News & Politics

Georgetowner • November 20, 2013

Savvy shoppers should head to Georgetown
on Saturday, Nov. 30, to “Shop Small” and support
neighborhood businesses as part of Small
Business Saturday.

Georgetown is Washington’s premiere shopping
district with more than 450 merchants,
including a variety of local, independent boutiques.
Small Business Saturday, launched in 2010,
is celebrated nationwide between the busy shopping
days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday
to encourage holiday shoppers to visit brick and
mortar businesses that are small and local.
Several Georgetown merchants are offering
special promotions on Small Business Saturday,

including:
Susan Calloway Fine Arts, 1643 Wisconsin
Ave. NW, will be giving away Middle Kingdom
porcelain mini vases, free with any purchase of
$100 or more.

At Bacchus Wine Cellar, 1635 Wisconsin
Ave., NW, holiday shoppers will enjoy discounts
on wine up to 45 percent off.

To make it easy for shoppers to navigate
around Georgetown, the Georgetown Business
Improvement District is sponsoring free eCruisers
rides on Nov. 30 to shuttle shoppers and
visitors around the neighborhood between noon
and 8 p.m. Simply flag down one of the drivers
or call 202-271-1218 to schedule a pick up in
Georgetown.

Georgetowner •

Sandro, a Paris-based fashion label that sells
women’s and men’s clothing, will open its first
D.C. store next year in Georgetown, reported the
Washington Business Journal last week. It will
fill the former space of Red Fire Grill Kabob,
which closed about six months ago.

In 1984, Sandro was created by Evelyne and
Didier Chetrite. Later, their son Ilan joined the
company, designing a men’s line of clothing.

Georgetowner •

There is one tavern liquor license now available
in Georgetown, which remains under a
neighborhood liquor license moratorium.
Because the defunct Saloun, formerly at 3239
M Street, did not renew its tavern license, the
Alcoholic Beverage Control Board cancelled its
license Oct. 30.

So, who has applied for this one-of-a-kind,
tavern-nightclub license?

The Alcoholic Beverage Regulation
Administration told the Georgetowner Nov. 18
that it “has received two applications for the
tavern license in Georgetown. Gypsy Sally’s
Acoustic Tavern LLC, trading as Gypsy Sally’s
at 3401 Water St., NW, applied to transfer
its restaurant license to become a tavern in
Georgetown. The second is from Restaurant
Enterprises, Inc., trading as Smith Point at 1338
Wisconsin Avenue, NW. They also submitted an
application to transfer their alcoholic beverage
license from a restaurant to a tavern in the area.
Applications are being reviewed on a first-come,
first-serve basis and are subject to the approval of
the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.”
Last week, ABRA announced: “ …

Restrictions have temporarily been lifted on
alcoholic beverage licenses for taverns in the
Georgetown Historic District. The change
occurred after the number of licensed taverns
within the historic area fell below a legislative
cap of six. … Taverns located in the
Georgetown Historic District are permitted to
transfer alcoholic beverage licenses to new
owners and new locations within the area. An
existing restaurant in the historic district will
also be able to apply to become a tavern or
nightclub in the neighborhood. Applications
to make any of the changes would need
to be filed with the Alcoholic Beverage
Regulation Administration for consideration by
the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.”
“The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act
and Rules Reform Amendment Act of 1994
freezes the transfer or sale of tavern and
nightclub licenses in the Georgetown Historic
District when there are six or more taverns
and/or nightclubs licensed in the area,”
according to ABRA.

There are no nightclubs licensed in
Georgetown — once a sixth tavern license is
issued, ABRA noted, “the ability to transfertavern
licenses will end once the legislative cap
of six taverns and/or nightclubs is reached in
the Georgetown Historic District.”

Georgetowner •

The Latham Hotel was bought by SB-Urban
last week for $45.4M, according to DC records.
As reported, the new owners, Frank Saul and
Mike Balaban, are looking to convert the former
hotel — 3000 M St., NW — into small condos. The
Latham Hotel, along with restaurants Citronelle
and la Madeleine, was closed in June 2012.

Georgetowner •

Closed since August, Cannon’s Fish Market
on 31st Street made the suspected official: it will
shut down permanently.

Cannon’s owner Bobby Moore contacted
Carol Joynt of Washingtonian Magazine “to
announce he’s decided to close the business for
good and lease the space to his 31st Street nextdoor
neighbor, Il Canale Italian restaurant,” Joynt
reported last week.

According to Washingtonian, “Moore, 47,
says the ‘medical reasons’ are simple wear and
tear on his body. ‘I’ve been working there since
I was 12, working on concrete, wet floors, lifting
fish every day of my life …’ he says. ‘My back
is killing me. I had surgery a few years ago for
herniated disks, two knee surgeries, [and] I had
my right hip replaced seven years ago. It’s been
giving me problems again, and my other hip is
shot.’ He says he sat down to discuss it with his
family recently, and they decided to ‘close [the
shop] altogether.’ “

David Post •

Mark Twain said, “There are lies, damn
lies, and statistics.”
Numbers matter. They tell a story.

