Three Promises If You Pass 77

There is a lot of uncertainty in DC regarding Initiative 77 on the ballot this week and what it will actually accomplish or devastate. If you want to know my credentials, I have worked in the restaurant industry for the better part of the past 25 years in California, Maryland, Hawaii, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC. And I have a degree in economics. I currently am a tipped employee in a restaurant in our nation's capital, and I have three promises for you if you enact this proposal that seeks to give me an hourly wage raise that I do not want:

Dining will get more expensive. I know the intention here is to get businesses to pay their staff better, especially at the lower level small places where people - often immigrants - are finding it very difficult to make ends meet on just over $3 an hour plus tips. DC is a liberal city, obvious liberal answer is to create an artificial price floor for labor above that which the market has determined. This will increase the costs of running a full-service restaurant significantly, and menu items across the board will see a jump as all operators struggle to provide a great product and still turn a profit. This will be a city-wide phenomenon, as all restaurants will feel the pressure, and we can infer that DC voters are stating that they don't mind paying more to help those less fortunate. You will get your chance to pay more at the end of your meal. In any scenario, the customers will be paying the wages of the staff - tipping or not.

Being a food server will change. Proponents of Initiative 77 claim to have the welfare of the employee in mind with their vote. Some restaurants may choose to abolish tipping (chefs here in DC have already openly pondered this, although with paying their cooks more as and end goal), which will result in many of the best and most experienced in our field looking for work in Maryland or Virginia, or another state where they can try to earn what they believe is their true market value. Some restaurants will get by with a minimum wage service staff. Due to the higher cost of labor, shifts will be limited to 40 hours or less with no opportunity to work overtime shifts. Expect restaurants to adjust their model to utilize fewer bodies - a bartender, a manager, and some food runners can serve a small restaurant, and they can get rid of the seasoned waitstaff (I've seen this in California.) Servers, bussers, and food runners, the tip credit allows you to be an affordable luxury to your restaurant; calculations will be made to determine which luxuries need to be restricted or eliminated.

Restaurants will close. Obviously, people will still dine out, but where? How will restaurants restructure, and how will patrons adjust their choices? There are so many young establishments in DC that are small businesses; will they be able to weather the storm? Will investors seek other markets? Will talented chefs take their cuisine to other cities? There are many variables, but there are already an overabundance of restaurants in Washington; some sort of purge might not be the worst thing in the long run, but what if the places that are willing to cut corners are the ones best positioned to make it through? People will cite other states whose restaurants manage to pay these higher wages and survive, but these situations should not be equated for a few reasons - one being they are states, not cities bordered by two states within walking distance.   

You are free to disagree with any of these claims and more, but the majority of us in the service industry are not asking for this. The best among us show up and work long hours to try as best we can to take care of our guests and earn a proper reward for our hospitality. This proposal threatens our ability to prosper, and I hope you will at least defer to those of us who have to live with your decision.

NO on 77.

Memorial Day

“I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.”

 – Abraham Lincoln’s Letter to Mrs. Lydia Bixby (November 21, 1864)

Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Washington, DC

US Marine Corps War Memorial - Arlington, VA

Korean War Memorial - National Mall - Washington, DC

Memorial Day 2010 - Overlooking Washington, DC from Virginia

Arlington National Cemetery - Arlington, VA

US Air Force Memorial - Arlington, VA

US Navy Memorial - Washington, DC

“…that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” 

– Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (November 19, 1863)

Love Actually Is All Around

Love has many faces. The following is my attempt to exhibit some of what I have found in my travels and in my own neighborhood.

All photographs Copyright J. Mark Porter Photography 2014

Baby Niece - 2009

Love helps us to survive. A mother's touch is one of the first proofs of love that most of us recognize and perhaps the most powerful. My twin nieces Elizabeth and Katharine were born early during the winter of 2009 and needed to be held in the NICU until they were stable and strong enough to face the big bad world. I was immediately taken with (right after the beauty of the babies) the soft pink and blue lighting that surrounded the girls and took a number of shots - all without flash, due to the fragile nature of the environment - and I am grateful this is how I was able to capture one of the first moments of this girl's life.

Blue Mass Procession - 2012

Love is often exhibited in how we honor our fellow man. Every year at my church, St. Patrick's, in Washington, DC, a "Blue Mass" is held to honor the previous year's fallen American law enforcement officers. The church is always filled with representatives from many states and various arms of the law, including Border Patrol, Secret Service, Sheriffs, local police, etc. Love is showing appreciation for those who earn it and showing solidarity for a shared purpose.

Family Surf - 2013

Family love is a unique natural bond that has no equal. There is a lot of talk about what in fact a "family" is, but there is something special about the gift from God that is a team of blood ties. Oftentimes, family love is the most unbreakable. I love the beach. Pictured here is a family of surfers at Huntington Beach checking out the surf before heading out. Obviously, the dad is sharing his passion with his kids and it's something they all will be able to enjoy and have in common for a lifetime.

