Let D.C. Vote

To the editor:

Does anyone else find it ironic that Iraqi ex-patriots living in the U.S. were allowed to vote in New Carrollton, Md.? The irony comes from the fact that New Carrollton is a suburb of the District of Columbia, which lacks the voting rights the Iraqis now enjoy.

This country has sacrificed over 1,500 lives and hundreds of billions of dollars to bring democracy to Iraq, when we could have done it with no cost in lives and virtually for free for the nearly 600,000 people living in Washington, DC.

The District of Columbia has a population greater than Wyoming, yet is denied voting representation in both the Senate and the House. Because of a Constitutional anachronism, Congress continues to execute colonial oversight over the District's budget until it is reviewed and passed as part of the federal appropriations process.

This process is never completed in a timely manner and enactment of the District's budget is usually delayed well into the fiscal year, this year, by nearly five months.

These delays prevent the District from addressing critical needs and have damaged the District's credit ratings.

The only way to remedy this taxation without representation is to cede populated, i.e. non-Federal, portions of land to form the District of Columbia, our nation's 51st state.

This is the only option that would extend representation in Congress and grant autonomy to the District.

In this country, we believe in the principle of one person, one vote. Democracy is an American birthright. It's time to let D.C. vote.

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