Democracy?
I don't often read the editorials in the Washington Post because, for the most part, they annoy me. However, one that appeared yesterday proved to be an exception (for the most part). It had to do with according the citizens of Washington D.C. a voting representative in Congress.
DON'T BELIEVE for a second the excuse that a lack of time doomed the chances for legislation giving voting rights in the House of Representatives to the District of Columbia. Or that the decision was put off because of worries that a D.C. voting seat would not pass constitutional muster. At this point, the only plausible explanation for the demise of the bill is that Republican leaders in Congress and the White House oppose democracy for anyone who happens to live in the nation's capital.
President Bush sat on his hands as House GOP leaders spurned a valiant effort by Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) to get a floor vote on the issue. Never mind four years of careful negotiation; never mind broad bipartisan support. Never mind, for that matter, that it is only fair to give all citizens, no matter their addresses, a say in their government. "Shameful, sad and worse" is the way former Republican congressman Jack Kemp, a longtime advocate of D.C. voting rights, characterized the bill's death at the hands of his party.
...D.C. citizens pay federal taxes. The District's young men and women go off to the Middle East to fight for a democracy they are denied at home. Republican leaders blew a perfect opportunity to remedy this disenfranchisement. Many Americans, and not just those in the District, will be watching to see whether the next Congress can do better.
Look, D.C. is not just the physical location of the federal government, it's also a major city. People live there, go to school there, shop there, pay taxes there. Because of an anomaly in history, it is not located within a state, but the people there are citizens. They are entitled to real representation in Congress, just like the citizens in Milwaukee, Atlanta, Ames, and Salt Lake City. They should not be treated like America's red-haired step-children.
I don't care about any 'brokered deals.' If it takes giving Utah another congress critter, fine. There are probably enough people in that state to justify it. I don't care if it's going to mean another Republican. Giving the people of Washington D.C. full citizenship rights shouldn't require such a deal, but if that's what it takes, do it.
That the current Congress couldn't see fit to close the deal is beyond disgusting. It's down right shameful. And unAmerican.
DON'T BELIEVE for a second the excuse that a lack of time doomed the chances for legislation giving voting rights in the House of Representatives to the District of Columbia. Or that the decision was put off because of worries that a D.C. voting seat would not pass constitutional muster. At this point, the only plausible explanation for the demise of the bill is that Republican leaders in Congress and the White House oppose democracy for anyone who happens to live in the nation's capital.
President Bush sat on his hands as House GOP leaders spurned a valiant effort by Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) to get a floor vote on the issue. Never mind four years of careful negotiation; never mind broad bipartisan support. Never mind, for that matter, that it is only fair to give all citizens, no matter their addresses, a say in their government. "Shameful, sad and worse" is the way former Republican congressman Jack Kemp, a longtime advocate of D.C. voting rights, characterized the bill's death at the hands of his party.
...D.C. citizens pay federal taxes. The District's young men and women go off to the Middle East to fight for a democracy they are denied at home. Republican leaders blew a perfect opportunity to remedy this disenfranchisement. Many Americans, and not just those in the District, will be watching to see whether the next Congress can do better.
Look, D.C. is not just the physical location of the federal government, it's also a major city. People live there, go to school there, shop there, pay taxes there. Because of an anomaly in history, it is not located within a state, but the people there are citizens. They are entitled to real representation in Congress, just like the citizens in Milwaukee, Atlanta, Ames, and Salt Lake City. They should not be treated like America's red-haired step-children.
I don't care about any 'brokered deals.' If it takes giving Utah another congress critter, fine. There are probably enough people in that state to justify it. I don't care if it's going to mean another Republican. Giving the people of Washington D.C. full citizenship rights shouldn't require such a deal, but if that's what it takes, do it.
That the current Congress couldn't see fit to close the deal is beyond disgusting. It's down right shameful. And unAmerican.
Labels: Democracy
posted by Diane at 4:37 AM
3 Comments:
I don't care if it's going to mean another Republican.
It wouldn't, which is why they sat on it. Actual residents of DC are overwhelmingly poor and black, not a big constituency for the Republicans.
Actually, it would have been a wash. Utah was going to get another congressional district as part of the deal which presumably would go to the GOP.
There's a new article supporting D.C. representation on the Social Science Research Network (academic article repository). It's the newest article on the Top 10 list under "Inequality and the Law" - fifth I think. Thought you might be interested. Oh, and the link is http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=947650.
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