Still, the politics of D.C. statehood are fascinating. Meanwhile, conservatives oppose D.C. statehood for two reasons. The other faction points out that D.C. statehood is not only a bad idea, but it's patently unconstitutional. But there's another option, which I've long supported, that's gaining ground. Last month Sen. Joe Lieberman and D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton proposed legislation to make the District of Columbia residents exempt from federal taxes.
Full representation is part of the sacred covenant of our democracy - for every citizen.
Bill Clinton even put the motto on the presidential limousine's plates, moments before he left office. Don't Come a-Knockin'. It's doubtful that either Norton or Lieberman actually wants the legislation to pass, so much as to use it to shame Congress into supporting statehood. After all, Norton still wants to be a congresswoman or senator. Conservatives have a lot more invested than liberals do in the idea that that high taxes are the root of, if not all evil, then a whole lot of evils.