The irony, oh the irony…

So, I’ve been following NPR’s coverage of the House and Senate elections all evening, watching and listening to some of this country’s finest journalists keep our listeners up to speed on election returns and informed about the trends and issues underpinning those returns. Talking just now with Joe Matazzoni, who heads NPR’s on-line coverage, and Ken Stern, who is NPR’s CEO. Both of them, along with so many others in the NPR newsroom are residents of the city of Washington, DC. And they have no congressional representation. Think about that. Yes, you probably knew this, but what does it mean—it means that Joe, and Ken, and all the other residents of DC are unrepresented in Congress. They don’t get to vote today—except for city officials. And decisions made by the city—like a proposed commuter tax to offset the city’s non-existent tax-base because every business here, including the government, is not-for-profit—can be, and are, overturned, declared illegal by Congress. (The last thing Representatives from neighboring states of Maryland and Virginia want to see is a commuter tax, right?) So even municipal decisions are subject to reversal by a Congress that does not include DC representatives. Not so fair. Not so democratic. In fact, isn’t this a blatant instance of taxation without representation?

Oh the irony.

Stay tuned tonight and tomorrow for complete election results and analysis from NCPR and NPR.

From DC,
Ellen Rocco