07 March 2009

Lucky Sevens: Taxation Without Representation

As mentioned in last month's Lucky Sevens, the District of Columbia does not have voting representation in Congress. Of course, the debate here is that DC is not a state. Some (normally Republicans) argue that since the Constitution specifies that states will be represented in Congress, DC is excluded. They also occasionally argue that DC's population does not warrant a vote. Others, (mostly Democrats) argue that all Americans should have representation in Congress. Given that DC votes overwhelmingly Democrat (93-7 in the last presidental election), one cannot help but feel that the real conflict here is over the balance of power and a vote.

On Thursday, the Senate passed a bill to settle this, giving DC a vote in the House of Representatives, as well as an additional vote to Utah, which should normally bring a Republican vote to counter DC's likely Democratic one. The bill now moves to the House, where it is expected to pass easily.

Of course, all 50 states currently have representation in Congress. Your Lucky Sevens question for March: Name the states that have a smaller population than the District of Columbia.