Eighteen percent.
Eighteen percent is the amount of national
income spent on healthcare. Almost one of
every five dollars.

With more than 10,000 people reaching age
65 each day and healthcare costs increasing, that
number will reach 20 percent within a few years.

Thirteen percent.
Thirteen percent is the amount of the nation’s
total income we, as a nation, pay in income tax.

$50,000 and $15,000.

$50,000 is the average annual household
income in the country. $15,000 is the annual
cost of health insurance for the average household.
45 percent and declining. 25 percent and
growing.

45 percent is the percentage of the population
that is covered by employer provided health
care, even though employer-provided healthcare
is the basis of our national system.

Several years ago, the majority of the population
was covered by employer provided healthcare.

No more.

Not only is employer-provided healthcare
declining, but an increasing amount – now 25
percent – of the cost of employer’s cost is now
paid by the employee.

$1 trillion and 26 percent.

Government spending on healthcare, including
Medicare for the elderly, Medicaid for the
poor, and the military and VA, exceeds $1 trillion
and 26 percent of all government spending.
Within ten years, these costs are projected to
double.

$600 billion and 2.9 percent

Medicare costs $600 billion. The 2.9 percent
Medicare payroll tax brings in $225 billion.

Adding the $75 billion in Medicare premiums
charged to seniors and deducted from their social
security checks, only half the cost is covered.

The taxpayer covers the rest.

$400 billion and 11 percent.

Medicaid and military-based health costs
over $400 billion, more than 11 percent of government
spending, all of which is paid by the
taxpayer.

Fifty years ago, only 2 percent of government
was on healthcare. Today, it’s 26 percent
and growing. Fifty years ago, less than 5 percent
of the economy was healthcare; today it’s 18
percent.

50 million or 16 percent.

50 million people, or 16 percent of the population,
have no health insurance, but receive care
simply by going to a hospital. Taxpayers and
insured people pay more to cover those costs.

Medicare is an example of how insurance
is supposed to work. Everyone pays the 2.9
percent Medicare tax on wages. (The Medicare
tax does not apply to other income.) Everyone,
including the young and healthy, pays over their
lifetime so that all seniors have healthcare.

National healthcare costs can be covered
in one of three ways: The government could
tax and cover everyone like most countries
do. Everyone could be required to have insurance,
the premise behind Obamacare (and
Romneycare). The uninsured and poor could be
denied healthcare.

45 and zero.

Congressional Republicans have voted 45
times to repeal Obamacare.

None. Zero. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch.
Despite objecting to Obamacare, Republicans
have offered no alternative.

The national healthcare system does not
work and is consuming the economy. Employerprovided
healthcare costs are shifting increasingly
to employees with the taxpayer picking up
increasingly more costs.

Mark Twain was funny, but wrong.

Healthcare statistics are not a lie.

Healthcare costs are consuming more and
more of everyone’s wallet.

Georgetowner •

Every now and then, I like to share some
of the nuts and bolts of what our government
does behind the scenes. We can all
think of a situation where we wished our government
would function more efficiently on our
behalf, and I make it my job to ensure that areas
that need improvement are addressed. In many
instances, however, our government is actually
making positive changes and doing a great job
in ways our residents might never realize.

One of those instances relates to our bond
issuances, and not just our rating upgrades
that I talk so much about. One of the ways the
District government helps our residents is by
offering an industrial revenue bond program.
This program works by allowing businesses and
non-profit organizations access to tax-exempt
financing that essentially leverages the strong
financial position and reputation of the District
government to allow organizations to borrow
money at lower interest rates for major projects.

This money helps these organizations with
renovations and new construction, real estate
purchases, equipment, and other capital needs.
Since I have been on the Council, we have
assisted worthy businesses and non-profits in
issuing over $8.6 billion in revenue bonds, to
the benefit of every ward in the city. I am happy
to report the tremendous diversity in these
projects, from universities such as Georgetown,
Howard and Gallaudet; to public and charter
schools such as Washington Yu Ying and Kipp
Academy; to organizations, such as National
Public Radio and the Spy Museum.

On Nov. 13, I chaired a hearing of the
Committee on Finance & Revenue to add two
more potential issuances to this long list of great
projects. PR 20-531, the “Paul Public Charter
School, Inc. Revenue Bonds Project Approval
Resolution of 2013,” would permit up to $20
million of District of Columbia revenue bonds
to help renovate this school at 5800 8th Street,
N.W., in Ward 4. PR 20-532, the “National
Children’s Center Bonds Project Approval
Resolution of 2013,” would authorize up to $8
million of revenue bonds to assist the National
Children’s Center in renovating their facility
located at 3400 Martin Luther King, Jr., Ave.,
S.E., in Ward 8. The Center is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit
organization that provides comprehensive
and innovative services for infants, children and
adults with developmental disabilities in the
District of Columbia.

