Washington, D.C. is an example of taxation withoutrepresentation. Although it has delegates in the House of Representatives, theDistrict of Columbia has no Senators. Washington D.C. clearly should berepresented in the Senate. The people of Washington form strong politicalopinions living in the nation's capital and, as citizens, should have an equalopportunity to represent these opinions in the Senate.

Washington'spopulation is 519,000 - 40,000 more than Wyoming. Just as the Massachusetts BayColony fought the monarch of Britain - an ocean away - about taxation withoutrepresentation, Washington, D.C. today fights the democratic government acrossthe street for the same reason. The government of the United States has attemptedto give equal rights to all citizens, but through its 200-plus years ofinterpreting, altering and amending the Constitution, has overlooked the citizensof its own capital.

Five hundred and nineteen thousand citizens deserverepresentation. Taxing Washington, D.C. without proper representation is againstthe democratic ideals this country was established to uphold. The District, likeevery state, deserves two Senators so its citizens can voice their opinions andneeds just like every other citizen of the United States.