Taxation Without Representation

[B Calm]

Over a half million people who live in the District of Columbia are taxed without voting representation in congress. They should have one congressmen and two senators.

[A HERETIC I AM]

1. This is an issue that has been around for decades.

Remember during Shrubs 1st inaugural he refused to ride in a DC registered Limo because it had one of these plates on it?

[Bitwit1234]

3. Of course they would be democrats and CONS don't want that.

[Joanne98]

2. Bush said he'd veto it.

[B Calm]

4. Why would he be against voters being represented in congress?

Fear of a bigger democratic majority....

[Joanne98]

5. Yep. DC is very very blue.

[unblock]

7. vote? this would require a constitutional amendment, woudn't it?

[JVS]

6. I'm not a fan of DC getting a new status

The consttitution was pretty clear on the status of DC, and if this needs to be changed, I'd prefer it be done without inventing some half-state status like you suggest.

here are possibilities I prefer

1. keep everything the same
2. redivide all parts of DC which are not government property to maryland and virginia and let the people be represented within those states
3. declare residents of DC exempt from federal taxation

[B Calm]

8. Why divide the District to two states when more people live in

the District of Columbia than the state of Wyoming?

[JVS]

10. because sending the land back to the states that governed it...

makes more sense to me than creating a quasi-state with 1 senator

[fortyfeetunder]

9. Guess what I think representation will stall, until---

DC loses it "Chocolate City" image and gets a majority white population -- This move is racially motivated, KWIM?

Two pieces of trivia:

1) DC residents couldn't vote for POTUS until 1964
2) DC only got a non-voting representative to Congress about 10 years later...in what was called limited home rule.

[rug]

11. They should merge it into Maryland instead.

[JVS]

12. yeah