Speaking Out
Taxation With Representation
Thursday, April 12, 2007; Page DZ03
Caitlin Brown, 22, Columbia Heights, moved to the District in June: "I still have my Kentucky tags, but I would always see the license plates that said 'Taxation Without Representation.' I noticed the voter registration option on the driver's license application. I think I'll stick with being a Kentucky voter. That's my plan. It just seems that as a citizen of the United States, I would have more of an impact [with my vote] in Kentucky than here."
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Abdy Dara, 44, Columbia Heights, has lived in the city 18 years: "I've been following this issue for years. My friends outside of the city feel that [the current system] is the way the Founding Fathers wanted it. It's pretty important for the city to determine its own affairs. For Congress to decide the budget and how it works doesn't make sense. This is the best chance for the bill to pass in 20 years. All the opponents from back in the day are no longer a factor."
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Cheryl Hawkins, 54, Colonial Village, has lived in the District 20 years: "I think we ought to have [congressional] voting rights here in the District. The design wasn't for us to vote, but times have changed, and we should have it. I'm sure in the future it will happen. The argument is we are not a state. But I don't know if that is more important than the fact that we are [U.S.] citizens."
-- Interviewed by TIMOTHY WILSON
