August 4, 2005
Name Another One for the Gipper?
There are two seemingly popular traditions in politics that DCist likes to make fun of: politicians from Texas trying to decide how things here in the District should be, and naming everything in a 5 mile radius after President Ronald Reagan. The two traditions recently came together in a proposal from Congressman Henry Bonilla, House Representative from the 23rd District of Texas. Bonilla's grand idea, which was put forth on July 28? Renaming 16th Street NW "Ronald Reagan Boulevard." Cited from the bill:
SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.The street in the District of Columbia known as 16th Street Northwest shall be known and designated as `Ronald Reagan Boulevard'.
SEC. 2. REFERENCES.
Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States or the District of Columbia to the street referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to `Ronald Reagan Boulevard'.
The bill has since been referred to the Committee on Government Reform, and frankly, we can't really imagine it'll go anywhere. But still, the thought of renaming a major thoroughfare in D.C.'s grid already has our heads in a tizzy. DCist is kinda tired of answering questions like "Why is there no J Street?" and "Where is this state's street?" and, seriously, we really just can't handle any questions about "Where did 16th Street go?" or "Why is Reagan the only president with a D.C. street named after him?" Please, think of our sanity.
Image from Rep. Bonilla's site
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In other news, the Mississippi River is now the Mississippi Reagan.
oh, HELL NO!!!
maybe we should call dc "reagangrad".
in the future, this man will be about as infamous as the almighty Bejamin Harrison, or as he was called by his friends, "ole number 23"
Bonilla was the Rep who went on the Daily Show during the Republican National Convention and got torn apart by Jon Stewart for quoting figures without any knowledge of their source or their context. It was great television, and it really showed that this guy is just a GOP hack.
With problems such as terrorism, health care reform, global trade, and deficits, I'm glad to see that Congress is tackling the issues head-on.... by renaming a street.
Bonilla can shove his proposal up his Reagan.
"Why is Reagan the only president with a D.C. street named after him?"
Uhh...he wouldn't be.
L, you're right. i don't know what i was thinking. obviously the reagan naming plan has already gotten to me.
Like L said, there are plenty of Presidential streets. Off the top of my head, I can think of Garfield St. NW, Cleveland Ave. NW, Monroe St. NE, Harrison St. NW, Kennedy St. NW, Buchanan St. NE, Taylor St. NE, Jackson St. NE, Hayes St. NE, in addition to Washington Circle...I'm sure I'm forgetting others...
Still, a completely stupid idea, because it would subvert the numbered grid system. Also because Reagan sucked.
It's times like these I wish we had Mike Grass on staff again. But unlike the streets you name off, Ben, 16th St. NW is a major major road for DC... which makes it much worse in my mind, and amplifies your second paragraph.
And the Nationals have been renamed the Washington Reagans.
Oh, of course I agree with you, K. Totally stupid idea.
Anyone who would like to express their dismay about Mr. Bonilla's new-found interest in our city can call his DC office at (202) 225-4511.
I'll make a deal for Mr. Bonilla and his GOP compatriots. I'll happily call it Ronald Reagan Blvd. if they allow DC to have full voting representation in the House and the Senate.
Think they'll go for it?
Rather than rename a major thoroughfare such as 16th Street for Reagan, how about applying his name to an appropriately useless piece of road, such as the closed portion of Klingle Road, west of Porter Street?
I think this is a great idea, but it doesn't go far enough. All streets should simply have "Reagan" put in front of them. So you would take Reagan Connecticut to Reagan Dupont Circle, then get off on Reagan Massachusetts Avenue. You take that down to Reagan Mount Vernon Square, then take a right on Reagan 7th St. NW. If you want to stop to take in a movie at the Reagan Regal Cinemas at Reagan Gallery place, feel free, and then continue on to Reagan Independence Avenue.
Etc.
If they name too much after him, eventually tourist will get more lost than they do now.
Also, if 16th is renamed, how long until a Republican President Rips up Lafayette Park so they can change the address of the White House? I wouldn't put it past them...
I've long thought the city should rename the 1600 block of Penn Ave NW as "No Representation Way" or "No Democracy Avenue". I like the idea of uninformed hinterlanders having to get and send mail to a White House address that points out our lack of voting rights. Seems like a fair trade if Congress rams this Reagan $%#^ down our throats.
