Introduction of Democracy - Research Paper Example

? Introduction of democracy INRODUCTION OF DEMOCRACY The District of Columbia has been deprived of voting rights in both the presidential as well as state elections. The citizens of the district will only be granted to vote if it is given the status of a new state. The latter has been proposed in Clause 1 of the Constitution of America. The constitution will give power to the Congress to grant statehood to the district of Columbia according to this law. The residents of Washington D.C will then have full voting rights in both the houses of Congress (DC statehood). Citizens of Washington D.C should be granted equal voting rights by raising the status of the city to a state. The citizens should be allowed to vote representatives in the house of Congress in the same manner as it is allowed for the citizens of other states of America. This will ensure full voting rights to the residents accordingly as a democratic government is suppose to allow fair and equal voting rights to all its citizens. As the citizens of the city of Washington D.C pay federal taxes, there seem to be no reason of them being deprived of the very basic rule of democracy, that is, the right to vote. Paying federal taxes without being given the right to choose the representative for America is deemed unsatisfactory. Not giving voting rights is similar to their treatment as international residents residing outside of the United States of America. Wade Henderson states, “The right to vote is fundamental in our democracy” (Leadership Conference on Civil Rights 2002). The Americans have long been striving for their voting rights. Their struggle to acquire voting rights has been a central policy in almost all their civil discussions. Many important laws have been enforced by the Congress regarding this matter over the past years. One such law includes the “Voting Rights Act of 1965”. Without giving the right to vote, the citizens of Washington D.C are just like spectators in an election. This is indeed unfair as it proves to be biased among the citizens of Washington and other cities; it produces a clear distinction among the citizens. There is no other country in the world which does not give voting rights to its citizens regardless of which ever state or district they belong to. Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11 on the twin towers in the U.S, the importance of the city of Washington was pointed out clearly. The terrorists destroyed the financial centre of the city of New York together with the central government in Washington D.C. Their attacks clearly reflected on all Americans, of every race, religion and color. Americans from around the nation condemned the attacks with utmost generosity for the victims and sadly, Washington D.C also had a share of the victims in the attacks of 9/11. Even after that, the citizens of the city of Washington were granted with no voting representations in the government which they were actually fighting for. To add to it, they were the first ones’ to respond to the Pentagon attack. The occupants of the city duly fulfill all their responsibilities like paying of taxes and services in the armed forces, yet they are deprived of such a basic right and cannot enjoy those privileges of equal voting which residents of other states enjoy. It is time that they should be declared the right to vote and choose their representative. The residents of the District of Columbia pay taxes at the rate of second highest per capita in the United States. Therefore, they should be fully represented in the Congress of America (Henderson. 2002). D.C was not a part of any state by the year 1801. This was in accordance to the “District of Columbia Organic Act” passed by the Congress that very year. Thus, the District's residents lost the right to give votes and select their representatives. The residents of Washington City were eventually deprived to vote in the president election (American bar Association. 2006). In 1973, the Home Rule Act gave certain powers to the district according to which the district was to be administered by an elected mayor but still the Congress retained power to overturn any law (Council of the District of Columbia. 2008). A constitution convention was drafted in 1980 for a proposal of a state instead of a district but the authorization which was necessary for the district to be granted as a state never came from the Congress (DC Statehood Green Party). Moreover, in May 2008, the Congress restricted the District of Columbia from spending any money or resources on lobbying for statehood (Sheridan. 2008) The people living in the city of Washington were never treated like the residents of other fifty states on a comparative manner. Since the inception of the city, the residents were classed being ‘second-citizens’. They have been prevented from choosing their government representative, but still resisted their grudge against the Congress in this regard. Giving voting rights to the residents on a national level is not the ultimate goal. They should be given other rights which are enjoyed by the other fifty states of America, like they must have an autonomous local government (Zigas. 