Headline: Politics and Sales are binding my budget
Everything about living in this city is great. The history, the free entertainment, the – WHAT?! Seventeen dollars for a haircut?
Perhaps, in true honor of some governmental programs, the liberal area of D.C. may be diverting funds from one sector to another. I may not be paying for what I think I’m paying for. Try reading that again, if you want.
A little background on subsidies will further our purposes:
Subsidies can be a fairly helpful tool used in an attempt to keep certain markets running smoothly. Farmers are often supplemented with subsidies when the market demands less of their product. But the money needs to come from somewhere. Federal taxes pay for many subsidies. The money is rerouted from other areas of the economy that are doing well.
I’m beginning to think my entertainment joys in D.C. are really being paid for through my other bills.
Let’s take a look:
Cheap rent: Around $600 to $700.
Taking a cab 12 blocks because we were lost: $18
The previously mentioned haircut: I can’t even bring myself to say it.
I never expected the city to cost less than living in the thriving metropolis of Logan, but I didn’t know where the costs were going to be, and things seem a little backward. Aside from student activities, there is plenty of entertainment in Logan, or near Logan, which seemed to attract my carefully budgeted money. Cost of living is cheap in our neck of the Beehive State, but you have to get creative to have fun. The reverse can only be true for the East Coast. Less than two months of my rent here will pay for my entire semester of housing in Logan. I may even have money left over to afford health insurance.
Compare my living costs here to the free symphony on the lawn or a tour of the White House. The museums alone deserve a lengthy discussion. Air and Space, American History, the Holocaust and more – all of those for free! Something looks and feels backward here.
As a side note, we were interrupted by the Secret Service before the tour could begin. I believe it was a visit from a dignitary, but we were promptly escorted off White House property for about 45 minutes. In all of this cost of living talk, it needs to be said: The cost of feeling like a security breach was happening at the White House while I was there – priceless.
I guess it could be worse on me financially. At least I’m not living in my friend’s Manhattan two-bedroom apartment for $3,000 a month, right? That’s a pretty dark side for a ‘bright side,’ but I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do.
It’s not all that bad. Just like some politics, having connections can be pretty helpful. Interns may not be the most connected of all people, but they get thrown a favor once in a while.
Maybe I should look at it from a sales perspective rather than political perspective. Maybe the ‘free events’ – as impressive as they are – are just the attraction to get there. Once I’m in, it’s like buying candy at the movie theater.
That’s the ticket, or rather, a lack of one. There’s no need to buy a ticket to see Dorothy’s original ruby slippers, but take one step outside the museum and you can pay out-of-the-park prices for an almost-ballpark hot dog.
The prices here are enough to make any intern click their heels and say, “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like …”
Jacob Fullmer is a junior studying political science and journalism, spending time in Washington, D.C., as an intern grateful to have more than your average stipend.