July 16, 2008
Voting Rights Advocacy Continues Full Steam
August will soon be upon us, Congress is about to duck out of town and the only thing most people can talk about is presidential politics. But that's not stopping the District voting rights movement, which continues to push forward in its fight for full voting representation in Congress.
On Tuesday the D.C. Council voted on legislation calling for electronic signs to be placed outside the Wilson Building and Nationals Park that will tally the amount of taxes paid by District residents while not enjoying full voting rights. Wait, didn't they vote on this already? They did, but the legislation was amended for a second vote to take into account that the increasingly Grinchish Lerner family shot down the idea of any such sign in the park. The new legislation merely calls for the sign to be placed on public land near the park. According to a source, Council staff is looking to design and place the electronic signs quickly.
In related news, legislation was introduced yesterday to rename a stretch of South Capitol Street SE "Taxation Without Representation Street SE." The bill, which was sponsored by Council member Kwame Brown (D-At Large), would apply the name change to the stretch of South Capitol Street that lines the western side of the new stadium (between N Street and Potomac Avenue). OK, so it's no Fun Street, but we'll settle.
Finally, the folks at DC Vote have rolled out a new newspaper ad pushing for D.C. voting rights. The ad features the image of a flag-covered coffin with the following message: "192,406 DC residents have served in the military since World War 1. 1,686 DC soldiers died defending America while being denied democracy at home. 0 DC veterans are allowed a vote in Congress. Outraged?" The ad has been running in Hill newspapers and on conservative and liberal blogs. (A screen-cap of the online version of the ad is pictured above.)
After all of this activity, voting rights activists deserve a good few weeks off.
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As nice as representation would be, I'd even be willing to settle for the budget of a senatorial office returned to DC taxpayers. Actually, that's probably worth more to me than a senator.
The average senator's budget has to be at least a few million, right?
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Statehood is reserved for those people that honor the 2nd amendment. Sorry D.C.
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We do honor the second amendment...now...
I, for one, would love to see those signs up. Its a start.
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"I, _____, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."
They died in support of the Constitution, not democracy.
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RJ: It doesn't say they died in support of democracy.
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"Taxation Without Representation Street SE." Sounds like "Zei Alley" to me.
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From the original Washington Post story:
Also yesterday, the council voted on bills that would address energy consumption and place electronic message boards for voting rights at the John A. Wilson Building and Nationals Park.
Did they also authorize an electronic message board celebrating irony?
This same article discussed the difficulty the council had in passing bills for funding school repairs, yet this bill seemed to pass effortlessly. People, if we don't educate the children now, who will come up with the ironic protest-billboards of the future???
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They died in support of the Constitution, not democracy.
Excellent technical debater's point.
So F 'em.
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Actually, IM, I'm chuckling too hard over the stupidity of Taxation Without Representation St SE.
But kind of you to put my name in bold. I'm honored, flattered, and a bit turned on.
Is this stret renaming just some sort of honorary renaming,or is it an actual renaming?
If it's real, it'll be fun to see city workers trying to cram all those letters on a street sign.
I'm all for voting rights, but this is just stupid. DC Council is upset because the Nats wouldn't let the stadium be used for political posturing, no matter how noble the cause.
So they rename the street the stadium is on? Doesn't that seem a bit childish?
How much is this stupidity costing the taxpayer?
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No it doesn't, but we all know what the Constitution says about the District and who gets Congressional representation; and to subvert those intentions is to be considered to be a domestic enemy of the Constitution….The irony will never end.
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I just wish they had the money to hire a real graphic artist. That poster looks like one of those pop up ads that ask whether I like George Bush or whether I've thought enough about my life insurance needs.
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Can you imagine if a fire breaks out in a building on Taxation Without Representation Street? What would that 911 phone call be like?
Stupid stunt. More kvetching about how the Lerners are a bunch of meanies. How about kvetching about the city not having written a good enough lease with the Lerners for the stadium? Nah. That would take too much brain power and effort. Easier to write a bill renaming a street.
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@Cranky Maybe we'll get better terms on the new Soccer field.
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I'm still puzzled about the Wilson building placement. Why not instead buy some ads at National Airport or in or near the Verizon Center? Y'know, where the non-DC residents might be.
I also assume that every Wednesday is Taxation Without Representation Night at Junkpunchers: An American Brasserie. Everything's a little shittier than normal and servers don't take your order. They just hand you some food and a bill.