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An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.


"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil—he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good—he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

First People - The Legends. Cherokee Legend of Two Wolves. November 16, 2004. [accessed April 7, 2012].

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Prince George's County works to be the next home of the new Headquarters of the FBI


               Prince George's County needs the new FBI headquarters; deserves the new FBI  headquarters and is best situated to provide the infrastructure for the headquarters. A GAO  report explicitly notes that "[a]ccording to FBI and GSA assessments, the FBI's headquarters facilities--the Hoover Building and the headquarters annexes--do not fully support the FBI's long-term security, space, and building condition requirements."[1] 

               In a recent news story, Senator Cardin is quoted as saying that "[t]he FBI urgently needs a new home...The sheer overcrowding at the J. Edgar Hoover Building and the lack of physical and information security there and at 20 overflow offices scattered throughout the area at best complicates the FBI's important work and at worst severely compromises national security."[2] The detailed federal report "..identified a need for a headquarters facility containing an estimated 2.6 million gross square feet—including 2.1 million useable square feet—to house nearly 11,600 personnel. Required site sizes were estimated at between 55 and 65 acres based on zoning assumptions for suburban and more urban locations."[3]  Prince George's Countym vt rgw qT,  has a "quarter of the region's federal work force, but contains only about 4 percent of the region's federal office space."[4]

               Bringing the hi tech jobs that go with the FBI headquarters represents the type of economic development to which this county should be dedicated. Prince George's County needs to become more than a sleepy bedroom community that serves the needs of other jurisdictions. It is good to see the County Executive move quickly to assemble a team to bring this project to the county and taking advantage of existing infrastructure. This is the kind of development that can rejuvenate our established communities or enhance our developing tier. 

               Senator Cardin took a leadership role that resulted in the Senate's direction to build within two miles of a Metro station and 2.5 miles outside the I-495 Beltway, though these same conditions make it possible for Montgomery County to pounce on this choice project too. Mr. Cardin also worked to ensure that the project contain about 2.1 million square feet of rentable space with 170 square feet per employee. This will create demand for retail and will address sustainability issues at the same time.  And, the Seantor supported a limitation of 4,300 parking spaces, again strongly supporting a ecologically sensible and sound development project for Prince George's County."[5]  The Prince George's County Executive's office said that the resolution's criteria bode well for the county; that is good to hear.[6]
              



[1] GAO-12-96. Actions Needed to Document Security Decisions and Address Issues with Condition of Headquarters Buildings. November 8, 2011. [accessed  January 16, 2012] http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-96
[2] Charles S. Clark. Plan To Relocate FBI headquarters advances. GovExec.com December 9, 20125 [accessed January 16, 2012] http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1211/120911cc1.htm
[3] GAO. Actions Needed to Document Security Decisions and Address Issues with Condition of Headquarters
Buildings.  November 2011. [accessed January 16, 2012] http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/586151.pdf
[4] Philip Langdon. GSA will put federal agencies near Metro stations. New Urban News Publications. December 20, 2012. [accessed January 16, 2012] http://bettercities.net/article/gsa-will-put-federal-agencies-near-metro-stations-15724
[5] Andy Medici. Washington-area counties ready proposals for new FBI HQ site.  Federal Times. January 12, 2012. [accessed January 16, 2012] http://www.federaltimes.com/article/20120112/FACILITIES02/201120301/ 
[6] GSA will put federal agencies near Metro stations

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