Given that Vatqican City and Lichtenstein can be countries with lower population and area than DC, I don’t see that DC is too small to be a state.
But if we’re going to forcibly merge DC into Maryland, because its too small to allow it to have 2 senators, perhaps we should even things out by merging Vermont with New Hampshire and Wyoming with Montana, and I’ve never been able to remember which one is which anyway.
While we’re at it, we could also merge North and South Dakota, and revert Alaska to territory status (they don’t seem too keen on the Federal government up there anyway), so that Delaware is the smallest state at just under 1 million.
DC will never have voting rights as long as it is perceived as a black city. How many times do we hear comments like, “they reelected Marion Barry?” As if democracy should only be exercised if the voter abides by white middle class norms. The fact is that there is no evidence that disenfranchising DC residents was a deliberate act by the framers and could possibly have been an oversight, but as long as it is still seen as Chocolate City, a certain type of American will twist himself into knots trying to justify the city’s disenfranchisement.
I’d argue the political issue is more on the Republican side. It never even dawned on me that this was even anything to be concerned about either way. I don’t think about right or wrong in terms of my political party. I’m with the Democratic Party because it is the closest to my own morality, and is the only party that has a sizable population of people who agree with my morality.
It’s just morally wrong that there is a district trying for statehood that can’t get it, and it is morally wrong that they don’t get to participate in democracy. Now, if the latter would satisfy the desire for the former, I’m all for it. But, otherwise, they should get both.
This would be 100% true if the place were Republican dominated.
The idea that where I live determines any of my basic civil rights is wrong. It’s even wrong as far as countries go, but that’s not something we can fix. But we can at least keep the basic right for the people to self-determine their government in the U.S.
I don’t understand your logic, and I don’t get how statehood is a moral issue. Let’s say that DC were folded into Maryland and therefore DC residents got to “participate in democracy” and had all the rights of, say, Baltimore residents. If they still clamored for statehood at that point but couldn’t get it, would you see that as morally wrong still?
The majority of residents of Washington DC, whether they are Black, White, Hispanic or Asian, are Federal workers, and people who support Federal workers. As long as the Democratic Party is perceived as the party of big government, Republicans nationwide will not support DC statehood. I am talking about perception here, because everyone knows that both sides increase the size of government when they are in power, it is just a choice of what part of the government is increased. Seriously though, if you are a Federal worker, or a shop owner who depends on Federal workers for business, would you vote for the party that preaches about gutting the federal bureaucracy? Republicans see DC statehood as anathema, since it would guarantee two more Democratic senators, and one more Democratic Representative in Congress.
Having DC folded back into Maryland would be more palatable, since Maryland is already a deep blue state. It would probably add 1 more Democrat to the House of Representatives, but would not affect the Senate at all.
I don’t think that “Federal workers and those who support Federal workers” is the essential issue here that makes DC a blue city. Yes, DC is more blue than many large cities, but basically it is a large city like most others that have a very consistent record of Democratic support. I think it has more to do with the simple fact that urban areas overwhelmingly tend to vote Democratic – the major industry in such cities isn’t the key issue.
I find the idea of folding DC into Maryland bizarre. West Virginia was a part of Virginia for almost a century longer than DC was part of Maryland, but no one is suggesting that it be returned to Virginia. Deciding that people don’t get a vote because one party would not like how they exercise that vote is undemocratic. I have no allusions that DC will get a vote in congress, but I wish people would drop the act that there is any noble reasons for it.
Professor Viet Dinh of Georgetown University (previously in George W. Bush’s Justice Department) and Ken Starr of Clinton impeachment fame, argue convincingly that congress has the authority now to allow DC voting representation in the House. Their prepared statements are worth a read. https://judiciary.house.gov/_files/hearings/printers/111th/111-1_46817.PDF
ISTM that retrocession is the only reasonable solution. You can’t fairly compare it to other territories gaining statehood. It was created from carvings of existing states for the specific and Constitutional mandated purpose of NOT being a state. Unless you think a constitutional amendment is a realistic possibilty, somewhere there’s going to be a spot where people don’t get 2 Senators.
Yes, but West Virginia is a much larger, geographically distinct area. Nobody is suggesting Maine return to Massachusetts, either. It’s part history, but a much greater part geography.
West Virginia returning to Virginia and/or Maine returning to Massachusetts wouldn’t solve any apparent problems, either. Returning DC to Maryland would.
As you well know, there is no “proper” geographic size. I don’t think that D.C. is too small to be a state. In other words, I think you’re misconstruing the argument of geography by focusing on size and ignoring infrastructural connections, cultural geography, etc. But try asking the question in a different way:
Given the two options (1) D.C. becomes a 51st state & (2) D.C. becomes a part of Maryland, which is better for:
(a) the people of D.C.
(b) the people of Maryland
(c) the people of the USA?
I’d say:
(a) D.C. becomes [del]Area[/del] State 51
(b) D.C. is folded into Maryland
so the tiebreaker becomes
(c) D.C. is folded into Maryland.
Obviously, all of those are matters of opinion, and all arguable.
Ah - I misunderstood your comment. But others certainly think DC is too small of a place to be a state, which leads to the question of the proper size of a state. Which leads to the question of how many states Alaska should be divided into so that it can be in compliance.