What are your opinions on DC statehood? (1 Viewer)

[Saintman2884]

It has been an issue that has sort of been on the periphery of mainstream national political discussion for a couple of decades now, although possible Puerto Rican statehood has received more attention and garnered more traction past decade considering its still semi-limbo legal status between Commonwealth, state, or allowing them full independence?

DC statehood question has become a main issue and I'm writing this thread to gauge or determine the feelings of MAP/SR members on here that live or work near D.C., Saint Terps, DaveXa are two notable examples. I believe a few other MAP/SR posters on here I'm not aware of at the moment are D.C. natives or work or live in the surrounding areas.

Me, although right-leaning, have absolutely no problem with granting D.C. statehood as it would probably make the large, cumbersome complex bureaucracy of running the city, its infrastructure, various police forces, agencies a lot less difficult and I'm a big believer in smart, practical/pragmatic styled government that gets things done but doesn't interject itself too much into the equation if it doesn't have to unless under emergency situations or national disasters (terrorist attacks, God forbid another domestic Jan. 6 insurrectionist event/attempt, foreign biological/chemical/nuclear attack).

Plus, I'd like to see how the new 51-star American flag would look considering if Washington D.C. becomes a state, it would be the first one admitted to the Union in over 60 years.

 

[Roofgardener]

DC residents can vote in the presidential election and have 3 electoral votes. We voted 93% for Biden and 5% Trump. DC does not have voting representation in the House or Senate. It has a single non-voting Rep who is currently chair of the Transportation Committee.

DC is not a state because of several historical factors:

• Section 8 of the Constitution established it as an enclave under control of the Congress - no government gives up control easily.
• The 23rd Amendment (1961) established presidential electors for the District but not representation. Some believe it will take a Constitutional amendment to provide statehood due to Sec 8 and 23rd Amend.
• DC has historically been majority black and is still majority non-white.
• DC is a Dem stronghold.
• Republicans leaders generally don’t care about voting rights or equal representation. It’s about power and an attitude of “I got mine so screw you” for them.

DC’s demographics are rapidly changing. Today, the lack of representation is more about politics than race, IMO. Even if DC was majority white, it would still vote like most large urban areas. Republicans have zero political incentive to provide DC with voting Rep/Sen.

Thanks for that B4YOU

 

[GrandAdmiral]

• The 23rd Amendment (1961) established presidential electors for the District but not representation. Some believe it will take a Constitutional amendment to provide statehood due to Sec 8 and 23rd Amend.

That's the claim, but I don't see this being the case. The 23rd only mandates how electors for the district are devised. If D.C. becomes a state, the district will still be there, just in a smaller form. Both the amendment and Clause 17 of Section 8 would remain intact.

 

[SaulGoodmanEsq]

Even without Roberts there are five votes on the Supreme Court who will 'interpret' the relevant Constitutional provisions in such a way that it was not the Framers intent to transform the District into a state regardless of the fact you could create another -- smaller -- federal district. And that's even if the Democrats manage to remove the filibuster.

 

[zztop]

This guy

"Let the people of America vote": Sen. Manchin says he doesn't support D.C. statehood

The bill is unlikely to reach the 60 votes needed to send it to President Biden's desk.

www.axios.com

 

[DaveXA]

This guy

"Let the people of America vote": Sen. Manchin says he doesn't support D.C. statehood

The bill is unlikely to reach the 60 votes needed to send it to President Biden's desk.

www.axios.com

Idk why they're even worried about Manchin. Where are you going to find 10 Republicans who would vote for DC statehood? I wouldn't mind DC becoming a state, but it won't happen without some Republican support.

 

[SaulGoodmanEsq]

Exactly. It was a pipe dream so I'm not sure why they wasted any time over it.

 

[zztop]

Idk why they're even worried about Manchin. Where are you going to find 10 Republicans who would vote for DC statehood? I wouldn't mind DC becoming a state, but it won't happen without some Republican support.

I personally would not classify what I feel about him as "worry", it is something else haha
(this isn't just one thing though, it is his opposition to basically most of the proposals Biden has wanted to put forth)

 

[DaveXA]

I personally would not classify what I feel about him as "worry", it is something else haha
(this isn't just one thing though, it is his opposition to basically most of the proposals Biden has wanted to put forth)

Yeah, but he's the most conservative Democrat in the Senate. He wants to keep his WV seat, so, he's gonna do what he's doing. If the Democrats want to pass some non-budget reconciliation bills, they're gonna have to lure enough Republican support to make Manchin comfortable enough to go along with it. He's not going to like being the 50th vote, and he's stated as much. And precisely why he won't go along with removing the filibuster.

 

[Optimus Prime]

 

[The Other Liberal]

I don't think making DC a state is the best way to give it's people a voice. We could do more to give them home rule and control over non federal property. But statehood doesn't make sense.

 

[UncleTrvlingJim]

I don't think making DC a state is the best way to give it's people a voice. We could do more to give them home rule and control over non federal property. But statehood doesn't make sense.

Why not?

Basically there are more people living in DC than Vermont or Wyoming, so it's certainly big enough.

There ought to be some way for the people of DC to have representation in the House and Senate, I'm definitely open to ways to accomplish that though.

 

[The Other Liberal]

Why not?

Basically there are more people living in DC than Vermont or Wyoming, so it's certainly big enough.

There ought to be some way for the people of DC to have representation in the House and Senate, I'm definitely open to ways to accomplish that though.

