Independence Day is a fine time to ask how independent we are here in the nation’s capital city. Are we free? Depends. We are free to enjoy two of the coolest and most enjoyable ways to celebrate our country’s Declaration of Independence back in 1776.
I highly recommend taking yourself and friends and family down to the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol Sunday, July 3, to take in the full rehearsal of “A Capitol Fourth.” You can hear the National Symphony Orchestra play and see stars perform, but you will avoid the crowds and the heavy security that accompany the televised performance and fireworks Monday night. You can show up Sunday at 3 p.m.; rehearsal begins at 8 p.m.
On Monday hit the 45th annual Palisades Parade and picnic on the city’s western end. It has the feel of a funky gathering in a small, Midwestern town, complete with firetrucks and bands and local weirdoes marching down MacArthur Boulevard. Start time: 11 a.m.
We denizens of the District are free to own firearms. Thanks to Dick Heller, who pressed his case to the U.S. Supreme Court, we can avail ourselves of the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms, so long as they are legally registered, and we keep them at home. This has turned out to be a good thing, proven by the fact that gun violence has not increased as a result of the less restrictive regulations; nor has anyone been hurt because of the misfire of a legally registered firearm.
We could be free in the near future to gamble on the Internet all over town, thanks to a bill by lobbyist/council member Michael Brown, whose former employer has online lobbying contracts. If Brown has his wish, anyone will be able to break out a smart phone in public “hot spots” and wager on poker, blackjack or bingo.
Let me count the ways this is a rotten idea: It will lure vulnerable, poor folks to descend into debt; it will enrich gambling firms and the lobbyists who assist them; it will open the door to organized crime. Rather than add to our independence, it preys on our dependence. Brown and his plan should go down.
We Washingtonians are not as “free” as American citizens who have congressmen and senators who make laws and spend tax dollars. Thanks to the Home Rule Act — and the Constitution — we can elect a delegate who has no power on the House floor. No senators. Congress has final discretion over how our government disburses dollars that come from our pockets in the form of personal tax revenues. At the moment Congress has banned the city from using local funds for government-funded abortions.
We need our own Declaration of Independence from federal control.
As for local control of the city council and executive branch, we have the freedom to vote the scoundrels out of office. Six out of 13 council members — and Mayor Vince Gray — are under ethical clouds.
We have the freedom to free them of their public offices.
Harry Jaffe’s column appears on Tuesday and Friday. He can be contacted at [email protected].
