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The government of the District of Colombia has launched a new campaign for Statehood. From the Washington Post:
The new initiative involves asking state and local legislatures around the country to pass ceremonial resolutions supporting district statehood.
A similar resolution was introduced in the New Hampshire legislature this year after a push from D.C. Councilmember David Catania. Statehood supporters say it’s important to build a coalition of support around the country.
The new statehood campaign will include ads around the city directed at tourists and a new website, StatehoodDC.com.
Full voting rights for the people of DC, which would require statehood, has always been a big issue for me just on principle. It’s especially important to me now that I have recently moved into the District.
Now that I’m a DC resident, I’ve become a second class citizen in my own country. I’m no longer allowed to vote for members of the House or Senate, which means I’m now forced to live under laws of, and pay taxes to, a government in which I have no representation.
It is an incredibly ironic way to treat the people who live in the capital of a country partly created because of the principle “no taxation without representation.”
I still consider the biggest single failure of Congressional Democrats and President Obama was that they didn’t grant statehood to DC in 2009 when they had the chance.
24 Comments
So you’re the poll maven, Jon. What % of people in the U.S. know that D.C.ers have no reps in congress.
How does the pop of D.C. compare with that of some of the low pop states?
I remember looking for that poll at one point and was unable to find it. DC is inline with many low population states.
DC 600,000
Alaska 698,000
wyoming 544,000
North Dakota 648,000
. . . and how would the number of representatives in Congress be determined for DC? IOW, would the census count include congress critters who are only there when Congress is in session?
Also, how would the federal government assert supremacy within the borders a sovereign state? So many question with this one . . .
That makes no sense, Federal government has many buildings in states, for example the Pentagon, no problem with supremacy.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy won a budget vote in Parliament on Tuesday but the tally showed that he no longer has the support of the majority, a huge humiliation that raised the pressure on him to resign in the face of an escalating debt crisis that has hobbled Greece, threatens Italy and could infect the rest of Europe.
What does this have to do with DC Statehood? Maybe We should all go back to the city states that Garabaldi united? Local control is what we are speaking to.
BO has done a lot worse things than not making DC a state.
VT pop around 500-600,000 too, from memory.
I think the senate is a limping dinosaur that should be abolished but that’s not gonna happen, I spose.
D.C. should, at minimum, have a rep in the house.
Congress critters count in their home states, obviously.
Huh?
Granted there are larger injustices in U.S. but that does not excuse smaller ones.
Um… just like the rest of us.
It’s just a question. From the wiki:
It seems changing DC’s designation to a state (following an amendment to the Constitution ~ and we know how well those go) would create more legislative chaos for its citizens than it would resolve. Again, it’s just a question.
That’s what I was thinking.
Considering that 80% of us are ignored on everything from defense to taxes I’d be hard pressed to argue that Congress represents those of us that have statehood well either.
You might want to check out this website.
Rep was on book-tv last weekend & pointed to Jefferson’s quote (carved in his memorial) that the constitution is like clothing that has to change as the child grows into an adult and a lot of other relevant material, including that up until prez term limits, amendments weren’t as impossible as they are now.
After all, the constitution is just a piece of paper with ink on it, and a much outdated one at that.
The one thing that the CC author didn’t talk about is whether, in countries that change their constitutions often (France comes to mind), there is progress or regress.
Thanks for the linky, eCAHN. (:>
LOL.
There’s a linky for everything these days.
Not necessarily a GOOD or ACCURATE linky, but makes commenter appear more tuned in than she would otherwise appear. :-)
What I know about the constitution would fit in a thimble and have lots of room left over for a meal for 12.
D.C is not a “State” and will never be a “State”,it does not have the attributes of a “State” that even tiny Delaware and Rhode Island have. It is a city and I think they should have 1 vote in the House but 2 Senators,no way.
We have so many important issues to solve and DC statehood is not one of them.
D.C. Statehood battle cry: “We demand a facade of democracy too!”
Also, “forced to live” is pretty strong language since you’re perfectly welcome to emigrate from D.C. and immigrate to any other state or territory in the Union.
The District should become a person like corporations and zygotes.
I think we need to ask “What did our founding fathers INTEND?”
And then, we need to ask, who really gives a shit?
I think you are smarter than most people think you think they think you are. But I could be wrong.
Ya’ know, that might pass in Missississippi.
I agree. If they want representation, just move.
Where’d everybody go????
I can understand where the District should have a voting member in the House of Representatives, but I would rather they be allowed to vote for Senators along with the State of Maryland since it was Maryland from which the District was taken. Actually the portion of the District which was taken from VA was given back to VA.
What about this would create legislative chaos? If anything, the present weird system causes problems, since our laws can be undone by Congress. Statehood would make DC just like everyone else.
Personally I do not care whether DC becomes a state, or becomes part of MD, or simply votes with MD for congressional purposes. But the existing system is intolerable.
(And then after us, we can work on PR, Guam, etc.)
Maybe DC could secede instead?