I am so sad now that I'm moving when my lease comes up. To think, I could have resided on Ronald Reagan Boulevard. Sigh.
DCist is kinda tired of answering questions like "Why is there no J Street?" and "Where is this state's street?"
Well aren't you just martyrs for answering my question about Ohio Street (which doesn't exist).
yes. exactly. yes we are.
There is an Ohio Drive. It's on Hains Point.
Just Dave,
How very wrong you are! Ohio Drive does certainly exist -- it goes along the Potomac down towards the FDR and Jefferson Memorials and over into East Potomac Park. Every state is represented, last I checked, though not necessarily as a street or avenue.
Martin
as originally pointed out in the ask dcist from the departed mike grass.
but not, like, dearly departed.
During college, my roommate and I used to hang out at the John Ericsson monument on Ohio Drive behind the Lincoln Memorial. We skateboarded there one summer after getting a tour of the Scientology temple on Connecticut.
temple, center, whatever.
Eesh. Has the Congressman -never- navigated the streets of our fair city?
If he really wants to name something after Reagan, why can't he follow the normal street name conventions and rename Rodman St. NW?
I suggest you send a lovely email message to Bonilla. He reps the 23rd district, so you need to know a zip in that code to use the web form. I used 79735 to send this:
Dear Honorable Jackass:
Keep your Reagan-naming to your children and public items in your own damned backyard. Why don't you name your daughter Ronald Reagan? Why don't you rename your hometown Reaganistan? How would they like it? Hell, why don't you rename yourself Ronald Reagan Jr? Aren't we in the middle of a war? Aren't you supposed to be on vacation? Don't you have the important duty of holding press conferences demanding stamps for every remaining national holiday? Why 16th St NW? Why not some run-down bodega lined trash-heap street deep in the bowels of SW, where the true and lasting impacts of Reaganomics can still be witnessed to this day?
If the TAX-PAYING residents of Washington, DC, wanted some self-inflated turd from the other side of the country to start renaming our fair city, you can be damned sure we'd find someone with far more intelligence than yourself, perhaps someone like Pauly Shore, Carrot Top, or the dead carcass of David Koresh, long gone son of your good for nothing motherland. Go back to Tex-ass, you jerk, I think someone's looking for a sucker to punch.
Jesus, what is wrong with you people?
Thanks, Mooseknuckle. I needed the laugh. And you're so absolutely right, too.
Mooseknuckle is my hero for the day!!!!
Sorry, I meant to say "Ohio **Ave**" above. There is no Ohio Ave, which is why I posed the original question to Ask DCist as to why (seemingly) every other state in the union gets an "Avenue" but Ohio gets a lowly "Drive".
At first I objected to the idea of having Ronald Reagan's image on one of our dollar bills but now that I've thought about it a while I think I'm going to support the idea JUST so that way when the bill's in my wallet he can be kissing my ever-loving, fat, hairy, warty ass.
No California Ave either - California St.
This is an exceedingly bad idea having nothing to do with what one may or may not think of his politics. The street at issue has a very clear designation of 16th Street Northwest which is well known and, although I am not from Washington DC, I would expect that it conforms to and is consistent with local street designation practices. Furthermore, being a numbered street, presumably of a value of an appropriate order of magnitude in relation to lower and higher ones around it, its current designation even indicates where we can expect to find it in relation to other streets which the proposed replacement designation would not. It appears the proposal is to change the name, but even if it was only offered as an honorary designation it would still be a bad idea. There will be an expense in implementing this, especially if there are addresses associated with the street at issue. It is one thing to change a street name or other addressing issues for greater clarity especially if they have been poorly implemented, but whether this is an official change or merely a supplementary designation, this will unnecessarily create confusion at least temporarily and perhaps permanently to change something which is fine as it is. This is simply a particularly prominent example of an unfortunate practice that is to be discouraged wherever it may be considered. I have developed a 55 page addressing legislation proposal and am a participant member of a national addressing standards committee, and I can say with great confidence that there are already far too many poorly implemented addressing conditions without our needing to create any additional ones.