So not only did you not read the article, you didn't even read the headline?

> D.C. Tenants in Rent-Controlled Units Could See as Much as 8.9 Percent Increases

It's literally just reporting what the legal maximum rent increase is this year according to DC's rent control laws. Again, pricing software or market rates have nothing to do with the maximum allowable increase, it's the same calculation every year since 1985, "CPI + 2% but no more than 10%."

Imagine trying to be so snarky while demonstrating such profound ignorance.

I don't think you understand what a "low vacancy rate" means.

DC's class A vacancy rate is currently 5.7%, meaning 94.3% of class A (i.e. "luxury" apartments) are currently being rented. The national average for residential vacancy is 5.8% so DC is a slightly more competitive market.

No, it's all because of DC Official Code § 42-3501.01 otherwise known as the Rental Housing Act of 1985.

The DC council created a specific formula governing the amount landlords can raise the rent in that law, and this is the number allowed this year via that formula. Pricing software has literally nothing to do with this at all.

> with the exception of some of the newer buildings that are vastly overcharging.

If their vacancy rate is low, they're not overcharging, they're charging exactly what the market will bear.

It's literally just something you say to be polite.

It's the same as saying "fine" when someone asks how you're doing even if you're not fine, or saying "it was great to see you" after you run into someone you don't particularly like. Everybody knows it's a canned answer but it shows that you're willing to do the bare minimum to not be an asshole.

> This is the number of people between the ages of 18 and 24 moving into the city from a different state.

I'm guessing this is the reason, since someone who grew up in Bethesda or Fairfax is getting counted whereas someone who grew up in Evanston or Long Island and moves to Chicago or NYC isn't.

> (e.g you can only place the most boring bets)

Yeah, I am not a sports or betting person at all but I had a family obligation to watch the super bowl with people and I figured I could at least make some fun bets to make watching interesting.

They had literally none of the prop bets every other site had. You could bet on the outcome of the game and a few scores at the quarter/half and that was it. I didn't even care about getting good odds, I just wanted interesting bets. They could have easily had my money but instead they got nothing because their bets suck.

> Just can't understand how so many lives are lost over a few grams of drugs.

You are raised in a situation that gives you no hope for the future. Nobody you know has ever gone to college and many never even graduated high school. Many if not most of the male figures in your life have been in jail.

All your life people around you have solved problems with violence, because violence is the only thing that gets respect. If someone takes your toy or your lunch money at school you don't get rewarded by your peers or your parents for ignoring them and being the bigger person, you get called a punk bitch, and then even more people take your toys or your lunch money because now you're known as a punk bitch who doesn't fight back.

You live your entire life with this mentality - fight back or things will get worse. You start fighting back with pushes and punches and people back off you. You get older and instead of fists people use knives and guns.

You scrape together some cash to buy a couple ounces of weed or crack or heroin and you start selling and making some money. It's more money than you could ever make legitimately because you either dropped out of high school or got "socially promoted" into a diploma but you read at a 2nd grade level and can't do more than basic arithmetic. But then someone comes and robs you for your stash. It was only $20, $50, $100, not that much but if you don't retaliate you'll be known as a punk bitch and get robbed every time you reup. You won't be able to make money in the drug trade and you certainly can't make much money out of it, so you do the only thing it seems you can do - you shoot the person who robbed you so you don't get known as a punk bitch and can keep your income stream. You might not get caught, and already have the mentality that you're eventually going to go to prison or die young so what do the consequences matter anyway?

To people like us with other options and a better upbringing it seems unthinkable, but when you're in that situation it's completely normal.

I just went to your link and literally zero of the shootings you are apparently referring to are in Anacostia. In fact on the map you linked there are only two crimes at all in Anacostia, one burglary and one robbery.

However the map you linked is showing crimes in a massive portion of the area, all the way from Suitland (which isn't even in DC) to Carver Langston which isn't in the same Ward or even Quadrant as Anacostia, which leads me to believe that you either don't understand how to use or read that crime map or you don't know what Anacostia even is.

Get on the Metro and get on the first train going east.

From Capitol South, Cheverly is 16 minutes, Capitol Heights is 14 minutes. From Eastern Market or Potomac Ave it'll be even less.

Yeah, you could gamble on cholesterol taking you down after taking down a burger at Busboys and Poets or some cheesy grits at Open Crumb!

Or gamble on ventricular tachycardia after pounding too many coffees at the Starbucks or the Capital One Cafe!

Who knows, maybe a sculpture could fall on you and take you out at the Honfleur Gallery or a stage light could drop on you at the Anacostia Playhouse!

I guess you're right, there are many dangers we might not think about in a vibrant and fun community like Anacostia. Or were you just regurgitating a tired, racist, completely unoriginal trope?

