January 13, 2004

Taxation without representation

Today is D.C.'s primary. It has nothing to do with choosing the Democratic nominee (it is nonbinding, it ticked off the Democratic party, and the only "major" names on the ballot are Howard Dean, Carol Moseley Braun, Al Sharpton and Dennis Kucinich) and everything to do with trying to raise awareness of the fact that Washington D.C.'s 527,000 citizens do not have voting representation in Congress.

The Vote. Pretty fundamental. So fundamental that I don't think very many people outside this area even realize that residents of D.C. are disenfranchised, which is why D.C. added "Taxation without representation" to license plates a few years ago.

When I lived Down South (and in this case I'm not knocking the deep South, I'm just using it as an example of a part of the country removed from D.C.) I got the definite impression from people I met that it never occurred to them that people live in Washington, that real, honest-to-God American taxpayers who have nothing to do with (shudder) politics work here, send their kids to school here, mow their lawn here, buy their groceries here, walk their dog here, get sick and die here, and are ultimately buried here.

This is a home town just as much as any home town. In Detroit a lot of people have jobs related to the auto industry, but not everybody, and their interests are represented by Congressman John Conyers and Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow. In Las Vegas, a lot of people work in the casinos, but not everybody, and their interests are represented by Congressman Jon Porter and Senators John Ensign and Harry Reid.

And in D.C. a lot of people work for the federal government (not those senators and congressmen; remember, those politicians are sent here by their constituents, but they aren't Washingtonians) but not everbody, and their interests are represented by...well, there's Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, who can't vote for anything, and subcommittees in the House and Senate, and Maryland and Virginia take an interest in D.C., but they aren't accountable.

If you think there's something wrong here, there is something you can do: write your congressman and senators. Unless, of course, you reside in Washington, D.C.

Posted by Nic at January 13, 2004 04:01 PM | TrackBack
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