William Liggins and his team at the D.C.
Revenue Bond Program in the office of the
Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic
Development are to be commended for their
good work in administering this program, and
I encourage any eligible organizations in the
city to reach out if they might benefit from this
program.

Robert Devaney •

The 50th anniversary of the assassination
of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas
on November 22 will be on a Friday, the
same day of the week when it occurred in 1963.

This means we will again head into a postassassination
weekend, brimming with restored
memories of the days of drums, days filled
with shock after shock, including the live-ontelevision
of the suspected assassin Lee Harvey
Oswald in front of stunned millions.

This day, and all the recent days leading up
to the anniversary are filled with the memory
keepers, the conspiracy theorist, the still-grieving,
the noted absence of the missing who played
important roles in those days, those times. It is
the job of archivists to remember, and of journalists
and quasi-journalists, and bloggers and
stir-the-leaves-of-autumn-with-doubt types to
rehash, resurrect, remember remind, and reminisce
among the ashes of the time. Oliver Stone
will have his opinion again, that his epic assassination
film “JFK” was a kind of truth, about
the presence of conspiracy and conspirators,
although as you watch the actor Kevin Costner
pretend to be Jim Garrison, who was something
of a pretender to begin with, you may not
embrace the authenticity of the movie so much
even while in the grip of it.

Around here, we note again that John F.
Kennedy, who, on film, even with hard Boston
accents landing like an Irish clog dancer on
words at times, still looks like a man of our
times, modern, pragmatic, inspiring and energetic.
In the intervening years, we have learned
and gotten to know all too much about JFK,
the princely president and his family, not all of
which is savory. It matters not—in all the times
we have noted and remembered his presence at
this time of the year in this publication, our lingering
sadness at his absence has not wavered.
He was in his own way a Georgetowner, in the
sense that he lived here in his young man rising
youth, his young husband years, his years
of ambition pursued and his early young father
years. In Georgetown, we felt the presence of the
youthful man dashing ahead of himself to run
for president, to woo, court and marry the young
news reporter and aristocrat Jackie. It is here we
caught him leaning on a balcony, thin and dashing
as a boy, in white-t-shirt, thick hair. Here, in
Georgetown, we can still catch our breath at a
new and old sight of him in a television still or a
magazine picture from those days.

The history that has been added on over the
past 50 years is a family history—a telling of a
clan both blessed and unduly burdened with loss
and tragedy of the most public and reverberating
kind. Watching the restored George Stevens, Jr.-
produced documentary, “Years of
Lightning,
Day of
Drums,”
and seeing
Ted,
B o b b y
and Jackie
and John
Jr. at the
f u n e r a l c e r emonies is to
note they
are, like JFK, all gone too soon.
All these memories, however, including
dark knowledge, take nothing away from the
John F. Kennedy that inspired us to action. That
day 50 years ago is a kind of dark, muddled St.
Crispin day for those of us who remember it
clearly as young men and women, just starting
out, biting back the tears. That’s especially true
in our village where he served his time of knowing
youth.

Georgetowner •

On Oct. 30, Advisory Neighborhood
Commissioner (2E) Ed Solomon chaired a
meeting at the Georgetown Holiday Inn to discuss
the impact of the Wisconsin Avenue Lane
Reconfiguration in Glover Park to Georgetown
businesses and residents.

In attendance were representatives from the
Georgetown Business Improvement District,
Georgetown Civic Association, Cloister
Homeowners Association, Burleith Citizens
Association, ANC2E, Hillandale Homeowners
Association, Georgetown University, a representative
from Councilman Jack Evan’s Office,
Hardy Middle School, the British School and
businesses along Wisconsin Avenue.

All the participants expressed concerns that
the lane changes on Wisconsin Avenue were
having a serious negative impact on the residential
and business communities. It was agreed
that ANC2E should begin a dialogue with the
Glover Park ANC to address these concerns.
Commissioner Solomon reached out to the
Glover Park ANC to begin this process.

Georgetowner •

Secretary of State John Kerry, former
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
and former first lady Laura Bush gathered at
Georgetown University Nov. 15 for “Advancing
Afghan Women: Promoting Peace and Progress
in Afghanistan.” They joined forces to speak to
an overflowing Gaston Hall about the importance
in continuing to support and assist the
advancement of Afghan women.

Clinton who, in addition to being a former
first lady and former Secretary of State, is
the U.S. Afghan Women’s Council honorary
co-chair (with Bush) and a supporter of the
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and
Security. She spoke of the need for a society
to engage all of its members. Kerry spoke of
the many different levels of success that have
been achieved in Afghanistan since 2001, and
the terrible regression that would take place
if efforts came to a halt. “What has been
achieved is nothing less than remarkable,” he
said. “It would have been more than a tragedy
if the world ever allowed this progress to be
threatened or, worse yet, to be abandoned.”

Likewise, Bush expressed her worry that
attention would turn away from Afghanistan
and its women after the U.S. military departs
in 2014.