The District of Columbia loves gimmicks. Especially when those gimmicks involve trying to draw attention to the fact that D.C. has no representation in Congress. In 2004 the presidential primary was moved to "first in the nation" (total huge backfire dudes), to try and raise awareness. Fake Rep. Mike Panetta (D-DC) even tried to start an Olympic curling team for D.C. (no joke!). Plans are being discussed now to rename part of South Capitol Street "Taxation Without Representation" Street, so that Nationals Stadium would have the address of 1500 Taxation Without Representation St. SE. That'll learn all those people writing letters to the Nationals (probably complaining about how much they suck) that D.C. has no representation.
But I'm not even here to talk about any of those gimmicks. I'm talking about this big to-do over whether or not President Obama's limo will have the D.C. Taxation Without Representation tags on it.
Bill Clinton used the tags at the very very end of his presidency, and George W. Bush promptly removed them prior to his inaugural parade. Mayor Fenty and Del. Norton are staying out of it, saying they will not ask Obama to use the tags. The D.C. Council, however, has drafted a letter calling upon Obama to use them. I especially enjoyed the part in the letter that says the D.C. Council is excited about the Obamas becoming D.C. residents. Yeah, okay.
Don't get me wrong, I voted for Obama. I celebrated when he won. I like the guy, and I'm hopeful he'll do a good job. But I'm 100% sure Barack and Michelle are not going to head over to the D.C. DMV and get themselves D.C. Driver's Licenses and register to vote here.
But that's not the point, right? This is just about the limo and making sure when the cameras focus on it, everyone in the world sees "Taxation Without Representation." Yeah, I guess. Maybe that would do something for "the cause." But probably not.
Instead, how about you just put federal government tags on the car just like all the other cars in the motorcade and stop pretending that the President is one "of the people." Dude, he's going to keep voting in Illinois, and they will make a big deal about it in 2012 when he "goes to the polls to vote for his own reelection."
If the D.C. Council is going to waste their breath (and ink and paper), why not urge the Obamas to give up their Illinois residency?
And God help everyone if there's ever a fire at Nationals Stadium. The firetrucks will get hopelessly lost on the way to "Taxation Without Representation" street.
12.03.2008
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I forget my D.C. geography. Do we have a Martin Luther King Boulevard in this town? And how many 7-11s would there be?
ReplyDeleteYes we do, in Southeast.
ReplyDeletecool. i'll have to visit sometime.
ReplyDeleteI love how the DC government is somehow so delusional to think that because Obama is black, he will give more of a shit about the "other" DC than any other President.
ReplyDeleteObama is from another city, will never forsake Chicago for DC, and just sees DC as a federal city where he'll be the most well-known federal employee living in a rather yuppie-ish part of Northwest for the next four years. Kind of like how I felt when I got into GW, except I was an unknown, crappy intern.
MLK Blvd is the one with all the shit strewn across it. Oh, and it smells like feces.
ReplyDeleteWe have a Malcolm X park too, but...... I won't go there...
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable. Does this mean we'll have to rename both southern quadrants to "East Taxation Without Representation" and "West Taxation Without Representation?"
ReplyDeleteI think it is funny that you need to pay a $10 "exchange fee" to have your old plate swapped out for a "taxation without representation" tag. Did the public have representation in the DMV when that "fee" was thought up?
ReplyDeleteWhat, the Obama's aren't "keeping it real" just cause their kids are going to Sidwell?
ReplyDeleteBalderdash!
The Obamas are as DC as Go-Go, half smokes, crackhead mayors and Swedish rats.
You bes' b'lieve they're goin for statehood!
DC's feeble attempts to try to bring awareness to this issue make me want to stab out my eyes with thumbtacks. I mean, that first in the nation primary thing was ridiculous and soooo ineffective. Our silly license plates aren't helping either.
ReplyDeleteMany people in other states have no idea DC residents don't have congressional representation, and it is INSANE that no one can figure out how to communicate that to them (which, of course, we have to do if we want the situation to change). If they do this street renaming (which I agree is gimmicky), I predict the few people who give that address a second thought will think it's a reference to colonial times.
Yeah, but awareness isn't ALWAYS the problem.
ReplyDeleteRaising awareness helps with AIDS and muscular dystrophy because the vast majority of all people oppose AIDS and muscular dystrophy. Were Americans more aware of D.C.'s status, it's doubtful a majority of people would support giving the Democratic Party another two senators and a representative.
As a Republican put it to me, "I support D.C.'s right to representation--give their votes to Maryland!"
And I disagree about the license plate idea, too. It was ingenious. They have little power but they do what they can. The dude who came up w/ that idea deserved a raise. It's creative, at the very least.
ReplyDeleteSo that's MacArthur Ave and Martin Luther King Blvd? Or is it the other way around?
ReplyDeleteAs a non-DC resident I can attest that people ARE aware DC has no congressional representation.
ReplyDeleteI just do not give a shit. I don't live there.
Now who here cares about my experience trying to drive on Miami roads today?I wrote all about it. I even used the F word a bunch of times! NOBODY!?!?!
How interesting.....
Thus demonstrating my point.