interesting bit of political activism through the olympics:

[Ike]

this is kind of a wierd thing, and hard to do justice in the thread title.

the basis is this:
some folks in Washington DC are a little upset at not having voting representation in congress. They argue, that as such, they, like other US territories such as Guam and Puerto Rico, should be allowed to have their own independent olympic teams. Their hope, I think, is to try to embarass the US enough through this campaign to get DC a voting seat in the house and/or senate.

I don't know if it will work, but its a curious and interesting argument, and certainly a unique way to go about trying to influence change.


their website is:
http://www.dcolympicteam.org/

[yermom]

that is a little strange since they aren't nearly as big as Guam or Puerto Rico, it's just one city, right?

[mdklatt]

that is a little strange since they aren't nearly as big as Guam or Puerto Rico, it's just one city, right?

Population-wise they're bigger than Guam, Midway, Saipan, etc.

[Ike]

well, so far, it looks like the only team they have formed is a curling team....primarily because there are no tight uniforms, and there is usually beer after the matches.

[yermom]

i'm sure if they make a big enough issue, Maryland or Virginia will just take them ;)

why aren't they in a state as it is? i don't know or don't remember the history

[skycat]

Population from the 2000 Census:

Puerto Rico: 3.808M
District of Columbia: 572,059
Guam: 154,805

[mdklatt]

I think one of the original justifications for DC not having their own representation was that the entire government lived there and would naturally have the city's interests in mind when voting.

The House and Senate unanimously passed a joint bill to allocate funds to repair a Georgetown pothole today....

Do DC residents pay federal income tax? Do residents of US territories?

[yermom]

so who fixes DC potholes? :confused:

[Ike]

the DC city budget is allocated by congress...dunno about their taxation situation.

[KaiserSooner]

i'm sure if they make a big enough issue, Maryland or Virginia will just take them ;)

why aren't they in a state as it is? i don't know or don't remember the history

DC, as it currently stands, used to be apart of Maryland. The state gave it away to the federal government sometime in the 1790s so they could build the federal capital. The thinking behind lopping it off of Maryland, rather than just building the new city in Maryland, was to ensure that the national capital was not in any state....sort of like a neutral site.

Trivia....present day Arlington and Alexandria used to be apart of DC. However, sometime during the early 19th Century, the federal government decided it didn't need all that land across the Potomac and gave it back to Virginia.

[KaiserSooner]

Do DC residents pay federal income tax? Do residents of US territories?

I'm pretty sure they pay federal taxes.

[KaiserSooner]

Well, a DC Olympic team is a bit off the wall. But I do think DC should have voting representation in Congress. Even though it isn't a state or in a state, it is the national capital. That alone should be reason to give it voting rights in Congress.

BTW, DC does elect a "delegate" to Congress. The delegate sits on committees and votes in them, however, they cannot vote on the house floor. That is the vote DC people are wanting.

[picasso]

Alexandria is a pretty cool little town.

And ole George's house is just down the road.