didn't even notice and most had a way of growing their own food and hunting for meat. I don't want to try that with folks living in giant cities like we have now. I have been to war and I am no damn hurry to see another one. What WWII did was transform America from a farm based economy to a industrial one. Making things causes invention and invention multiplies invention. America has the best conditions for living that's why everyone world wide wants to come here. The real question has America reached a level of population that leaves some out of the dream.

I have just been watching a BBC show about the South Pacific Islands and how the unique wildlife that had evolved over the millennia were wiped out in a few years after the arrival of man. We were given a world that was the Garden of Eden. The Native Americans weren't perfect, but they had a decent lifestyle and they were well supplied by the land and small farms. The over population of the world is about to destroy the very last of nature. Just what I have seen in Texas in my lifetime. The state has become increasingly unrecognizable, and the areas of natural beauty are turning into subdivisions at an alarming rate. I remember when the North Houston community called The Woodlands was mostly swamps. When I was born Houston was a booming town that had oil and a seaport going for it, and the country was mostly farms of all kinds. Now I live in the middle of 6.5 million people. Even our house in the city that I grew up in was just a block from the woods. When we moved to our current home, we were out in the country and surrounded by century old woods. 14 years later we are surrounded by Houston, all of the thousands of acres of trees have been cut down by the speculators. The planet has devices in place to correct the situation, and the thin infestation on the surface will be greatly reduced before too much longer by disease, war, or astronomical catastrophe. If people survive at all, we will be brought back into balance. Either that or we will become like Trantor, living in caves of still. We have to decide for ourselves what kind of life we want to live. Our current trend is obviously unsustainable. Humans thrive on adversity,it brings out the best and the worst in us. Some people who live in their 250 square foot city apartments couldn't imagine living in a place where they grew their own food or had to drive 20 miles to the grocery store. I am having a problem living on 3/4 of an acre surrounded by the last trees in the county. In the forgettable movie prequel to The Exorcist, one of the characters was talking about locusts, and how when they had reached a certain population they were driven mad by the "brushing of wings. We are reaching the point where we will be unable to find a place of peace, to escape the 24 hour news cycle and to have a peaceful nights sleep. I see disaster sooner rather than later, but I don't think I will be around to see it.

Define "worked"? Personally, I'm not interested in sacrificing the tens or hundreds of thousands killed just by the depression (starvation, diseases, crime), much less the millions killed by the war, just to achieve someone's arbitrary idea of an ideal society.

People can be successful and driven for other reasons than just reacting to cataclysm. I'd imagine most of us here are examples of that.

Was there in the early 70's to visit friends from S.FL.
I was a hippy dude back then, thought Black Panthers were nice blacks standing up for their rights.
Till my other Hippy friend told me where not to go. otherwise I was a target.
Been there later & thought  DC was clean &  offered a lot to see, glad I went back.
Would go back again.
Arlington National Cemetery will bring tears to your eyes.
Wipe fast & cough & no one will notice.

I wouldn't let a crappy burger joint and 2 homeless guys with a bad attitude define any city...Especially one the size of DC.