Why Can't Washington DC Secede?

[iamjoy]

Seriously, I hear people advocating that DC should have rights of statehood. Residents are angry that Congress can just overturn legislation passed by city council.

But, Article I, Section 8 #17 gives Congress the right
("To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square)...the Seat of the Government...")

OK, secession is unconstitutional. Funny thing, the constitution (Article I) specifically lays out what states can and cannot do and what Congress can do. States cannot enter into treaties with other states. But, DC or Washington City isn't a state.

Actually, it wouldn't be the district seceding, but the city of Washington secedes from the District of Columbia and joins Maryland. After all, wasn't there some vote last year for the city of Winhall, Vermont to secede from its state and be annexed by New Hampshire?

Of course, with Washington DC there is the problem of the federal buildings, which the Cosntitution still states are in the control of Congress.

But, since I am not a lawyer, could some one more educated than I point out the flaws in my theory?

[getmeouttahere]

1. They don't even want the Nationals to be owned...

by a democrat!!!

[jody]

2. I wish it would and we could build a fence around it to keep them in. n/t

[mcscajun]

3. In any ordinary state, a city could not secede without the permission

of its home state.

In the case of D.C., it could not secede a) because there is nothing to secede from, as the city is the district, and vice-versa, and b) Congress would have to give permission, which it would never do.

What should be done, though, is to give D.C. residents the same voting rights as every other US citizen. Their lack of direct voting representation is unique among the citizens of other national capitals.

[iamjoy]

4. Is Washington City The District?

I know originally the District of Columbia included Georgetown, Alexandria and Washington City.

Washington City, has its own municipal charter, giving it the right to form/elect city council.

[mcscajun]

5. It's a complicated situation, to be sure...

but the City is the District is the City. The variance lies in who is talking about it and what they're talking about.

Here are some good references to start:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Washington%2C_D.C.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington%2C_D.C.#Local_government

[northzax]

6. maryland? why would we want to go to Maryland?

bring on Virginia, we'll flip the thing blue.

actually, my favourite Idea is to combine everything inside the beltway, it would be the wealthiest state in the country! and bluer than a boobie's foot.

[CheckyPantz]

7. Came up before...

Back in '02 or so, the Chantilly Times (the what, again?) had a front-page article entitled "Should Northern Virginia secede?" There was a small group in Fairfax County agitating about how so much of the state's tax burden was shouldered by so little (geographically) of the state, and that Winchester and Lexington and points south and west received a disproportionate share of the revenue from the state.

The answer, of course, was to create a new state, North Virginia, thus plunging the rest of old Virginia into an extraordinary poverty.

Don't think anything ever came of that ;)

[dcfirefighter]

8. I've always liked this idea

Though I grew up in richmond, i live in maryland. I tell people around here (when they disparage virginia) that they don't know virginia, only nova.

But inside the beltway, the population would be around 4 million, around mid-pack compared to the rest of the states.

I've always thought that state & local government should be more organized around city geography, rather than more arbitrary state lines.

(and for what it's worth, I suggest that the budget of our new state be entirely based on 'unimproved' land values: no taxes on sales, no taxes on incomes, no taxes on buildings. We'd grow 2 million in a decade, and actually have housing that regular folks could afford.)