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Washington, Federal district of Columbia

by Robert Kopp (rkopp@cap.gwu.edu)

Justitis omnibus (Justice for all [if they can pay]).

HISTORY

In 2024, the Federal District of Columbia act extended the District of Columbia through out the Washington Metropolitan Area in Maryland and Virginia. This area included Montgomery, Prince George’s, and Howard counties in Maryland, and Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax counties in Virginia.

In 2029, when a computer virus struck computer systems throughout the world, riots broke out in D.C. In 2030, when the United States and Canada merged, D.C. became the capital of the U.C.A.S. In 2031, the newly-created Federal Capital Police (FedPol) helped end the riots.

In 2035, a series of bombing struck Union Station, temporarily slowing down traffic into D.C. The station was rebuilt by Amtrack. In 2040, Thomas Jefferson International Airport opens up in North Virginia, just south of the border with D.C. In 2043, Don Franco Mueller, leader of a second Mafia group in the Federal District of Columbia, becomes a member of the Mafia Commissione.

POPULATION

Total: 1,774,505

Human: 52%
Elf: 18%
Dwarf: 9%
Ork: 19%
Troll: 1%
Other: 1%

Unemployment: 15.8%
Per Capita Income: $25,538

GOVERNMENT

D.C. has self rule, but its actions are subject to veto by the Congress of the UCAS. D.C. has a popularly elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor. It has a District Council of 54 members. The residents of D.C. elect two senators and one representative to the Congress of the UCAS. Until 2024, D.C. had only a non-voting representative and a non-voting senator.

* Have ya ever noticed how the rest of UCAS doesn’t have to lobby Congress? They don’t have to answer to politicians who do nothing.
* Imper

* Yep. Throughout the 20th century, D.C. was lobbying Congress for statehood. Instead, more territory is added to the area under Congress’s control. Power-hungry jerks.
* Caesar

ATTRACTIONS

  • White House: The home of President of the UCAS. Tours supervised by a guard are given for $19.95 a person.

  • Mall: The Mall is a grassy area near the Federal Triangle. It is the sight of air shows and other displays.

  • Federal Triangle: An area bordered by roads on three sides adjacent to the Mall and near the White House. It contains the Interstate Commerce Commission, the Department of Justice, the IRS, the Federal Trade Commission, the American Archives (formerly the National Archives), and the North American International Postal Service, Inc. (formerly the US Postal Service).

  • UCAS Capitol: The UCAS Capitol, a building bordering the Mall, is the seat of the UCAS House of Representitives and Senate. Tours supervised by a guard are given for $19.95 a person.

  • Arlington Cemetery: Arlington National Cemetery was purchased by Historical Reconstruction Mages in 2032. It was closed to the public 2 years later. Rumor says that the mages are experimenting with reanimating the dead.

* Ya ever been near Arlington Cemetery? I tell ya, it’s spooky. I swear, I saw bodies walking around that. Them mages, that junk should be illegal. If a person’s dead, he’s dead. Sheesh. Let the dead rest in peace!
* Dracula

  • Washington Cathedral

  • Washington Monument

  • Jefferson Memorial

  • Lincoln Memorial

CORPS

  • Greenpeace: Greenpeace, a non-profit organization run by elves, runs the Greenpeace Aquarium, the Greenpeace Zoological Park, and Rock Creek Park. Greenpeace charges $10 admittance for all of these. Elves and Greenpeace members are allowed into Rock Creek Park free. Many elves haunt Rock Creek Park, the largest park inside a city in the world.

  • Historical Reconstruction Mages: The Historical Reconstruction Mages owns Arlington Cemetery, Mount Vernon, and Ford’s Theater. It charges $10 for admission to Mount Vernon and Ford’s Theater. Some people have claimed to see Lincoln’s ghost in Ford’s Theater and Washington’s ghost at Mount Vernon.

  • Congressional Information Archives, Inc.: The Library of Congress was privatized and incorporated in 2024. The corporation changed its name to Congressional Information Archives. It has the largest amount of material that exists in the world. Much of the information can be accessed through the Matrix. It was formerly free, but now access to information costs $5 an hour. Material cannot be taken out of the Library of Congress. CIA, Inc. also runs the American Archives, the Folger Shakespeare Library, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.

  • Smithsonian, Inc.: The Smithsonian Institution was privatized and incorporated in 2017. It charges $10 for admittance to its museums. It runs the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery, and the Smithsonian Museum of African Art.

  • World Geographic Society, Inc.: The World Geographic Society, formerly the National Geographic Society, prints maps. It also runs the Weather Bureau.

  • Capital Area Society of Theaters, Inc.: The Capital Area Society of Theaters, Inc. (CAST) runs the Shakespere Theater, CAST Theater, CAST Symphony Orchestra, Carton Barron Ampitheater, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $10 for children.

SERVICES

  • Police: Federal Capitol Police
  • Power: Potomac Electric Power Company
  • Matrix Public Access: Capital Area Public Access Network
  • Corporate Matrix Access: General Electric Information Services, Inc.
  • Subway: Metro Subway, a division of Metro, Inc.
  • Buses: Ride On, a division of Metro, Inc.
  • Train: Amtrack, Inc.
  • Train Station: Union Station
  • Airports: Washington National Airport, Dulles Airport
  • Telephone and Television: Bell Atlantic, Inc.

SCHOOLS AND LABS

  • Howard University
  • George Washington University
  • American University
  • Catholic University
  • Galladeut College
  • Universty of College Park
  • National Institute of Health

– Roberto Garcia, Reporter, Washington Post