Thanks for responding.....

1. Our country is deeply divided politically to say the least. Not only do people distrust government in general, they disdain Washington and the federal government in particular. Making DC a state will only make things worse by identifying the nation's capitol with a particular state. People will feel like DC - the state runs their lives. Many Americans will suspect rightly or wrongly the federal government is giving DC unfair advantages as it's host state.

2. The District of Columbia as a state would be completely dependent on the federal government with federal property and workers everywhere. It's wellbeing would be tied to the workings and maintenance of the federal bureaucracy so thoroughly that DC could not be fiscally or economically viable sovereign state.

3. Making DC a state is just a way to conveniently avoid coming up with imaginative, viable, bipartisan solutions to address the residents' concerns about taxes and representation.

 

[insidejob]

Thanks for responding.....

1. Our country is deeply divided politically to say the least. Not only do people distrust government in general, they disdain Washington and the federal government in particular. Making DC a state will only make things worse by identifying the nation's capitol with a particular state. People will feel like DC - the state runs their lives. Many Americans will suspect rightly or wrongly the federal government is giving DC unfair advantages as it's host state.

2. The District of Columbia as a state would be completely dependent on the federal government with federal property and workers everywhere. It's wellbeing would be tied to the workings and maintenance of the federal bureaucracy so thoroughly that DC could not be fiscally or economically viable sovereign state.

3. Making DC a state is just a way to conveniently avoid coming up with imaginative, viable, bipartisan solutions to address the residents' concerns about taxes and representation.

Why not just shrink the actual "District" and make all of the surrounding areas that aren't federal property where people live the actual state? It eliminates every problem you've presented. My sister went to GWU and lived and worked there for 4 years after getting her masters before coming back home after Katrina to get her PhD. In the decade she lived there, I probably spent a total of a year of my life visiting her. And out of that year, I probably spent a total of three weeks on federal property. DC is so much more than just federal land and federal workers.

Honestly, I think every US territory should be taxed, represented and acknowledged as a state. PR, Guam, USVI, DC...all of 'em.

 

[B4YOU]

Thanks for responding.....

1. Our country is deeply divided politically to say the least. Not only do people distrust government in general, they disdain Washington and the federal government in particular. Making DC a state will only make things worse by identifying the nation's capitol with a particular state. People will feel like DC - the state runs their lives. Many Americans will suspect rightly or wrongly the federal government is giving DC unfair advantages as it's host state.

2. The District of Columbia as a state would be completely dependent on the federal government with federal property and workers everywhere. It's wellbeing would be tied to the workings and maintenance of the federal bureaucracy so thoroughly that DC could not be fiscally or economically viable sovereign state.

3. Making DC a state is just a way to conveniently avoid coming up with imaginative, viable, bipartisan solutions to address the residents' concerns about taxes and representation.

Thanks for this. Most anti-statehood posters don’t put this level of effort. What are you suggestions for “imaginative, viable, bipartisan solutions to address the residents' concerns about taxes and representation”? Is there a solution besides statehood that isn’t just a modern day 3/5 compromise?

 

[DaveXA]

I would just say two things pro and one thing problematic about DC becoming a state.

1. DC should become a state. It would give representation to a large number of people who are essentially excluded from the decision making process at the federal level. Taxation without representation isn't just a motto. It's a legitimate complaint.

2. DC, surprisingly enough, has a substantial enough tax base to support itself through income and property taxes which are only slightly higher than Md/VA. The city does manage a lot of the infrastructure that supports federal properties in the city, but the federal government does have numerous contracts with the city, so the city isn't exactly being hurt if it has a somewhat symbiotic relationship with the federal agencies located in the District. People forget, there are quite a few private sector businesses located or headquartered in DC proper. I worked for a non-profit in DC before I started working a federal job in DC.

3. DC's biggest obstacle to statehood is the lengthy and drawn out process to become a state. They just don't have the numbers, so becoming a state is a pipe dream. It's a worthy cause, but it's also a futile one, unfortunately.

 

[Saintman2884]

Why not just shrink the actual "District" and make all of the surrounding areas that aren't federal property where people live the actual state? It eliminates every problem you've presented. My sister went to GWU and lived and worked there for 4 years after getting her masters before coming back home after Katrina to get her PhD. In the decade she lived there, I probably spent a total of a year of my life visiting her. And out of that year, I probably spent a total of three weeks on federal property. DC is so much more than just federal land and federal workers.

Honestly, I think every US territory should be taxed, represented and acknowledged as a state. PR, Guam, USVI, DC...all of 'em.

Inside, in terms of the DC statehood question context, what about a "Cold War-Berlin-type" solution where certain parts (or suburbs) in the greater Washington D.C. metropolitan area can be given the choice to decide what states their municipalities want to become part of: How many states does the greater Washington D.C. metropolitan area cover? I know of at least two(Maryland and Virginia).
Does D.C. status as a Federal District solely by itself have to be set in stone? Could there be a compromise where they could retain their special distinction and also become a state?

 

[B4YOU]

People keep asking about compromises so here are two options:

1. End federal taxation within the District for citizens and no change to statehood/representation. DC residents would be treated like territorial populations. The problem is the federal budget for DC would be slashed shortly thereafter.
   
   
2. Provide the District with 2 Senators and proportional representation in the House while not granting statehood. This allows continued federal control, representation for citizens, and 50 stars on the flag that so many are keen to keep. This would take a Constitutional amendment.