# If Washington's a "district" where's the rest of Columbia? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 7, 2000, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-washingtons-a-district-wheres-the-rest-of-columbia/8666 "2000-03-07T22:27:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Edward\_J\_Cunningham\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e79b87/32.png) [@Edward\_J\_Cunningham\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_J_Cunningham_1)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2000, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-washingtons-a-district-wheres-the-rest-of-columbia/8666/21 "2000-03-10T03:41:00Z")
> [@](#): > > One solution might be to redefine the District of Columbia to core area where the White House and Congress actually sit, cede the rest to Maryland, and either (a) evict the residents of the newly-redefined DC or (b) **exempt them from Federal taxes**. Hence my interest in what the old boundaries were - maybe they could serve as the new boundaries. Ah, voting rights for D.C. residents. At last, we’re onto a **substantial** topic. You know, the United States isn’t the only democracy in the world, nor is it the only country with a federal government. It isn’t even the only country with a federal government that has a federal district as a capital. But it **IS** the only democracy that does not permit residents of the capital city to vote in the national legislature. That is unconscionable. How to remedy this? There are several suggestions. 1. Statehood. D.C. has been lobbying for statehood for years, and for many blacks this is the only option that is worth considering. I do not oppose statehood, but most Americans do not consider D.C. a state and are loathe to give it two senators. I think we should try other options. 1. Retrocession This isn’t a bad idea. Do we really need most of D.C. as a federal district? After all, it isn’t as if Virginia is in any danger of contolling the CIA or Pentagon anymore than Maryland is of controlling NSA. Many Republicans would agree to this–since Maryland is already a heavily Democratic state and the most they might lose would be one House seat. The only problem is that too many of my fellow Marylanders see (wrongly in my opinion) Washington as a liablity than an asset. Also, many Washingtonian see this (also wrongly) as a land grab by Maryland. I see it as a magnaminous inclusive gesture that would be beneficial to both parties. Unfortunately, it isn’t going to happen. 1. Let D.C. residents vote in Maryland or Viriginia elections. Evidentally at one point in Washington’s history, this DID happen. Personally, I’m opposed to this. If there should be no “taxation without representation”, then there should also be no “representation without taxation.” Is it fair for Maryland representatives or senators be beholden to constituents who do not pay state income taxes? 1. Voting rights ammendment This has already failed, but I think that if a new ammendement were proposed that would merely give them representation in the House, then it might work. However, it must have bipartisan support. If enough brain-dead Republican oppose **any** measure that would enfranchise D.C. residents, this ammendment won’t get past Congress, let alone the states. 1. Exempt D.C. residents from federal income tax This suggestion has my utter contempt. Anyone who thinks that the right to vote is less valuable than the amount of taxes we pay should move to China… ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_J\_Cunningham\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e79b87/32.png) [@Edward\_J\_Cunningham\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_J_Cunningham_1)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2000, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-washingtons-a-district-wheres-the-rest-of-columbia/8666/22 "2000-03-10T03:50:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\*After living in the DC area for 14 years and listening to the residents of the District complain about “taxation without representation”, etc., what I say is: > > **Just move 5 @!#?@! miles in any direction and you’ll be in either Maryland or Virginia.** Try it! The crime rate’s lower, the roads are in better shape, the gas is cheaper (in VA). > > It’s not like they’re Puerto Rico or Guam and stuck in the middle of the ocean. I’ve got you beat–I’ve lived in the D.C. area for all my life…32 years, in fact. **No one** should have to move out of D.C. to have to vote for a member of Congress. Besides, I don’t think that the crime rate in D.C. is that much worse than the suburbs. The homicide rate is WAAYY down, for one thing. If more Americans actually bothered to vote, D.C.'s disenfranchisement would be more of an issue. Then again, does anyone believe that if most of D.C. residents were white that there **WOULDN’T** be voting representation in Congress? ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_J\_Cunningham\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e79b87/32.png) [@Edward\_J\_Cunningham\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_J_Cunningham_1)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2000, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-washingtons-a-district-wheres-the-rest-of-columbia/8666/23 "2000-03-10T03:56:00Z")
> [@](#): > > I’ll wait here while you go tell the folks in NYC, LA, Chicago, etc. why the city of Washington gets two senators and they don’t. Good point, which is why I think the “statehood or nothing” strategy is a bad idea. How would they feel if D.C. had a voting representative in the House–which is supposed to represent the **people** –but not the Senate, which is supposed to represent the states? ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_J\_Cunningham\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e79b87/32.png) [@Edward\_J\_Cunningham\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_J_Cunningham_1)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2000, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-washingtons-a-district-wheres-the-rest-of-columbia/8666/24 "2000-03-10T04:01:00Z")
