Senate bill would make Washington DC the 51st US state

[turbinetree]

Home / Senate bill would make Washington DC the 51st US state

?width=1245&quality=85&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C131&height=700

Written by Meaghan Ellis January 28, 2021


Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) is bringing a new bill to the Senate floor that would officially make Washington, D.C. the 51st state in the United States. According to The Independent, the passing of legislation, S. 51, also referred to as the D.C. Admissions Act, would make the nation's capital an official state.

The prominent city's 700,000+ residents have long sought to become an official state arguing that the taxes they pay still do not afford them the luxury of having equal representation in the House and Senate chambers compared to other states. The effort has been largely backed by Democratic lawmakers as the city of Washington, D.C., is comprised of mostly Democrats.

On Wednesday, Jan. 27, Carper released a statement about the legislation he is proposing saying, "This isn't a Republican or Democratic issue; it's an American issue because the lack of fair representation for D.C. residents is clearly inconsistent with the values on which this country was founded."

https://www.alternet.org/2021/01/dc-statehood/

[zentrum]

1. Must make this happen.

[SheltieLover]

2. K&R!

[krispos42]

3. I wrote my congresscritters saying this was a bad idea

I'm all for Puerto Rico to be a US state, but DC is way too small. It's a medium-ish city with a smallish geographical footprint. It's not a state and shouldn't be.

The residents of DC should, for the purposes of representation, be part of Maryland. Get a congressional district that follows DC's borders (fixed, no gerrymandering) and then take part in the vote for Maryland's senators.

[mcar]

6. This isn't about acreage, it's about representation.

Last edited Thu Jan 28, 2021, 04:52 PM - Edit history (1)

DC has a population of 5+ million, Wyoming 500,000.

On edit: DC itself has a population of about 714,000. The 5 million covers the DC metro area.

[krispos42]

9. DC has a population of about 700k, and an area of 68 square miles.

The county I live in, in Connecticut, is nearly 10x the size and has 30% more people. And it would be ridiculous for me to say that my county should be a state. It's too small.

Hell, having NYC be it's own state would be ridiculous... and it's an order of magnitude bigger than DC.

I offered a proposal to correct the situation that is more in line with the rest of the country.

[mcar]

12. OK, I corrected my population #, but my point still stands

This isn't about acreage, it's about representation. Why should Wyoming get 2 senators and DC none?

[krispos42]

14. I'm not saying they shouldn't be represented

The city that is Washington should be represented in Congress by a Representative (not a delegate) and two Senators as part of the Maryland population.

But that DC is too small to be a state.

Wyoming is a state. It is not the fault of Wyoming and other low-population density states fault that the industrial revolution led to vastly higher concentrations of people in metropolitan areas than the Founders could envision; these population densities are unprecedented in human history.

If I could go back in time and spend a few hours with the Founding Fathers and a non-Texas-influenced American History textbook I'd make sure, among other things, that the number of senators per state would be something like "each state gets the greater of two senators, or the number of Representatives divided by six". I know the "California vs Wyoming" senate thing is an issue as well, and that would help alleviate that issue.

[Turin_C3PO]

8. How is geographical acres relevant?

They deserve two Senators and a Representative.

[krispos42]

11. Because it is what defines a state.

Otherwise we might as well just have every county or every city become its own state.

There are no other towns or cities in DC because DC is a city. There is no reason for a city to have the level of government of a state. It's a CITY.

I offered a solution that gets DC representation that is within the current parameters of normal, and I think it's reasonable and effective and doesn't require changing the Constitution.

[Kid Berwyn]

4. Puerto Rico, too.

Colonies are exploited. States, no, they are respected as equals.

[Amishman]

5. Still not a fan of this idea, DC is too small to be a state

Though I do agree that its current status is unfair to its residents. DC should be returned to Maryland, especially since the VA portion was returned years ago.

Just because DC statehood would be politically advantageous for us doesn't mean its the right idea.

[mcar]

7. Again, this isn't about acreage

Last edited Thu Jan 28, 2021, 04:54 PM - Edit history (1)

Wyoming has a population of 500,000, DC 5 million. Why should the first get 2 senators, the second nothing?

On edit: DC proper population is about 714,000. The DC metro area is 5 million.

[EX500rider]

10. Why do people keep saying Wash DC has a pop of 5 million when it is 690,000? nt

[mcar]

13. I corrected my post

It is projected to be just under 714,000 this year.