Federal Government - Tumblr Posts

Charles Wesley Harris, Congress and the Governance of the Nation's Capital

Donald Rowat, a Canadian political scientist, and Charles Wesley Harris both study federal capital cities worldwide. Apparently there is a literature surrounding the tension between local and federal political power in these cities. I also need to get my hands on Harris' Perspectives of Political Power in the District of Columbia : the Views and Opinions of 110 Members of the Local Political Elite.

Definitely a sub-field worth looking into.

The full text of the legislation granting District residents the right to elect their own mayor and city council.

DST is Dumb

The purpose of DST (daylight saving time) was originally to conserve energy. Apparently, it does conserve the use of light sources and some electronics, but the trade off is an increased use in heating and cooling systems. Basically, the supposed reason DST was instated (and reinstated) was for a one percent save on energy, but consumption goes up from two to four percent in the fall. Not only that, but DST screws with airplanes and millions of dollars is lost (because of DST) due to scheduling changes and lost connections overseas. DST is maintained by the federal government, and not even all of the US adheres to it. Anyway, time is a construct. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.