> [@](#): > > There have been proposals that D.C. be redefined as the Capitol, the Whitehouse, the Mall, (with a few extra acres of monuments and government buildings) while the city of Washington is returned to Maryland. The governor of Maryland has actually stated that he would not oppose such a measure. (I don’t know if that will cost him the next election.) > > I think the idea might work. Maryland will surely demand some sort of financial assistance to complete the transfer, but it would stop the periodic idiot calls to turn D.C. into the 51st state. If you mean Parris Glendening, he won re-election in 1998 and can’t run in 2002. I wasn’t aware of **him** making such a statement. I seem to remember that it was his predecessor, William Donald Schaefer that favored retrocession. If anyone can cite a quote where Glendening stood on this issue, I’d be grateful. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2000, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-washingtons-a-district-wheres-the-rest-of-columbia/8666/25 "2000-03-10T06:48:00Z")
I have no idea which governor made the statement. I had seen in passing (usually when the statehood issue comes up) several pundits say “the governor said” without specifying which governor. Since I saw most of these comments in the last two years, I leapt to the rash conclusion that it was the current governor. * * * Tom~ ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2000, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-washingtons-a-district-wheres-the-rest-of-columbia/8666/26 "2000-03-16T19:15:00Z")
Edward J Cunningham: > [@](#): > > 1. Let D.C. residents vote in Maryland or Viriginia elections. > > Evidentally at one point in Washington’s history, this DID happen. Personally, I’m opposed to this. If there should be no “taxation without representation”, then there should also be no “representation without taxation.” Is it fair for Maryland representatives or senators be beholden to constituents who do not pay state income taxes? Okay, then, why not require that DC residents pay Maryland State taxes and allow them to vote in the MD senatorial election? If DC residents so badly want to avoid the MD State Income tax, then they’ll forego the Senator…their choice. * * * Chaim Mattis Keller [ckeller@kozmo.com](mailto:ckeller@kozmo.com) “Sherlock Holmes once said that once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the answer. I, however, do not like to eliminate the impossible. The impossible often has a kind of integrity to it that the merely improbable lacks.” – Douglas Adams’s Dirk Gently, Holistic Detective ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2000, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-washingtons-a-district-wheres-the-rest-of-columbia/8666/27 "2000-03-16T20:56:00Z")
## could someone explain to a poor Canuck why you guys have the D.C. in the first place? I’ve never really understood. and the stars o’erhead were dancing heel to toe ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2000, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-washingtons-a-district-wheres-the-rest-of-columbia/8666/28 "2000-03-16T21:00:00Z")
> [@](#): > > I recall reading somewhere that Washington (the state) was originally going to be called “Columbia”, but people thought it would get confused with the “District of Columbia”. Of course, today it’s confused with Washington, DC! Anyone know if this is just an urban legend? i don’t have a cite for you, but it makes sense to me - I’ve always understood that was the origin of the name “British Columbia” - to distinguish the British territory around the Columbia watershed from the American territory. * * * and the stars o’erhead were dancing heel to toe ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2000, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-washingtons-a-district-wheres-the-rest-of-columbia/8666/29 "2000-03-16T22:53:00Z")
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**Author:** ![JoltSucker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@JoltSucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoltSucker)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2000, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-washingtons-a-district-wheres-the-rest-of-columbia/8666/30 "2000-03-16T23:11:00Z")
jti, I believe the issue with the founders was the belief that if the nation’s capital was located in a state, then it would present the national government with a conflict of interest in dealing with that state. Keep in mind that before the American Civil War, and especially before the Constitution was ratified, the states thought of themselves as almost-nations. Hence the term “State”, instead of “Province”. When the Constitution was ratified, the states initially had to overcome some reluctance to subjugate themselves to a national government. This discomfort continued in the debate over Federalism (soon after the Constitution was ratified), and was one of the many causes of the Civil War. Even now, there are echoes of the Federalism/State’s Rights debate in the two-party system, with Republican rhetoric about small government (State’s Rights) and Democratic rhetoric advocating government involvement in a variety of issues (Federalism). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-washingtons-a-district-wheres-the-rest-of-columbia/8666.md?page=1)