WASHINGTON D.C. HAS TURNED FROM HISTORIC CITY TO ONE ENORMOUS SWAP MEET

Visiting Washington, D.C. is not something unusual for a political reporter like me, but taking the time to visit all that Washington has to offer is. I realized some time ago that I spend as much time in Washington, D.C. and New York City as I do my home in San Diego, but have never really taken the time to see Washington for the historic city that it really is. Aside from living there as an intern and while I was a Marine, I never paid much attention to the place that so many across the globe consider to be the perpetual home of democracy.

My business in Washington was done on Thursday of last week so I decided to spend the balance of the week and the weekend going around town and taking in the sites that beckon to people across the globe. What I wanted to find out was whether or not the city that people visit by the millions had as much appeal for a history buff like me or whether or not it was simply appealing to the least common denominator. What I found was that Washington is, in fact, a city of history and culture, but one that has changed from the city on the hill to the biggest flea market and swap meet the world has ever seen.

From the moment you step off your plane, no matter the airport, youπre keenly aware that the place you have found is the center of America. Be it the red, white and blue colors that adorn just about every street corner, entry way, and public building or the fact that every t-shirt, coffee mug and trinket is emblazoned with the American flag or some other patriotic display ≠ Washington is one patriotic city. The colors that I expected were red, white and blue, but for some reason the one color I could not escape beyond all the others was green.

You would think that places that are historic in nature and supported by tax dollars would be open to the public for free ≠ at least the people who pay taxes should be able to see some of these places without paying a sometimes steep entry fee right? Wrong. Take a family of four, assuming two adults and two children, to see the historic former home and burial site of George Washington and be prepared to part with about $30 just to gain entry onto the site. Schlep your way around the gardens, take a tour of the mansion, stop at the slave quarters, and see the tomb, but donπt be surprised when the only way out of Mount Vernon happens to be right through the center of the retail and restaurant complex that includes overpriced chocolate bars, revolutionary war memorabilia and Christmas tree ornaments. I wonder if the simple George and Martha Washington would like the fact that their home has turned into the historic equivalent of a low class strip mall.

Visiting other open to the public memorials is not as costly because most donπt charge an entry fee, but consider the things that are peddled and pushed on every street corner from the Jefferson Memorial to the front of the White House. Aside from the hot dogs, ice cream, and various beverages that are sold by street vendors, just about every conceivable nick knack has been colored red, white and blue and is sold to unsuspecting tourists on the street corner. The democratic capital of the world has turned into a flea market with the government being a proud participant in the extortion of people who flock to taste freedom, but who end up, instead, sampling bad examples of capitalism run amuck.

There is something obscene about a cash register adorning the historic property preserved as a lumber example of how our first President lived. Equally troubling is the fact that you cannot enjoy a day walking the mall or any other historic site without being approached by someone peddling something. It is one thing to open tourist shops in appropriate places, it is something quite different to allow anyone who wants to sell junk to tourists take advantage of their patriotism by letting them park their little carts outside every historic marker in Washington, D.C.

Capitalism is fine, but surely there are parts of the Capital that conservatives and liberals alike would agree should be free from the "caching" of the cash register.