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Guest Commentary April 16, 2002
Eliminate Taxation without Representation
The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton
On April 15, faced with the denial of rights by this House and by the Senate, citizens [of the District of Columbia] will burn copies of their United States government tax forms for the same reason their ancestors started the Revolutionary War 227 years ago.
April 15 is but one of the many days that mark the insistence of this government on 100 percent of the obligations of citizenship from D.C. residents while the same government fails in its obligation to reciprocate with the basic rights every government owes to taxpaying citizens. September 11, which so recently called D.C. citizens to war, is another such memorable date. December 7, when D.C.'s young men and women responded to Pearl Harbor, is yet another. Even more than our taxes, our contributions in sacrifices by the men and women of the District, who have fought and died for their country tell a unique story: In World War I, more D.C. casualties than 3 states; in World War II, more D.C. casualties than 4 states; in Vietnam, more D.C. casualties than 10 states.
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These lives given for our country are trivialized when the Congress remains unmoved by our just demand to remove taxation with representation. The same Congress has no hesitation in taking our money, more per capita than from any residents except the residents of the state of Connecticut, while at the same time denying us a vote in the Congress that votes to impose these taxes on us. The government of the United States enriches itself with funds from the fruits of our labor. In return, the government owes us the vote in the Congress of the United States. We pay. We want to be paid with voting representation.
Expect to hear from us and other Americans often, the next occasion, a month from now on May 15, on D.C. Citizens Lobby Day for Congressional Voting Rights, focusing first on the Senate.
We say to the Congress: Don't expect us to allow you to claim for yourself the title of guardian of democracy in the world while denying full democracy to your own citizens here at the very seat of our government. Nor should you take satisfaction from the fact that most D.C. citizens will pay or have paid their taxes this year. They pay under protest, but they will not pay with their silence, their dignity, or their rights.
There is no quid pro quo for full representation in the Congress that votes to tell us what to do and how much to pay while denying our right to vote on what to do and how much to pay. There is only one coin of the realm we will accept. We must have our vote in the House and the Senate. We put you on notice in your own official record that we are coming straight at you for our vote. Look for us on May 15.
Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat, represents the District of Columbia in the U.S. House of Representatives. Representatives from D.C., American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are permitted to vote in committee, but not on the floor. The above commentary has been adapted from a speech Rep. Norton delivered on the floor of the House, April 15, 2002. To contact her, Click Here.
The above column has been distributed by PoliticsOL.com.
