A Tax Day Call to Action: Free DC! Statehood NOW!

We are asking for your help. We are citizens of the nation’s capital.

There are 570,000 of us. We pay higher federal taxes per capita than 49 states. Our sons and daughters have served and died in every war since the American Revolution.

But despite our sacrifices and contributions, we have no democracy here because we have no vote. No representative in the House, no senators in the Senate. In 1980, we voted overwhelmingly to become the 51st State. Congress ignored our right to self-determination. To Congress, we don’t exist.

The tragedy does not end there. Unlike every other American, we do not have any right to local self-governance. Every law passed by our City Council, every budget decision we make, must be reviewed by Congress. They can veto our laws and tell us how we may spend our own money. Imagine every decision made by your state government, your town council, subject to Congressional veto. It would be intolerable, but we are forced to live with it every day.

We will not live with it any longer. On April 16th, the residents of the District of Colombia are filing are taxes under protest!

We are telling President Bush and Congress that Americans do not accept Taxation without Representation!

Please join us in getting the message heard! When you file your taxes, please include the letter attached below in your tax forms. It is perfectly legal; just do not write on the tax form itself! Tell President Bush that you believe that no American should be denied the fundamental right to self-determination and full representation in Congress.

If you have already filed your taxes or are too young to do so, please e-mail the President at <president (at) whitehouse.gov>

Please post this call to action on every listserv and share it with every friend.

This message comes to you from the D.C. Statehood Green Party. For more information, please visit our website at www.dcstatehoodgreen.org or www.standupfordemocracy.org . To contribute to the cause of Democracy in D.C., you can make donations online, or send checks or money orders to:
DC Statehood Green Party
641 Maryland Ave. NE
Washington DC 20002


Dear President Bush,

I’m writing out of concern for my fellow citizens living in Washington DC, our nations capital. While I pay my federal taxes and am represented by two senators and a representative in Congress, my fellow citizens in the district are denied the same representation. While my elected city council and state legislature have authority over local and state budgets and laws, DC residents are subject to the absolute rule of Congress. This is both a civil rights issue and an issue of democracy. There are 570,000 Americans living in the District, yet they have no voice. On this tax day, I am supporting D.C. residents and filing my taxes under protest until they are granted the right to self-determination and full voting representation in Congress through statehood.

Thanks,