Eleanor Holmes Norton: “I thank my friend for yielding. I strongly oppose this rule. This rule would allow the House to consider two resolutions…”

“I thank my friend for yielding. I strongly oppose this rule. This rule would allow the House to consider two resolutions that would nullify two bills recently enacted by the District of Columbia's local legislature, the D.C. Council. These are profoundly undemocratic, paternalistic resolutions. The House, in which the nearly 700,000 D.C. residents have no voting representation, is attempting to nullify a bill enacted by the D.C. Council, whose members are elected by and accountable to D.C. residents. What is democracy? The dictionary defines it as a ``government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.'' Perhaps President Lincoln described democracy best in the Gettysburg Address as ``government of the people, by the people, and for the people.'' The D.C. Council has 13 members. The members are elected by D.C. residents. Eight members are elected by geographical area and five members are elected at-large. If D.C. residents do not like how the members vote, they can vote them out of office. Congress has 535 Members. The Members are elected by residents of the several States. None are elected by D.C. residents. If D.C.…”