# D.C. as the 51st State?



## Kraut783 (Jun 26, 2020)

Not sure why this is even being brought up right now? 

"Democrats in the House voted Friday to make portions of Washington, DC, the 51st US state, which is historic because it's the furthest such a measure has ever gotten in the House, but also no big deal because the proposal is DOA with a Republican-led Senate and Republican President."

Why DC should (and should not) be the 51st state


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## Ooh-Rah (Jun 26, 2020)

Kraut783 said:


> Not sure why this is even being brought up right now?


Cause, SQUIRREL!


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## Grunt (Jun 26, 2020)

Nothing like trying to get something stupid passed while the waters are muddied....


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## Andoni (Jun 26, 2020)

Maybe natural opportunity and a news story?

DC statehood may be a political issue, but why it's not a state is dressed up locally sort of like a "hands tied" situation. The license plates say, "Taxation without Representation" on them. It's basically viewed as an ongoing peaceful protest, forever, with no end in sight.

In my experience, locally, the sentiment, is (before degentrification picked up steam), the majority of residents in surrounding locations do not get involved DC statehood, because, if you live within the borders of the District (a small area), you are either ultra rich, or ultra poor and the open-air massive drug markets, extremely high murder rate in one quandrant of the city, and dysfunctional local government, makes people (rightfully) nervous.

I remember a bumper sticker, "Just say no to Marion Barry." It wasn't popular-- after getting out of prison for hookers and crack, he got reelected, [face palm] and was in charge of Parks and Rec and Streets: unsurprisingly, giant potholes errwhere.


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## AWP (Jun 26, 2020)

Here's Why Washington D.C. Isn't a State



> But the lack of statehood for the capital is enshrined in the Constitution. Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17 of the document reads, “The Congress shall have Power To …exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States.”



An opinion piece from a Liberal writer:

Why DC should (and should not) be the 51st state


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## ShamgarTheJudge (Jun 26, 2020)

Hmmmmm...kinda reminds me of other pushes for statehood during a time of turmoil and eventual civil war...


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## Marauder06 (Jun 27, 2020)

Admitting DC as a state is a non-starter for Republicans because it will be another perpetually-blue state.  As long as the House, the Senate, and/or the Presidency is controlled by a Republican, I see no way that this will ever happen.

What's more interesting to me is that it didn't happen when Democrats controlled the House, the Senate (in filibuster-breaking numbers) and the Presidency. If this was/is such a big deal to Democrats, why didn't it happen then? Guess I have some research to do.


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## BloodStripe (Jun 28, 2020)

Kudos to the House Dems for crafting their language in such a way that it would leave DC not as a state but would instead create another new state.


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## ThunderHorse (Jun 28, 2020)

NOPE.


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## R.Caerbannog (Jun 28, 2020)

Yeah... DC is kind of a liberal hell hole. Shame what's happened to our capitol, but they can go pound sand. Statehood for them is a laughable push.


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## SpongeBob*24 (Jun 28, 2020)

We need states to form in groups of 5 to keep symmetry on Old Glory.  If Seychelles, Ibiza, Brazil and UAE want to join DC I'm all for it.....then I can travel there without getting arrested again!!!!!


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## Kraut783 (Jun 28, 2020)

I wonder how Metro PD would deal with this, it would have to shrink....if, of course, it isn't de-funded.


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## RustyShackleford (Jun 30, 2020)

Kraut783 said:


> I wonder how Metro PD would deal with this, it would have to shrink....if, of course, it isn't de-funded.



They would also need a Sheriff. The US Marshals have been running that side of things for years in DC.


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## Viper1 (Jul 1, 2020)

Marauder06 said:


> Admitting DC as a state is a non-starter for Republicans because it will be another perpetually-blue state.  As long as the House, the Senate, and/or the Presidency is controlled by a Republican, I see no way that this will ever happen.
> 
> What's more interesting to me is that it didn't happen when Democrats controlled the House, the Senate (in filibuster-breaking numbers) and the Presidency. If this was/is such a big deal to Democrats, why didn't it happen then? Guess I have some research to do.


I disagree that it would be perpetually blue. PA voted Democrat for a lot of years but recently switched, especially with President Trump winning the state.

Each party could see it as an opportunity. We could figure it out, and it is becoming a more lucrative area year after year.


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## Kaldak (Jul 1, 2020)

The whole idea was that no state would hold the nation's capital. 

Why change now?

Why not other territories that have been advocating for decades? Also, predominantly blue.


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## ThunderHorse (Jul 1, 2020)

Viper1 said:


> I disagree that it would be perpetually blue. PA voted Democrat for a lot of years but recently switched, especially with President Trump winning the state.
> 
> Each party could see it as an opportunity. We could figure it out, and it is becoming a more lucrative area year after year.


It was never meant to be a city with a huge dependent population.


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## Cookie_ (Jul 2, 2020)

Kaldak said:


> The whole idea was that no state would hold the nation's capital.
> 
> Why change now?
> 
> Why not other territories that have been advocating for decades? Also, predominantly blue.



The issue of representation/DC statehood has been around since the early 1800s. It's a complex issue.

Also, fully support any territory becoming a state. If Guam/Samoa vote to join the union, let them.



ThunderHorse said:


> It was never meant to be a city with a huge dependent population.



Maybe instead of giving DC statehood, they could just give most of the population area back to Maryland?


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## Andoni (Jul 2, 2020)

Cookie_ said:


> Maybe instead of giving DC statehood, they could just give most of the population area back to Maryland?



That's what they did with Arlington, my hometown. It's a county that doesn't have cities in it.


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## Andoni (Jul 2, 2020)

Andoni said:


> That's what they did with Arlington, my hometown. It's a county that doesn't have cities in it.


DC used to be a square, and what is now, Arlington, was chunked off. There was also something about Alexandria, to the South, originally but I don't recall it, off the top of my head. I read that they they were talking about that with DC, but on the MD side.


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## ThunderHorse (Jul 2, 2020)

The point of the District is so that states do no have control of the Nation's Capital.

The movement for the Retrocession of Arlington and Alexandria began pretty much almost immediately.  

District of Columbia retrocession - Wikipedia


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## Cookie_ (Jul 2, 2020)

I think another big thing that makes this a thorny issue is the 23rd ammendment.

Granting the District Electoral Votes pushed it closer towards the statehood argument than it did simply receding to Maryland.


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