2008). Other U.S regions like Guam and Puerto Rico have also been deprived of voting rights but they do not pay federal taxes unlike the citizens of Washington D.C (Internal revenue service). It is surprising that in the year 2007, the residents paid more taxes than compared to the cumulative of 19 states (Internal revenue service. 2008). The Supreme Court in the year 1820 stated “Although in theory it might be more congenial to the spirit of our institutions to admit a representative from the district, it may be doubted whether, in fact, its interests would be rendered thereby the more secure; and certainly the constitution does not consider their want of a representative in Congress as exempting it from equal taxation” (U.S supreme court Center. 2008) About 32 states in America receive more money from the government for their state costs than the taxes they pay (The tax foundation. 2007). The district of Columbia does receive some amount for the health care of its residents which accounts for 26% of the total revenue generated from the city. Congress also provides money for some security costs of the city. These totaled to be around 0.5% of the city’s budget in the year 2007 (Office of the chief financial officer). Other costs are also provided including the law and security costs. To sum up, the federal government provided around 33% of the city’s revenue (United States census bureau. 2008) Does the statehood justify the economy of the city of Washington D.C? The economic criteria should be evaluated in determining the fate of any district or region. Any proposed thesis for the uplift of the city to the level of a new state should comply with the condition that proposal must improve the economic conditions of the city after it is granted the level of a state. The District of Columbia is faced with some challenges. There are many people living in the district which are exempted from paying their taxes including the federal government, nonprofit organizations and foreign embassies; this surely restricts the taxes accumulated from the city. Moreover, the city also has the burden of poverty without the distribution of adequate resources so that the problem could be addressed. These two problems together raise the funds needed for healthcare and security. Moreover, the city also faces problem in education funds. There have been persistent problems related to economic demands in the city all over the past. If the city raises its tax rate, then it would be on a disadvantage because the residents already pay a large amount of tax compared to their region. This will in turn hinder the economic development of the region (Zigas. 2008). Although, the district is not a state, but it has to perform the role of both a state and a city government. As already mentioned, the city is responsible for providing many services like schooling, higher education, fire services, health services including vehicle and mental health services. These are all the services which are likely to be handled by those regions which have been given the status of a state. To add to it, the Congress has passed a rule that tax would not be collected from the non residents who earn there. This is unfair as all the states have the authority to collect taxes from its inhabitants, whether they are residents or non-residents. It is this hindrance which makes the city lack in its tax funds. The federal government has also been exempted from various taxes. The above problems are often worsened by the small size of the city. Many non residents who are foreigners pay no taxes because of the Congress rule, though they use the city’s roads and other services at large. They contribute to almost two thirds of the income of the city. Providing services in the central city of Washington D.C is a costly affair because of its property values and other associated expenses. Many other central cities also face similar problems but they are often backed up by their states but in this case there is no state to point at! (Rivlin. 2009) What will be the political outcome if the city of Washington is granted the status of a state? The city is too small to represent itself in the House if the Senate. While looking at the political side, people who are in favor of democracy in the city of Washington must be sure as to how their proposals will be entertained by the residents of the city and the members of the Congress, and by the American public on the whole (Zigas. 2008). The foremost objection to this legislative proposal is that some people of the legislature think that making the city a state would be against the constitutional laws (Von. 2009). Granting the city of Washington the status of a state will give its residents undue proportion of power in the federal government (Curtis. 2007). Do the people living in the city of Washington D.C agree to create for themselves a new state? A prominent researcher, Mark David Richards has conducted three national studies regarding his issue. His studies show that there was a strong consent among majority of the Americans to grant Washington the status of a state. In the year 1997, 79% of the people supported the idea of giving the residents of the city right to vote in the Congress. By the year 2005, the majority had risen to 82% (Zigas. 