Imagine making a local call to your national legislator to tell your representative how to vote on a bill and being told "Sorry, you have no representation here".
Imagine having your local budget made up of your local taxes that will give your school teachers a raise held up for 4-6 months by a Congress you are not represented in.
Imagine teaching your kids about democracy and then explaining why they can not be Senators and Representatives.
That is why DC moved its primary.
Most of the nation knows little about our situation but when they find out support granting us basic democratic rights.
That is why DC moved its primary. It has nothing to do with Iowa or New Hampshire and I have recieved many encouraging letters from those states. To voters in those states I suggest you vote for 1 of the 4 candidates on our ballot (Braun, Dean, Kucinich, Sharpton). If they are willing to stand up for our rights when it gives them no political advantage think of what they will do for you.
In 2000 Bill Bradley was the only candidate to release a position on DC voting rights. It made one news article. Due to the primary the following has happened:
- Howard Dean and Dennis Kucinich have both promised to use their first State of the Union address to tell Congress to end our inequality.
- Rev. Al Sharpton has made DC Statehood a platform plank and mentioned the issue in numerous national forums.
- Carol Moseley-Braun has shown her commitment to DC and DC Statehood.
- Dennis Kucinich has announced he will introduce a DC Statehood bill in the next session of Congress.
- The issue has received more national and international press than at any time in the last ten years. Once aware a majority of Americans support granting us rights.
- For the first time ever, all Democratic candidates (including late entrant Wesley Clark) have issued positions on our issue before the primary season began.
- The Democratic National Committee (DNC) will host a town hall meeting in DC on voting rights/statehood and focus on the issue during their convention in Boston this summer.
- Commitments from candidates to address the financial inequality caused by the structural deficit due to, and recognized by, the federal government.
