You know how the mint is putting out quarters featuring all of the 50 states. Now the territories will also get a quarter, as will Washington, D.C. The District of Columbia turned in a proposed design that featured the slogan “No taxation without representation.”
See, the District of Columbia has no representatives in Congress, and yet its population has to pay taxes, which violates that old revolutionary principle. Many D.C. activists go so far as to demand statehood, so that the Milwaukee-sized city of 600,000 would have as many senators as California. (My solution is to shrink the district to just cover the federal buildings, so that all of the residential areas are in Maryland or Virginia. And if that is too radical, though I suspect eliminating Washington would make for a popular political cause, we could just make a provision allowing residents to register to vote in either of those states.) So resentful Washingtonians put that slogan on their license plates and want it on their quarters.
The mint, unfortunately, vetoed the slogan. Setting aside D.C.’s claims, wouldn’t it be cool to have a pocketful of quarters that say, “No taxation without representation”?
(On serious issues, my policy positions are based on my deeply-held convictions. On less important issues, I go by whatever position is funniest.)
My solution is to shrink the district to just cover the federal buildings, so that all of the residential areas are in Maryland or Virginia.
So what have you got against Maryland and Virginia?
Ha ha ha, I was thinking the same thing. This District has a lot of major social and economic problems that I don’t think Maryland or Virginia is willing (or possibly able?) to tackle. My brother has a geography book for children and on the page for the District it states, “The District of Columbia has poverty that rivals that of an underdeveloped nation.” Ouch.
[...] The Meck Deck wrote an interesting post today on Washington wants its QuarterHere’s a quick excerpt…the District of Columbia has no representatives in Congress, and yet its population has to pay taxes, which violates that old revolutionary… [...]
“On less important issues, I go by whatever position is funniest.” Love it! I’m adopting this methodology as well.
I think Virginia would do a great job reforming DC, but sadly, DC’s on the wrong side of the Potomac, if I remember my geography correctly. And sadly, DC kinda fits in with Maryland politics as well. (no offense intended, Sarah)
On the gloomy, but light, side, this is an excellent picture of where self-government can lead–to disaster, when the lower desires of people are heeded.
“(On serious issues, my policy positions are based on my deeply-held convictions. On less important issues, I go by whatever position is funniest.)”
one more reason why we all like to hang out with you Dr V.
After living in the area for 6+ months and experiencing the smug possessive and condescending attitudes of the locals, I find it a fair exchange that since the area possesses such government wealth in terms of national offices, buildings, museums, archives, embassies, etc. (which no other area in the US has in this concentration) that they even out in having “no” representation that the rest of us need. They already are here and don’t need to be represented!
Virginia not too long ago actually did absorb a large portion of D.C. that had once been part of Virginia. Some people have tried to do the same for the parts that were once Maryland. In Virginia’s case, it’s had a huge impact on the politics of the state, making it a purple state that keeps electing Democrats from having been solid red, but with Maryland it wouldn’t change much.
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Gene Edward Veith is the Provost and Professor of Literature at Patrick Henry College, the Director of the Cranach Institute at Concordia Theological Seminary, a columnist for World Magazine and TableTalk, and the author of 18 books on different facets of Christianity & Culture.
Lucas Cranach, self portrait c.1530.
About Lucas Cranach
Lucas Cranach was the great artist of the Reformation. He was a close friend of Martin Luther. He was a businessman, who first printed Luther's translation of the Bible; a politician, who served on the Wittenberg town council and served the city as its mayor; a chemist, who operated a pharmacy; a teacher, who trained a host of apprentice artists; a family-man, who helped arrange Luther's marriage with the two men serving as the godfathers of each other's children; and an active layman in his church, who gave his pastors important personal and material support. As a Christian who lived out his faith in his many different callings, Cranach thus embodies the Reformation doctrine of vocation, using the gifts God had given him in service to Christ and his neighbor in the church, the family, the workplace, and the culture. In the spirit of Lucas Cranach, this blog will discuss wide-ranging issues of Christianity and culture with a Lutheran twist.
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