"If liberty and equality, as is thought by some are chiefly to be found in Democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in government to the utmost."
--Aristotle--
"If you want to be free, there is but one way; it is to guarantee an equally full measure of liberty to all your neighbors. There is no other."
--Carl Schurz--
Happy Birthday America. Thousands of celebrations will take place all over the country tomorrow. Tomorrow there will be a great outpouring of national pride and patriotism, but there still remains one last bit of unfinished business. What would you say if I told you that there are over a half million Americans that do not have a vote in the legislative body that has the final say on laws and policies in their community? If you are like most people, you might think I am either joking or asking you a trick question. I am not. Five hundred seventy thousand American citizens and residents of the District of Columbia ("D.C") live that reality everyday. Or to put it in a more historical perspective the residents of D.C. are being treated just like the colonies; they are required to pay federal taxes without having a vote in the United States Congress. Thus begs the question: isn't it time that D.C. was set free?
The issue of D.C. receiving the same rights as the rest of the country, i.e. full voting rights in Congress and full autonomy over local matters, has been debated for decades. However, for various reasons that appear to essentially boil down to simple partisan posturing, thousands of born and raised American citizens are still denied the same participation in their national government as people that live only a few miles away. Before I go on let me answer you smart folks that always asks "why don't people in D.C. just move to Maryland or Virginia or why isn't D.C. reabsorbed back into Maryland?" First, D.C. is still American soil so American citizens should be able to enjoy the same rights and privileges regardless of where he/she resides within this country. Second, the suggestion that D.C. should be reabsorbed by Maryland so that its residents could get the same privileges as the rest of the country is incredible. D.C. has been around for longer than most states and it has evolved its own identity. It is no more reasonable to ask the residents of D.C. to give up their identity as it would be to ask West Virginia (which has operated independent of Virginia for less time than D.C. has operated independent of Maryland) and Vermont to give up theirs (which has been a state for only about ten years longer than D.C. has been separated from Maryland politically).
Opponents to D.C. independence have made several arguments against D.C. receiving what every other American citizen has. There is the argument that this is what the founders intended. This is a specious argument. First, that assertion is debatable. Second, there are several things that the framers of the Constitution did not intend that we have today like the end of slavery, voting rights for African-Americans and women, and personal income taxes. All of these things were added to the Constitution via an amendment so the same can be done for D.C. (I know that an amendment was attempted in the 1970s but another can be attempted). There is the argument that the District of Columbia should not have voting representation in Congress because it has been a bed of corruption and does not properly manage its own affairs. If that was the standard for every city, town or village, there would be a great number of people in various states throughout our history as a nation that would have lost their voting rights a long time ago. There is an argument that the residents of the D.C. have a greater influence on Congress due to its proximity to Congress. This is a particularly funny argument considering how several conservative members of Congress have interfered in purely local matters in D.C. in order to either appease lobbyist or court "value voters" in their home districts. And there is the argument that the whole Free D.C. movement is just a ploy by the liberal left to get a safe seat in the House of Representatives and two safe seats in the Senate. While there could be some merit to this argument, the same can be said about the motivations behind much of the opposition to D.C. receiving full voting rights and complete local autonomy.
It still defies logic, reason and our principles as a nation why D.C. is still taxed by the federal government without a vote in the federal government. If you really think about it, none of those arguments really make any sense whatsoever. The issue of whether D.C. should receive full voting rights in Congress and complete autonomy over local affairs is not one of just laws, original intent, or political loyalties. The answer to the this issue is one of identity. Who are we as a nation? Do we still believe in the principles of this nation? Do we still believe in freedom, democracy, and equality? If we do then there is only one answer that will fit with those beliefs and that is for the residents of D.C. to receive the same rights, privileges, and voices as the rest of the country. Period. There is no logical excuse to deny the residents of D.C. full voting rights and complete autonomy over local matters, unless you have more loyalty to a political party than the principles of this country.
For decades the arguments for and against D.C. freedom have been motivated by partisan and in some cases maybe even racist reasons. It is true that D.C. is likely the most liberal Democratic stronghold in the entire country so the Democrats would be more than happy for the District of Columbia to receive a house seat and two senate seats. It is also true that for the same reason there are a copious amount of republicans that would oppose D.C. receiving full voting rights and complete local autonomy.
Well, to both parties I would say check your political agendas at the door of commitment to our principles and values as a nation and get try to act as Americans instead of democrats and republicans. If either party is worried that by giving D.C. full voting rights and complete local autonomy it will affect the balance of power between the two parties, then I have a solution. Give D.C. the vote and whoever is voted into Congress by the residents of D.C. will not count for the purposes of House and Senate party control for twenty-five years. This way, it will give each party a chance to develop and maintain a presence in D.C.
You know that you believe in something when you steadfastly hold onto it even when it is not convenient. The real issue that remains is our commitment to democracy, freedom, and equality and whether we as a nation have the wherewithal to live out our values as a people. If we as a nation believe in democracy enough to put Americans in harms way and to send billions of Americans' hard earned tax dollars over seas to help establish, maintain, and defend the democracy of other people then we must give the residents of D.C. the same thing that residents of Maryland, Virginia, New York, Florida, California, Michigan, Arkansas, Kansas, Texas, Illinois and the rest of the country has. The time for debating whether D.C. should have full voting rights and complete local autonomy has passed. The time to ask ourselves what we really believe in is upon us. If we believe in lip service to our values and principles as a nation then we can continue with the partisan motivated tug of war between the liberals and conservatives. If we believe in democracy, liberty, and equality for all Americans then there is only one thing left to do . . .Free D.C.!
I totally agreed with this article, except for the point that we should not allow whoever is voted into Congress by the D.C. residents to count for the purpose of House/Senate party control for 25 years to allow both parties to develop a presence in D.C. No way, I say! That would be giving into the republicans who fear that the current makeup of the city would ensure that the seats would be liberal democrats! Let’s face it, both parties have a presence in D.C. – it’s nearly impossible to escape party politics living there, as it is plastered all over the media, news, etc., so why should we give republicans 25 years to catch up! You said it well when you said that political agendas should be checked at the door! Honestly, I don’t think there needs to be a solution to counteract the effects that this would have on the balance of power between the two parties. I grew up in Indiana which is pretty much a hardcore red state and 25 years wouldn’t be long enough! Republicans need to do what they can to win the votes of the D.C. residents and this shouldn’t be a consideration – D.C. should have representation! Your Blog raised some great points and definitely made me empathize with the plight of the D.C. resident. Sadly, I didn't give this much thought when I actually lived there!
Posted by: Heather | July 07, 2006 at 02:27 PM