Rep. Allen West (R-FL)

Our license plates have long complained of “Taxation Without Representation.” Now, one Republican congressman says he’d like to change that slogan to “No Taxation, No Representation.”

According to The Hill, freshman Rep. Allen West (R-FL) — who said that “you don’t see anyone suffering [in D.C.] during a Meet the Press roundtable last November — has floated the idea of exempting District residents as something of a quick-fix for the city, which for over 200 years has been denied the democratic rights enjoyed by all Americans.

“I have seen the license plates that say there should be no taxation without representation. I have to do more research on the issue. The District of Columbia was designed to be the home base of the federal government so I would have to see what the Constitution says. If you live in the District, perhaps an exclusionary zone should be set up where District residents do not pay federal taxes,” West said.

The idea isn’t exactly new, having been proposed in the past by everyone from local voting rights activists to one of the District’s biggest foes, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX). There’s some obvious pros, but also some distinct cons that would need to be considered.