6 posts tagged “dc”
As we prepare to celebrate America’s Independence Day, it feels fitting to look at our nation’s capital.
‘No taxation without representation’ may have been the rallying cry of the American Revolution but more than 200 years later, Washington, DC’s residents pay federal taxes but have no voting members in Congress. To add insult to injury, Congress can take control of the city whenever it wants.
Article One of the US Constitution created the capital:
“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; (http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/freedom/constitution/text.html)
It is important to note that the nation’s capital is a ‘district’ not a state. This distinction is important because the founding fathers did not want to give any one state the preferential treatment it might receive if it were located in a state and because they wanted the federal government to have full control over its security. George Washington selected the location and picked the spot the closest to Mt. Vernon, his home. In 1790 the name was changed from ‘Territory of Columbia’ to ‘District of Columbia’ and named for Washington.
District residents were not permitted to vote in presidential elections (and could not until 1961, when the 23rd Amendment to the Constitution was ratified) but that doesn’t mean they liked it. Congress began meeting there in 1800 and local protests about the lack of representation followed. Congress retained full control of the city until 1973 when it passed the ‘District of Columbia Home Rule Act’ that created a city council and allowed the city to elect its mayor. That has not stopped Congress from taking over the city whenever it wants.
So what can be done? It’s a quandary for sure. Any change to the District’s status would have to be done via a Constitutional Amendment, and that seems unlikely. The proposals have included; giving the residential areas to Maryland or Virginia and leaving only the federal building as ‘DC;’ creating a Congressional District in Utah and one for DC; statehood (before you think it’s too small, it has more residents than at least one state); or making it a federal territory that would not require residents to pay federal taxes.
Personally, I am not sure what the correct or best answer is. I do know that while the people who wrote the Constitution did not want every point of view or opinion to be represented, they expected voters to be. Now, a lot has happened since we ratified the Constitution and created DC. Senators are elected directly. We have expanded dramatically (when Thomas Jefferson completed the Louisiana Purchase for $15 million, he didn’t think his decision was Constitutional), women can vote, slavery has been abolished and the largest federal government building (the Pentagon) is not in the capital city but across the river in Virginia.
I read a lot from people who feel disenfranchised because their Congressperson or Senators don’t vote the way they want them to and while I sympathize, they at least have three people in the legislative branch to whom they can complain.
If you have a chance, this site is fun. It's based in Washington, DC and has some fun people/commentary. Check it out! www.crunchland.com
For as long as I can remember, if it was Sunday it was Meet the Press. It is the oldest, and most profitable, show on television. Its host, Tim Russert, died yesterday after collapsing on the set. When I read that I assumed I read it wrong and it still seems completely impossible. I met him once and kind of pissed him off. I attended a party for the show and when I got there he was talking to fans and colleagues on a receiving line. Well, I don't wait in line to meet anyone and waited until that was over to introduce myself. He was done talking to people he didn't know and let me know it. I told him that my mother and watched the show each week and it was our 'family time.' He liked that and warmed up to me. His roots were legendary and as Andrea Mitchell said, "we all know more about Buffalo than we ever thought we would know.' Additionally, he loved sports and was on the board for baseball's Hall of Fame. One MTP producer recommended I talk to him about baseball in the green room.
As a number of networks go into their second day of "Remembering Tim Russert" it might be easy to be bored of him and his life. That is unfortunate because his contribution to the American experience will not be easy to exceed. He asked politicians tough, but fair, questions. A lot of people may have dismissed his style of 'gotcha interviewing' -- and lest you think you will get away with saying something on camera, if he asked you about it, he also had footage. It forced people to confront their own statements. Dick Cheney got pretty good at denying things he had said and done. He was able to keep his show fresh and relevant when other shows could not. I watched it because I learned something new every week.
So tomorrow morning will suck.
Variety is the spice of life…
Thank you, Speaker Pelosi. This week the newly Democratic House of Representatives passed a bill that would give the nation's capitol a seat in the House of Representatives. This bill adds to seats to the House, one for the Democratic DC and another for the Republican Utah. It is shameful that American citizens have no voice in our government. For DC, the injustice in compounded because Congress exerts controls over that city that are unique to it. So the lives of its residents can be changed and there is no one in either chamber of Congress who can speak for them. As an elementary school student, I was always taught we separated from because we did not like the idea of 'taxation without representation,' a phrase that adorns many DC license plates. Even without the undue influence the Legislative branch holds over the District, it is deplorable that these people can serve (and die) in the military, pay taxes and enjoy all the other rights and adhere to the obligations of US citizenship, they do not have any voice in Congress. The Republicans let this bill languish and have supported something else, returning DC to Maryland, an idea with no support in DC or Maryland. One funny part of this is that I saw some DC news coverage -- www.myfoxdc.com -- and it was truly hilarious. The anchor reiterated Dubya's statement that he will veto this bill but the anchor added -- "He will be more inclined to sign the bill IF the Senate votes to pass it." Things brings up an interesting point SEEING THAT THE PRESIDENT CANNOT SIGN ANY BILL BEFORE THE SENATE PASSES IT. D'Oh!
If you would like to see this measure passed, please call you Senator -- the Capitol switchboard is 202-225-3121.
It was one step back and one step forward for the left...
