I hate people from Kansas. So does the District. Let me explain.
I got my first job at thirteen. I also had my eye on a shiny red bike. So I worked hard, saved up, calculated my interest and planned ahead. I even scheduled time with my mom to drive to the bike shop.
But, as my mom drove me to the bike shop, she informed me that she would not allow me to buy my bike because a guy from Kansas called her and told her that people from Kansas don’t like bikes. What?
Makes no sense, right? I should have been able to spend my own hard-earned cash on what I want, when I wanted it. But, without my mom’s permission, I wasn’t getting a bike.
If you haven’t figured it out, this is an analogy. I am the District of Columbia, my mom is the Congress of the United States and the random guy from Kansas is some random guy from Kansas.
For two centuries, the District has been forced to obtain the approval of the United States Congress before spending any money. Remember: D.C. residents have no representation in Congress, so people in Kansas have more say over D.C.’s budget than the city’s own residents.
Thankfully, this may change soon. Last Monday, Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) introduced a bill that would free the city from the need to gain Congressional approval for the locally raised portion of its budget.
Under the current laws, congressional representatives tack legislation onto the District’s budget that the city’s government is forced to follow if it wishes to have its budget approved. If people in Kansas don’t like government-sponsored AIDS awareness campaigns, D.C. government can’t run AIDS awareness campaigns.
Furthermore, partisan wrangling over the budget delays the District’s ability to spend its own money. How are District leaders supposed to follow through on promises to their constituents without the power to decide how their money is spent?
If the newly proposed bill had applied to the 2003 budget, the District would have directly controlled the spending of $5.4 billion of its $5.8 billion budget. Congress’ passage of the bill could be the first step on the road to the District’s political autonomy.
The District deserves this right. Just last week, Mayor Anthony Williams announced that the District had posted its sixth consecutive budget surplus and filled a $249 million cash surplus required by Congress several years ahead of schedule. In an economy stressed by looming war and depressed tourism, that is impressive.
The District has proven its ability to manage its own finances better than many other large American cities. Plus, District leaders know how to solve their city’s problems better than Kansas’ leaders do. Congress should allow the District to raise its money and spend it, too. It’s common sense.
