Taxation Without Representation

Today is a good day. The Democrats have taken the House, will probably take the Senate, Rumsfeld has resigned (for an Iran-Contra guy, but still), there are Democrat governors in Southern states like Arkansas, and Missouri (Missouri!!!) has protected the rights of researchers and patients to use stem cell research. Now that the voters have finally expressed what I've been saying for 6 years (ahem, Bush sucks and Iraq is a really bad idea), let's see what the Dems do with it. But, for one day, let's just lay our cynicism aside and bask in the idea that America can be a better place.

Well, that is, if you are actually one of the "privileged" Americans that have the right to vote. That's right, I, unlike all you other state-residing citizens, didn't get to vote for a House or Senate member. Well, I did, but it was for a "shadow" one. You know, like an imaginary friend Senator. Why? Because as a resident (mind you, federal income tax paying resident) of the District of Columbia, I have no voting representative in the United States Congress. Basically, the Federal Government can do whatever it wants to guinea pig DC and I have no office to call and no vote for recourse. That's right people, in 2006 in the United States of America, there are 500,000 citizens of the United States who pay taxes and are legal citizens, many of whom work for the federal government, THAT HAVE NO RIGHT TO VOTE. Sure, we get to vote for President, but seriously, what has the President done for any of us lately? Oh, that's right, he's changed his license plates.

If this bothers you at all, I mean, that there are disenfranchised citizens (and not surprisingly, says Ms. Cynic, a majority are black and/or working class and/or liberal), please call your representatives because there is currently a bill going through the House to give DC one vote in Congress. Apparently voting is a privilege and not a right these days... Guess it's a footnote on the Constitution that I missed.

But, if you're totally cool with this glaring violation of democracy in the United States, don't worry about it. Just make sure you actually use your vote before someone takes it away from you.