Dominicana and Child - 2009

Two major components of love are protection and dedication. "To love" could also mean "to care for." When we watch over another life and take responsibility for their welfare or success, we love. On a trip south, I was honored to learn about two countries on one island - Haiti and Dominican Republic. Without going into too much detail, there is much poverty on this island. While not far from the United States, it seems a world away in some ways. While I meandered through the city of Santo Domingo on a very hot summer day, I came upon this woman and child, both sleeping on the side of the road. In the US, we might expect see this scene with shoes on feet and a hat seeking spare change. Here in the Dominican Republic, I think they truly had nothing... except each other. Scenes like this always make me nervous as a photographer, because I hate to intrude, however I think it is in instances such as this that we see the the raw humanity of being human. With nothing else, there is still love.

First-Time Mom - 2006

I find it hard to think that the love between a mother and her child can be overstated. Here is a candid moment of a woman who is taking in the realization that her life is forever changed by this new life in her arms. As a first-time parent there must be a million things that pass through the mind, from thinking of simply how to keep her alive through the next few moments to what she might look like in her wedding dress. Pictured is my favorite sister-in-law Jennifer and my niece Alexandra in the summer of 2006. I remember holding my niece in that very same chair and thinking about things in this world that she would eventually have to face - such as a crazy dictator in North Korea launching missiles. While love comes with its own kind of heavenly peace, it certainly gives you a compass for what is truly important in this world.

Family Fourth - 2011

Far from the only species of animal to do this, but when we love, we want to impress. When we love, we give reasons for why we ought to be together. Basically, love is why we try. This photograph was taken from a patio of one of the US House office buildings on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Fourth of July.

Grandma's Birthday - 2014

Love is in the moment. While we all hope that love lasts a lifetime, eventually we learn that all things change, and all things end. Love is not in a book or somewhere far away, but it is in the moments that can present themselves to us every day. Far from a grandparent's consciousness are the minute details of worry, and maybe even the frosting on the cake, but the simple joys of a life well lived during precious moments. Pictured is my godmother on her birthday with two of her grandchildren on her lap. Even with one child making a sour face and the other not even paying attention, in her eyes I see that everything is perfect.

Inaugural Pride - 2009

Speaking of moments, there are some that bind even strangers together. In love, you simply have to let down your guard and accept certain things. Some special moments allow us to come together in a way that we otherwise never would. Love is a powerful phenomenon, and when properly harnessed can do great things. While I had absolutely no desire to be a part of this crowd that day, because it was very cold and I did not feel like celebrating a symbolic and superficial election, the crowds that flooded the streets of Washington from before daylight to be a part of the first Inauguration of President Obama were a spectacle of joy, pride, and love of country. Love is about more than oneself.

Old Roses - 2013

Maverick and Goose -2010

It is hard to imagine much in this world that is perfect, but I do believe something that is is God's love for us. Why else would He allow us such beauty? I am by no means perfect, but I am often in awe of what I see before me. The philosophy that guides my art is not that I can create, but I only do my best to capture what has already been created. If you believe in a loving God, then you know that we only love because He has loved us. This image was captured in Miami on a simply gorgeous early morning. The sunrise was magical, and the providence that allowed me to be a witness was perfect.

"Dear friends, if God loved us that much, we also should love each other. No one has ever seen God, but if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is made perfect in us."                   - 1 John 4:11-12

Rest in Peace, Mr B - 2013

Love hurts. While love can never precisely be measured in units, it is felt in grief when we reach an end. While endings result in sadness, true love lasts beyond our earthly bodies... or why else would we have funerals and cemeteries? Yes, love hurts, but it also endures from man to man and memory to memory. This photo was the only one I took during the funeral and burial of the father of a friend I have known since first grade.

St Pancras Lovers - 2013

Last, but not least, love captures our hearts and gives us hope. You may be thinking that I have neglected romantic love, and you may be right. First of all, I didn't want to embarrass anyone by putting their romantic relationship on display for millions to see. Secondly, what I know about romantic love is that it must be sought and it must be cherished. It is its own piece of art that becomes a constant in a sea of variables. It is what we find when we dare to journey, and it takes on a life of its own. Love inspires us to dream of what could be and gives us the strength to get there. This photograph shows Paul Day's "The Meeting Place" statue at one end of London's St. Pancras International Rail Station which welcomes many a traveler whilst exuding the pride of many a Londoner.

Blossoms Revisited

It was the 7 o'clock hour early in the morning in Washington DC. The annual Cherry Blossom Festival has yet to begin, but the pink buds are beginning to burst open with life and transform the view around the tidal basin once again. This precious fleeting beauty is a reminder of so much in life that seems to come and go in the blink of an eye.

Behold.