Anacostia is in DC...

I've lived in DC for 37 years and have been a fed through Obama, Trump, and now Biden. I noticed basically zero difference in the "culture of DC" between administrations.

That being said, there are definitely city-wide mood swings. The weeks and months after the elections of Obama and Trump were definitely palpable in their jubilation and sorrow. The months after January 6th were noticeable in their shock and disgust. I don't think any of those things changed the overall culture of DC though.

Each new administration only gets about 4,000 appointees, only 1,600 of which require Senate confirmation. (i.e. are anyone actually important.) Many, probably most of them will choose to live in the rich MD/VA suburbs. There just aren't enough people to make a big difference.

Also, you're probably asking the wrong people. Except for maybe the upper crust of Georgetown and Kalorama who actually do hobnob with appointees at their clubs, us regular joes aren't connected with that world. You know where the biggest concentration of DC natives is? Wards 7 and 8. Nobody over here is getting invited to parties with Janet Yellen or Antony Blinken.

You get a lot of freedom to take risks and make less money when you've been making biglaw salary for a couple decades.

That's definitely the common thread in this thread: "I used all the money I made in my high-stress/high-pay job to subsidize my low-stress/low-pay work." Not a lot of "I was making $70k and now I'm an organic basket weaver" stories because those people don't have the luxury of dropping out of the rat race.

> Trump wanted to move entire agencies thousands of miles to reduce headcount.

Well yeah, but the goal of reducing headcount wasn't because we couldn't afford to keep them employed, it was to force all the competent people who could get other jobs to leave so that the agencies would be crippled and unable to provide oversight, enforce regulations, or distribute services to the "wrong people."

> My on campus day is 90% shooting the sh*t with everyone who's in.

I'm 100% convinced that despite "productivity" being the ostensible reason for returning to the office the actual reason is that the higher-ups who make the decisions miss their office shit shooting, business lunches, and escape time from their spoiled kids and loveless marriages.

Oh wow, yeah that's not good at all.

I can't speak for general anesthesia but mine was twilight and I barely experienced any of the surgery. I remember waking up for like 30 seconds where I was conscious and could hear teeth crunching but I couldn't feel a thing and quickly went back under.

Not sure if he is still practicing (Google Maps says permanently closed but he's still on heathgrades and zocdoc) but if he is I'd suggest Dr. Carl Ruderman in Riverdale Park.

He took out all 4 of my wisdom teeth (plus a bonus molar the wisdom teeth had crushed) and it was a nearly painless process.

He also took my crappy insurance and the total bill was very reasonable.

> How difficult would it be to get to a GS12, if I'm not on a ladder position?

If you've got a college degree and your 5-7 ladder is in the same field, you'd be on a great track.

I doubt you'd be able to jump straight from 7-12 since 12 requires a year of experience at the 11 level and it would be very hard to argue that your GS-7 job provided you with GS-11 equivalent experience, but I imagine you could probably get in on a 9-11 ladder pretty easily especially if your 5-7 job is competitive service.

From there you're just a good connection or desk audit away from 12.

Also, don't listen to the people saying you can't make it here on that salary, you absolutely can. As others have said you'll definitely need roommates, but thousands of people come here every year and find rooms in group houses. I know NPS Park Rangers start at GS-5 and there are a lot of them who work here and live together. I'm not sure how you'd connect with them (maybe there's a subreddit or message board somewhere?) but it might be a good place to look.

> Stay away from Charles Koch Foundation, Americans for Prosperity.

Man, who could have possibly predicted right wing organizations dedicated to making the rich richer and eliminating all social safety nets and worker protections would be a shitty place to work?

I mean, nobody's forcing you to buy this particular shitbox of a condo.

There are similar sized condos in the city for half the cost. I personally think that one has a much more livable layout anyway.

You could buy a rowhouse for the same price and actually pay less since there's no condo fee.

Shit, you could even buy a single family house with a yard if you don't mind the appliances being a little dated.

No need to go to Laurel or Fredericksburg, there's plenty of stuff in DC more affordable than $600,000 "one bedrooms" that are actually studios.

I just looked up one of the listings there. Holy shit, $600,000 for a railroad 1br apartment with a glorified closet for a bedroom. With condo fees you're paying over $4,000 a month for that trash.

But hey, what a location! You're close enough to hear the fights over dice games in front of Big Ben!

> You believe that others should be forced to make sacrifices in order to achieve greater density

Who exactly is being forced to make sacrifices?

Did I miss the headline where Bowser is sending jackbooted thugs to grab you out of your home and throw you into a studio apartment and shooting those who don't comply?

Costco has 25lbs for $21.99 right now.