On the Particular and Peculiar and Unsatisfactory Constitutional Position of Washington DC

[danieldwilliam]

Washington DC has a particular and peculiar constitutional position in the US.

DC is a federal district, as provided for in the US Constitution, rather than a state. Consequently DC has no senators and can only send an observer status member to the House of Representatives. Were DC a state it would qualify for the two senators and, with a population of some 600,000 one Representative. They would all three be Democrats.

The citizens of DC are therefore under represented at a federal level. They do pay federal taxes though. Worse is to come. At a local (state) level DC has a legislative council but it’s status is only advisory. It can be, and often is over-ruled, by Congress.

Many citizens of DC are unhappy about this and have used what political powers they have to change their licence plates. Specifically, licence plates are issued by states and federal districts with one of one or more mottos on them.

The DC licence plates read “No taxation without representation.”

Comments

[danieldwilliam.livejournal.com]

They do have beer. In fact the standard of beer in the area was quite high. Generally confirming my view that we live in a Golden Age of Beer.

Actually, I’m not sure that DC itself has a brewery. I’ll need to look through my notes. There were certainly decent breweries in Maryland and Virginia.

[widgetfox.livejournal.com]

One out of two ain't bad.

[danieldwilliam.livejournal.com]

And most people tend to prefer beer to voting.

[widgetfox.livejournal.com]

What's your view on that question? #singletransferablepint

[danieldwilliam.livejournal.com]

If the choice is I can have either beer or meaningful voting rights but not both for the rest of my life I’d take meaningful voting rights.

I would then vote for a reduction on duty on whisky.

Although I would miss beer on a daily basis, voting is important and irreplaceable in ways that beer isn’t.