And Justice for All

Good news for fans (and there were many) of the "50 United States and their Mottos" map created by artist Emily Wick. Wick emailed us yesterday to let us know that she's created a linoleum block print of our dear Washington D.C. to commemorate the inauguration. We may not have representation in Congress (there's a reason why our license plates read "Taxation Without Representation") but at least we're well represented here.

Contact Wick to find out more information about ordering prints.

2 Comments

Peterk said:

Maybe if you read the Constitution you would realize what a ridiculous statement "Taxation without Representation" really is.

"Congress lacks the constitutional authority to grant the city a representative by legislation; the District of Columbia is not a state, and representation is limited to states alone. While Article I of the Constitution does grant Congress the power to apportion seats, it also explains that "Representatives … shall be apportioned among the several states" (emphasis added), an arrangement reiterated by the 14th Amendment."

"The Founders intended that the nation's capital remain autonomous and not subject to political pressure from a state government. In other words, they deliberately crafted the Constitution so that the District would not be within a state."
http://www.heritage.org/research/legalissues/wm1569.cfm

January 21, 2009 2:19 PM

Nikolas Schiller said:

To PeterK: That same link to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, also states that Congress can:

Grant Statehood. Congress could grant statehood to the District upon its application, automatically providing it a representative and two senators. Such a plan might require a constitutional amendment since Congress is granted "exclusive legislation" over the nation's capital. Such a plan would also run counter to the still reasonable intent of the Founders to have a national capital outside the influence of state politics.

Statehood is was what the residents of the District of Columbia last voted for, not 1/3 representation, which the article was primarily written about.

However, it must be understood that the founders never would have imagined the nation's capital to have over 500,000 citizens being denied representation when they wrote the constitution because the largest city in America at that time only had around 30,000 residents! According to the 1790 census, America's two largest cities were New York (33,131) and Philadelphia (28,522).

Statehood is the easiest and most respectful way to give a formal voice to the second-class citizens in the District of Columbia.

January 22, 2009 12:28 AM