Our nation’s capital is a mess (Opinion)

Homelessness, tent cities, crime, filth. Not the words that should come to mind when describing what was my home for many years and a shining city and beacon for the world.

We spent the weekend in DC as I was speaking at an event, we hosted to discuss why New Jersey matters to the rest of the nation. It was a great opportunity for Jodi and me to revisit the old neighborhood and take in some sights and of course the food that DC has to offer.

Unfortunately, the city has truly devolved since we lived there in the early 1990s. People living on the streets, encampments under the overpasses, and strange and clearly mentally unstable people roaming the parks.

As much as it reinforced our decision to move to New Jersey in 1997, for me it was a homecoming, for Jodi it was one more step north toward New England.

We tried over the years to get back to DC and hit some of our favorite restaurants, and bars and visit old friends. Of course, kids, careers, businesses, events, and general life craziness kept the trips to a minimum in the past 20 years.

The last few conferences that I was speaking at in the Capital City were actually in Maryland and Virginia and we didn't have the extra time to visit our old neighborhoods. This time, we carved out an afternoon to visit and grab lunch.

Sadly, the overwhelming homelessness, weirdos wandering the streets, and tent cities made the visit less than enjoyable and has me hoping that President Trump will address the situation and yes, Make DC Great Again.

We'll be back in late February, let's see how fast a little leadership can turn the place around.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own.

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