No, not all supporters of gay rights support abortion and not all abortion supporters are for gay rights (and the reverse, maybe there are some abortion opponents who support gay rights, I mean sam sex couples will not produce any pregnancies). New Hampshire seems on the verge of joining some other northeastern states (Vermont, Massachusetts,Connecticut,New York, Maine and DC) in allowing either civil unions or marriages for gay couples. Personally, I have never understood why anyone thinks allowing gay people to get married is ANY threat to straight marriages. Are these people so attracted to the gay lifestyle, or whatever they think it is, that should gay marriage become the law of the land (and it will one day, like it or not, it's kind of like technology -- it will come to your area, though if you really oppose it you can become like the Amish or something) most married straight people will say "Oh! My! God! I can have sex and marry someone who is the same gender as me, I am out of here!" Is straight marriage that fragile an institution? And is it not true that having more married couples increases the stability of a community? Isn't that one of the reasons so many people wanted to get rid of the 'marriage penalty'? For the record, and really this should not matter, I am a straight woman. A few years ago a number my friends came down here for a march on the DoJ and commitment ceremony and the issue hit home. I had never thought much about the right to get married but there is something special in getting up in front of your friends and family and proclaiming, "This is the person I want to spend my life with." Ok, they can do that now without any new laws but those laws are needed so that one partner can make critical medical decisions should the other become ill. If two people remain in a committed relationship for years and years, what right does anyone else have to interfere in what one of them wants if they become ill? Under today's laws, that life partner often has no rights and the family can swoop in and take over. This is especially egregious when the relationship has been acrimonious and they shut out the sick person's partner from even seeing their loved one.
The one step back was the abortion ruling but I have written about that and more will come later.
Let's Go Mets!
To hell with you George Will, Shea Stadium is AWESOME and the DH is an abomination against all that is good and holy in the world.
Crash Davis said it best (Kevin Costner in Bull Durham), "I believe there ought to be a Constitutional Amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter." Truer words were never spoken. Ever.
There are few things closer to my heart than politics but sports is one of them. My favorites to watch are baseball, football and tennis. I can watch baseball or tennis on the Internet. While my heart belongs to the Mets, I went to Opening Day at RFK in Washington, DC and saw the Nationals. It seemed wrong that the nation's capitol didn't have a baseball team. It IS the American pastime after-all. The poor Nats lost 9-2 but not too much was expected of them. My onlt real complaint was they need more ATMs.
Last year was hard at the end. Good news: The Mets made it farther than most teams. Bad news: Scott Spezio kicked some ass. I have to admit that as much as I wanted my team to win -- the whole 1986-2006 thing would have been awesome but we lost to a team with more heart. And I am as ok with that as I possibly can.
My first words, I think, were Maybe next year. So now I can say, Maybe this year. The team looks good and I am optimistic. Of course, it is APRIL.
You gotta believe!
News Flash! Media finally cares that President Bush’s lies have been bad for country, planet
Two speeches, two presidents, two political parties and what a difference a political party makes.
Anyone awake and alive during the Clinton Administration remembers the eight words that got him into trouble (I did not have sex with that woman). Sent the GOP, who had been trying to get him out of office since before he moved into (former Congressman Bob Barr wondered aloud how they could oust him should the impeachment not work). Once the allegations became pubic during an investigation into some of the ’ investments, a feeding frenzy began. Never mind the charges levied had nothing to do with the original issue being investigated, EIGHT words nearly brought down one of the most popular presidents of the century. And it subjected us all to a media circus 24/7 for years.
As luck would have it, his successor experienced a similar problem. Dubya also lied during his 2003 State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress (it is a crime to lie to Congress) about his case for a war against . Later when criticized about his statement the White House press office was astounded anyone would worry so much about 16 small words. This was repeated, a lot. They whined – it was only 16 words. Of course they were “The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.” None of that turned out to be true. Some people tried to get the word out that this was false and the White House respose was to discredit them anyway they could. Their methods are known now, they ‘outed’ a covert CIA operative, which ended her career, put countless people at risk and hurt our ability to gather intelligence. The concern about Saddam's nuclear program is one of the reasons we rushed to war. Remember Iraq was no threat to us, our allies or its neighbors, destroyed any goodwill generated by the 9/11 tragedy and created more terrorists than we can catch. Most experts agreed the US had NO IDEA HOW TO RECONSTRUCT IRAQ. I attended a number of hearing in at NGOs, think tanks and before Congress and was struck by how many people shared that view AND SUPPORTED THE WAR. It felt like everyone knew a train wreck was about to happen and rather than try to stop it, they cheered it on.
As we enter the fifth year of this war – whose supporters said would be swift, take few troops, incur few casualties, there would be little or no insurgency and Saddam would have ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction” – we know THOSE THINGS WERE WRONG. WE ALSO KNOW THE PEOPLE WHO PUSHED THOSE IDEAS KNEW THEY WERE FALSE BUT THEY SENT OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN TO DIE ANYWAY. Not to mention the scores of injured Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis. Of course, VP Dick Cheney has made a ton of money (is that too cynical?).
So here we are in a war we cannot win. Dubya has not given us any idea what victory will be. At this point, I think it is just that there are no more American troops in a country where we are not wanted and our miliatary has started the rebuilding process. The problem is that these people lie so much and about so many things that we have turned into that proverbial frog in the boiling water. The temperature was raised so slowly that he didn’t notice he was being boiled to death and no one notices when they lie. At most the new elicits a yawn. Maybe. If that.
Until today.
Today all that changed when the press finally wrote up a full summary outlining all the failures, lies and incompetence of the Dubya White House and called for many high-ranking officials to be impeached or fired.
GOTCHA! APRIL FOOLS DAY! NO ONE CARES ANYMORE TODAY THAN YESTERDAY ABOUT ANYTHING THEY DO.
One wonders, does George W. Bush have to shoot someone himself for people to notice he sucks?