2008). A poll conducted on the total of 1007 people in the year 2005 confirmed that 82% of the adults were in favor of the District of Columbia be given voting representation (D.C vote voice, 2005). The right to vote by Justice Hugo was described as: "No right is more precious in a free country than that of having a voice in the election of those who make the laws under which, as good citizens, we must live. Other rights, even the most basic, are illusory if the right to vote is undermined” (DC Vote. 2007) Despite the struggle during the previous years, Congress is still hopeful that the city will regulate its budget. According to a study, even if the city of Washington continues with a non resident tax and receives money from the government for its various services, still the current level of revenue generated by the city in not adequate to be payed for the long term finances for its services (Cooper. 2002). The main question is that, that if the city of Washington is upgraded to the level of a state, then would the non residents and the federal government be made to pay the state taxes? This issue will have to be negotiated. It is indeed difficult to think that the city will not be given this power when all the other states enjoy it. Giving the city of Washington D.C the status of a state would bring positive economical benefits only when the non residents would pay their share of federal taxes to the government (Rivlin. 2009). Moreover, if the city of Washington is granted with the status of a state then why not cities like New York which is more populated than Washington. (Kain. 2010). Both positive and negative impacts may result if the city is made a state, but this in turn will depend mostly on the revenue structure which will be framed by the Congress (Brown. 2009). In conclusion, the city should be granted the status of a state as this is the only way through which the citizens would be given their due share in voting. For more than 200 years now, the residents of the city of Washington have suffered the consequences of being deprived of their voting rights. They have fought many times through various campaigns, legislative bills and other means to regain their rights. Some demonstrations have been successful while some have failed badly (Zigas. 2008). On 16 April 2007, many residents of D.C protested for their right to vote and for D.C to become a state. They marched together towards the Capitol Hill to voice their demands (Orvetti, 2010). The fight for Washington D.C to become state is for two reasons; the residents lack democratic rights and the city lacks financial resources to be paid for the public services. Granting the city the status of statehood would definitely give DC residents their democratic and the city would pile up more funds to be used for their public services. Moreover, after the city has been granted the status of state, non residents will also pay their share of taxes and the citizens will gain some control over their budget. WORKS CITED: American Bar Association (2006). Statement on the District of Columbia’s Fair and Equal Voting Rights Acts. Brown, M.A. (2009). The economic and financial impacts of District of Columbia statehood. Council of the district of Columbia Cooper, T. (2002). Current economic feasibility of statehood. Council of the District of Columbia (2008). History of self government in the District of Columbia. Curtis, J. (2007). Should Washington D.C become the 51st state? DC Statehood Green Party. D.C Statehood: a chronology. DC statehood: a chronology. DC Statehood Green Party. D.C vote voice (2005). Poll shows nationwide support for D.C voting rights. Henderson, W (2002). Voting Representation in Congress for the Citizens of the District of Columbia. Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. Hugo, J (2007). 25 legal scholars support constitutionality of DC voting rights. DC Vote. Internal Revenue Service. Individuals living or working in U.S possessions. Internal Revenue Service (2008). Internal revenue gross collections, by type of tax and state, fiscal year 2007. Kain, E.D. (2010). Statehood for Washington D.C. doesn’t make sense. American Times. Office of the chief financial officer. Introduction to the FY 2007 Budget and Financial plan. Orvetti, P.J (2010). D,C statehood battle renews. NBC Washington. Rivlin, A.M. (2009). If the District of Columbia becomes a State: Fiscal Implications. Council of the District of Columbia Special Committee on Statehood and Self Determinatio. Sheridan, M.B. (2008). C.C seeks to fund lobbying effort for a voting house member. Washington Post. The tax foundation (2007). Federal spending received per dollar of taxes paid by state, 2005. U.S Supreme Court Center (2008). Loughborough v Blake18 U.S 5 wheat 317. United States census bureau (2008). State government finances, 2007. Von, S.H. (2009). Violating their sacred honor. National Review. Zigas, E (2008). Left with Few Rights: Unequal Democracy and the District of Columbia. Read More