Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Taxation Without Representation
Government Forces DC to Spend Homeland Security Funds on Inaugural
You know, I get pretty tired of hearing that I should expect to give up my right to representation because I live in the Nations Capitol. This argument makes no sense to me. The District of Columbia has more residents than Wyoming (home of Dick Cheney) and its resident's pay $19 billion a year in federal income tax, more than Kentucky, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Delaware, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia. In addition to this, unlike most cities at the heart of DC is the federal government, so while New York City, Chicago or Los Angeles have a city center rich in tax paying businesses, DC's heart is the freeloading federal government which pays no property taxes, or city taxes.
What makes matters worse, is that the Feds frequently force the city (to which they pay no taxes and consistently underfund in federal outlays) to pay for a wide rage of security operations for the federal government. Police overtime for the World Bank meetings frequently run into the tens of millions of dollars and now the feds are leaving us with the security bill for the inaugural and they're forcing us to use our limited federal Homeland Security outlays to pay for it.
I used to think that many of the problems with DC arose from the city government, after all we have Marion Barry. But that's only a small part and besides, DC electing crooks and liars makes us no different than any other city. But a great deal of my beloved city's problems arise from the federal government not respecting our rights and giving us a say. Of course this commentary isn't directed solely at the current majority party. The GOP has been quite forthright in saying the don't believe the District should have voting rights. The Dems paid lip service to us for years and did nothing. A pox on both your houses!
U.S. tells D.C. to pay inaugural expenses
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6810085/
You know, I get pretty tired of hearing that I should expect to give up my right to representation because I live in the Nations Capitol. This argument makes no sense to me. The District of Columbia has more residents than Wyoming (home of Dick Cheney) and its resident's pay $19 billion a year in federal income tax, more than Kentucky, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Delaware, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia. In addition to this, unlike most cities at the heart of DC is the federal government, so while New York City, Chicago or Los Angeles have a city center rich in tax paying businesses, DC's heart is the freeloading federal government which pays no property taxes, or city taxes.
What makes matters worse, is that the Feds frequently force the city (to which they pay no taxes and consistently underfund in federal outlays) to pay for a wide rage of security operations for the federal government. Police overtime for the World Bank meetings frequently run into the tens of millions of dollars and now the feds are leaving us with the security bill for the inaugural and they're forcing us to use our limited federal Homeland Security outlays to pay for it.
I used to think that many of the problems with DC arose from the city government, after all we have Marion Barry. But that's only a small part and besides, DC electing crooks and liars makes us no different than any other city. But a great deal of my beloved city's problems arise from the federal government not respecting our rights and giving us a say. Of course this commentary isn't directed solely at the current majority party. The GOP has been quite forthright in saying the don't believe the District should have voting rights. The Dems paid lip service to us for years and did nothing. A pox on both your houses!
U.S. tells D.C. to pay inaugural expenses
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6810085/
