D.C. residents may soon by voting for their very own United States representative, if a bill proposed by Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) before the end of term passes through the Senate. The District has long been denied a voice in the federal government, with conservatives insisting on strict constitutional interpretations of statehood to block D.C.'s likely Democratic vote.
In the meantime, our nation's capital has grown into a metropolis of more than half a million people, passing by Wyoming and quickly gaining on Vermont. And although D.C. population surpasses other states, political shenanigans have derailed past attempts at changes in the federal structure.
The new bill will add another representative from Utah, in an effort to appease Republicans on the Hill. Utah, a largely conservative stalwart, fell only a few votes short of gaining a new representative in the 2000 census. The voters from the District historically vote democrat, and adding a probably Republican representative from Utah will keep the balance of power even.
It's about time that those in Congress realize what The Eagle has known for years - D.C. rocks. The surrogate home of many at AU, D.C. has served us well - from Foggy Bottom monuments to U Street nightlife to Adam Morgan trysts. However, the bill only validates what the D.C. vote movement has been saying for decades. And if it's considered constitutional for the District to have a representative in the House, where's the rationale for keeping them out of the Senate? Why not go all the way?
With a half of million urban voters denied a voice in their legislature, the Senate is flunking Civics 101, and playing a game of political "you'll get yours, when I get mine," probably is not the best way to alleviate the problem.
Luckily, the D.C. Vote resolution is expected to pass this term. The days of "Taxation Without Representation" may be coming to end, coincidentally at the same time that D.C. becomes rapidly gentrified. While the connection has yet to be studied, any visitor to Dupont or U Street would see that the city's mostly blue-collar, minority residents are being replaced with young and yuppie middle-class professionals. This educated set won't sit by without their rights, and they very well may be the force behind the political changes shaking the Capitol these days. But regardless of the motives, D.C. may soon be getting its place at the federal mike. Yet when the time finally comes, whose voice will we hear?
