Posted on 01/23/2007 5:09:35 AM PST by cll
01-23) 04:00 PST Washington -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her House Democrats plan to push through legislation Wednesday that would increase the size of the 435-member House on most matters by giving votes to delegates from four U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.
Republicans are outraged by the plan, referring to it as a "greedy power grab'' in a statement from the office of Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio. But they are probably powerless to stop it.
The proposal would allow the elected members from Washington, D.C., American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands a vote when the House sits in the "committee of the whole,'' a parliamentary device used during most of the debate, amending and voting on legislation. Four of the members involved are Democrats, and one, the so-called resident commissioner from Puerto Rico, is a Republican.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
If the residents of DC don't pay federal income tax, what is the DC income tax rate?
DC does pay federal income taxes, I believe.
You think so? Congress passes laws every session that are unconstitutional, which are then signed by the President.
In many respects, the Constitution is a transparent sham. Sorry to be so cynical, but I believe that to be the case.
"Much ado about nothing, it seems. The proposal is toothless, but it does have the cosmetic appearance of fairness and it provided the Democrats an opportunity to make the Republicans look like squealing whiners."
Exactly.
The Constitution says what it says, yes. Still, there are over four million Americans without a say in the Congress that rules over them.
It's a free country, move to a state.
I wonder if they're gonna mention this in their bilingual response to the SOTU?
"The idea that this country may acquire territories anywhere upon the earth, by conquest or treaty, and hold them as mere colonies or provinces,the people inhabiting them to enjoy only such rights as Congress chooses to accord to them,is wholly inconsistent with the spirit and genius, as well as with the words, of the Constitution." - Justice John Harlan, dissenting in the Insular Cases, 1901"
The territories may apply for statehood. DC can simply be given back to the states from whence it came.
"It's a free country, move to a state."
It's too damn cold up there...
It's too damn cold up there...
I keep exhaling CO2 as fast as I can.
DC resident do pay Federal taxes, However they also get it back by a substantial federal payment to the city.
Don't you think we aleady have enough problems in Maryland?
Most of them don't even have a job.
Over 40% of them receive their health care from the government.
Beggars can't be choosers.
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