On one memorable occasion he had to be dragged out of Metro Hall after lying on the carpet in an apparent protest against the proposed market-value assessment. [read post]

Blonde and blue-eyed, with a winning smile, she works a quiet government job in the suburbs of Maryland while raising a baby girl by herself.She likes to go to concerts in D.C. with friends, wonders if her daughter will start walking soon, and exercises regularly to get rid of her (largely imagined) excess poundage.And like many other Americans, Melanie (not her real name) is climbing her way out of a quicksand trap of credit card debt and rising prices for goods, while trying to provide a… [read post]