Inauguration reemphasizes need for D.C. representation
Saturday, January 29, 2005 at 02:06PM
TheSpook
DC is 60% African American
The District of Columbia is the capital of the world's oldest
representational government. Within its borders, representatives and
senators from 50 states debate and enact legislation.Yet the
563,384 residents of the district have no voting representation in
either legislative chamber. There is no parallel to this situation
anywhere else in American politics. Exaggerating felon lists to
eliminate potential voters, as Republicans did in Florida in 2000, is
undemocratic and offensive. In the case of Washington, D.C., there is
no particular action to discuss and no details to ponder. The residents
simply lack the representation that every other American citizen living
in the United States has. Adding injury to insult, last week's
inaugural bash diverted $12 million from D.C. security costs, and,
defying long-standing tradition, Bush is refusing to reimburse the
district for his outrageously costly festivities. Some say that
contemporary Republican opposition to D.C.'s enfranchisement is based
on partisan politics. More than 90 percent of D.C. voters chose Kerry
in November, a more lopsided result than any state. Republicans would
simply be weakening their power base to support enfranchising D.C..
Others suggest that racism plays into the disenfranchisement of D.C.,
which, if made a state, would be the only one with a black
majority. The arguments against D.C.'s acquiring representatives
are varied. Some argue that, since the district was never intended to
be residential, its residents should not be treated like residents of
the states. [more]