Ok, pardon my asking, but I cannot say I’ve ever read the US Constitution word for word. (How many of us can?) So, I took my teachers’ word that the body describes how the USA’s Federal Government shall be structured. Recently, I heard it mentioned that it also lays out how the laws of the “federal district” (whatever city that shall be) shall fall under jurisdiction of the Federal government (or, words to this effect).
Where is that, specifically within the US Constitution? And, if so, why then does Washington DC have a mayor? - Jinx
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, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings
In recent practice, this has tended to mean that, while the DC City Council makes laws, Congress has the right to review and override them.
I have, lots of times. For Pete’s sake, the whole thing, including all the amendments, is only 5500 words. The original ten articles are only 2300 words. That’s ten minutes tops. It’ll be the best ten minutes you’ve ever spent.
Back to the question at hand, the Constitution gives Congress the exclusive right to exercise jurisdiction over the District of Columbia. In 1974, Congress passed the Home Rule Act, which created a city council and a mayor to, more or less, oversee the day-to-day operations of city functions. Major actions, like passing a city budget, was largely retained by Congress.
In 1995, Congress expressed its serious dissatisfaction with the way Mayor Marion Berry was running the city, and passed the DC Fiscal Responsibility and Management Assistance Act. This legislation created a Control Board to oversee and review the DC city government’s budgetary actions until the District could turn its huge budget deficits around. A huge amount of reform happened in the late '90s, and after DC had several years of budgetary surpluses, the Control Board was disbanded and the city council regained its power, which is where things stand today.
Congress still has a central role in the budgeting process, and could, at any moment, step in to revise any law that applies to DC – for example, Congress has recently debated creating a school voucher system in DC, ending DC’s ban on possession of guns, and tinkering with abortion laws. Congress could even just up and decide to get rid of the City Council once and for all, but that is something not under serious consideration at this point.
Yeah, it’s quite easy reading. I’m sort of surprised that many people haven’t. Shouldn’t you at very least have been required to do it in school at some point?
You have got to be kidding me. Are you serious? You’re an American citizen. That’s your JOB. People who can’t fucking speak understandable English can read and understand the Constitution to the point of passing citizenship tests, and you can’t take 45 seconds to do a Google search and 10 minutes to read the document? And you’re eligible to VOTE? Since you’re too damn dumb to read the foundation of your own goddamn government I’ll doubt you’re intelligent enough to understand how fucking stupid you sound.
I typed specifically about “While comments like yours are expected and even sometimes appreciated in the Pit”. More than one clause in those four sentences, n’est-ce pas?
I am quite familiar with the Constitution and actually read it more than just occasionally. I have yet to see anything in that esteemed document that designates it the job of an American citizen to know it. Of course it would be a good thing if all citizens did know what the document says; however, that is not their job.
