With Obama, DC Residents Hope For A Voice

[davefromqueens]

Source: Boston Globe

In recent years, residents of this city - the "last colony," some call it - have resorted to political theater in their fight for representation in Congress. They dumped tea into the Potomac River. They sarcastically petitioned for reunification with Britain. They produced license plates that proclaimed they lived in a place of "Taxation Without Representation," which President Bush refused to put on his limousine.

But now, after two centuries of complaint, the District of Columbia may finally be about to get a full-voting representative, if not two US senators and the ultimate goal of statehood. President-elect Barack Obama is an original cosponsor of the DC Voting Rights bill, which would turn the city's congressional delegate, who has limited power, into a full-fledged member of the US House.

Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/12/31/with_obama_dc_residents_hope_for_a_voice/

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This should be one of the first things Obama does. There is no reason why 700,000 people should be denied the right to vote for a Senator. There are more people living in Washington DC than there are Wyoming.

There is no logical reason for anyone to oppose the DC Voting Rights bill although I'm sure the racists in the GOP will do so.

[Captain Hilts]

1. Congress took it away and will now have to give it back. nt

[glowing]

2. Only reason why they haven't yet is because the sick reps are scared

shitless of people showing up with weapons and taking back their country.. so they have a ban on all weapons... giving them full access to the constitution allwos the dc residents to the full protection of the constitution, and that means the right to bear arms..

[tritsofme]

3. This can only be accomplished through consitutional amendment.

Any law passed by Congress giving voting rights to an entity that is not a state is unconstitutional, and would definitely be declared as such by this SCOTUS.

[customerserviceguy]

4. Since the number of House representatives is limited to 435

then DC's rep is going to have to come from an existing state. Given that the predominantly red states have been growing in population, and the blue states have been shrinking, my guess is that this rep will have to come from a blue state.

[jberryhill]

5. No Reason... except maybe the Constitution of the US, but whatever

Congress shall have the power:

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;

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What part of that do people not get?