For DC: Finally Some Representation with Taxation

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During the American Revolutionary war, "Taxation without representation" was a rallying cry for those opposed to England's heavy taxes on the American colonies without granting them any form of representation in England's government. After breaking off from England and establishing an independent, representative democracy this problem was solved for all inhabitants, right? Well, almost. Congressional representation is guaranteed by the constitution for everyone living in a state.

Section 2. The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several states, and the electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the state legislature.

No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the age of twenty five years, and been seven years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state in which he shall be chosen.
The nation's capital, Washington DC, is not in any state per se, and for good reason, since any state containing that city would likely be granted undue power in either the senate or the house. However, what that means for the permanent residents of DC is that they are afforded no voting representation (Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) is the current non-voting representative) at the national level in Congress, and might explain why DC license plates continue to have "Taxation without Representation" as their slogan.

However, all this may finally be set to change. Part of the Democrats' congressional agenda has been to secure legitimate representation for DC residents, and a bill that would ensure this has passed in Congress.

The budget measure passed 216 to 203 and was then combined with the voting rights bill that had passed.

Supporters called the bill's passage their biggest victory since 1978, when Congress approved a constitutional amendment to give the city two senators and a House representative. The amendment died after failing to win passage by enough states. The current legislation would not give the District senators.

A news conference after the vote drew a jubilant group of members of Congress, D.C. leaders and activists. They hugged and shook hands, savoring the moment.

"It's been a great day," said House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), who had emphasized in his floor speech that District residents haven't been able to vote for congressional representation since 1801. "It's never too late to do the right thing."

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D), who this week led thousands of people in a voting rights march on Congress, said residents "appreciate the history of this moment."

"This was a statement about our country's principles, values and morals. That we would no longer be the only democratic-represented country in the world where the citizens of the nation's capital did not have a vote in the national legislature," he said.
As with all things good in this world, once passed in a Congressional vote the White House threatens to veto them. Suddenly the White House's overwhelming concern for strict adherence to constitutionality represents a massive roadblock into getting another seat, which will almost certainly vote Democrat, into Congress. Curiously these concerns were nonexistent when authorizing measures to push forward Bush's own agenda, like illegally wiretapping US citizens, abandoning the principle of habeas corpus and violating treaty obligations by indefinitely detaining suspected terrorists in secret prisons. But clearly those were minor infractions, and the White House has to draw the line somewhere on important issues like granting its own citizenry representation in the federal government - such a thing would be too much to bear.

Fortunately for the White House, and unfortunately for the backers of the bill and the residents of DC, if the Senate approves this bill (and the White House doesn't veto it for fear of bricks through windows) it still faces an uphill climb in the courts. The constitution is relatively straightforward in granting only states the right to voting representation in congress and the senate, so a constitutional amendment may be the only way to secure this right for the residents of DC. Time will tell, but DC should hold off on any celebrations for now.

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