# DC, representation in Congress, and home rule **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 20, 2009, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-representation-in-congress-and-home-rule/503686 "2009-07-20T22:51:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-representation-in-congress-and-home-rule/503686/81 "2009-07-24T06:44:15Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > They don’t pay federal income taxes, but Puerto Rico and Guam tax their citizens at the same rate and using the same tables as the federal government does. So as far as that’s concerned, there’s not much practical difference to the individual paying the tax whether he or she pays federal income tax or Puerto Rico income tax…the percentages and filing rules are the same. Yes but they are electing the people who are imposing and spending their taxes. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-representation-in-congress-and-home-rule/503686/82 "2009-07-24T06:45:26Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Because D.C. is not a state. D.C. is supposed to be a federal enclave that houses the seat of government. If you decide to treat D.C. like everywhere else then you have done away with the whole idea/need for its separate existence in the first place and you might as well retrocede it to Maryland. We don’t need it anymore. Maryland doesn’t want it so we can’t force it down their throats. Why not just make DC a state. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-representation-in-congress-and-home-rule/503686/83 "2009-07-24T06:49:09Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > acting as if it’s their god-given right or something, rather than the result of their own damn choice to live there. So if a state said NO GUNS ALLOWED, why wouldn’t the answer to gun enthusiasts be, “move to another state”? ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-representation-in-congress-and-home-rule/503686/84 "2009-07-24T08:34:34Z")
I still think retrocession is the only plausible way to get D.C. residents representation in Congress. They’re never going to get enough states to agree to an Amendment granting them a voting representation in the House let alone the Senate nor is D.C. ever likely to be made into a state. If you’re really concerned about the rights of D.C. citizens to have representation then you’ll probably have to focus on what’s realistically possible. Not that retrocession is all that realistic in and of itself. Odesio ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-representation-in-congress-and-home-rule/503686/85 "2009-07-24T15:05:07Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > Maryland doesn’t want it so we can’t force it down their throats. That question is unanswered. Maybe we can force it down their throats. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-representation-in-congress-and-home-rule/503686/86 "2009-07-24T15:11:45Z")
Who, exactly, is going to force it down Maryland’s throats? Except for the people of DC, very few people know about the whole lack of representation thing, and even fewer care. There is very little support for retrocession other than those who wouldn’t be effected by it. As a DC resident, I’m pretty agnostic about retrocession because I see it as only slightly less far fetched than DC becoming the 51st state. Personally, I think a constitutional amendment giving DC a representative is probably the most direct path from A to B. We’ve already had an amendment to give us three electoral votes, so I cannot rule out that states would allow DC a single vote in Congress. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2009, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-representation-in-congress-and-home-rule/503686/87 "2009-07-25T10:13:24Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > So if a state said NO GUNS ALLOWED, why wouldn’t the answer to gun enthusiasts be, “move to another state”? If owning a gun were as important to me as representation is to the OP . . . I would. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-representation-in-congress-and-home-rule/503686/88 "2009-07-25T19:04:07Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > If owning a gun were as important to me as representation is to the OP . . . I would. So if there is some kind of injustice where one lives, that person shouldn’t bother to right the situation, he should flee. Or else accept it. I’ll remember that next time my neighbor dumps his leaves in my backyard. I should just run. Or pretend it didn’t happen. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2009, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-representation-in-congress-and-home-rule/503686/89 "2009-07-26T17:41:31Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > So if there is some kind of injustice where one lives, that person shouldn’t bother to right the situation, he should flee. Or else accept it. > > I’ll remember that next time my neighbor dumps his leaves in my backyard. I should just run. Or pretend it didn’t happen. False analogy. Someone breaking the law by littering your lawn is not an injustice. The other point is that when someone CHOOSES to live somewhere and then complains about the laws, weather, tax rate, etc. it’s not really an injustice is it since you CHOSE to live there. Now the (valid) point was raised that if someone was born in DC, they didn’t really have a choice did they. I totally agree with that and from now on, I shall refuse to pay state income tax. Why? Well Nevadans don’t pay state income tax and I didn’t choose to be born in California. Therefore it is an injustice that I must pay the extra taxes simply because of where I was born. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2009, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-representation-in-congress-and-home-rule/503686/90 "2009-07-26T17:51:15Z")
> [@](#): > > The other point is that when someone CHOOSES to live somewhere and then complains about the laws, weather, tax rate, etc. it’s not really an injustice is it since you CHOSE to live there. For those few of you holding this opinion, I’d be interested to know if you think it applies at the federal level as well. You don’t like the decision handed down in Roe v. Wade? Fine, move to some country that has abortion laws that you find agreeable. And weather? Who said that undesirable weather was an injustice? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2009, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-representation-in-congress-and-home-rule/503686/91 "2009-07-26T18:28:10Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > The other point is that when someone CHOOSES to live somewhere and then complains about the laws, weather, tax rate, etc. it’s not really an injustice is it since you CHOSE to live there. So in your view, people are not allowed to try to change the law in a place where they weren’t born. Got it. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2009, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-representation-in-congress-and-home-rule/503686/92 "2009-07-26T21:35:46Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > False analogy. Someone breaking the law by littering your lawn is not an injustice. > > The other point is that when someone CHOOSES to live somewhere and then complains about the laws, weather, tax rate, etc. it’s not really an injustice is it since you CHOSE to live there. > > Now the (valid) point was raised that if someone was born in DC, they didn’t really have a choice did they. I totally agree with that and from now on, I shall refuse to pay state income tax. Why? Well Nevadans don’t pay state income tax and I didn’t choose to be born in California. Therefore it is an injustice that I must pay the extra taxes simply because of where I was born. Yet another false analogy. Because each state determines its own income taxes, which is perfectly fair. However, the federal government singles out the people of DC for unique treatment. OK, you 50 states, you can have voting representation, but you DC…over there! DC must have done something \*awfully bad \*to be separated from a group that large… It isn’t about whether it’s fair to any individual who lives in DC, or what the current residents deserve. It’s about why DC should be treated any differently than the states. What is the underyling principal that justifies this? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2009, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-representation-in-congress-and-home-rule/503686/93 "2009-07-26T22:30:06Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > The other point is that when someone CHOOSES to live somewhere and then complains about the laws, weather, tax rate, etc. it’s not really an injustice is it since you CHOSE to live there. You’re choosing to live in a country in which all people have the constitutional right to petition our government for redress of grievances. If you have a problem with people exercising that right, you could always move to another country. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dc-representation-in-congress-and-home-rule/503686.md?page=4)