WHO WANTS TO BE THE 51ST STATE?
So the debate about making Washington DC a state is now a thing again, and boy do I have opinions about that. Let’s blog them!
1. I should lead off by pointing out what ought to be stupendously obvious: the argument over DC statehood is chiefly about getting more Democrats in Congress, particularly the Senate. That’s pretty much the only serious reason Republicans oppose it. And if we’re totally honest, it’s a key reason (if not the only reason) Democrats are pushing for it. So let’s not pretend that’s not what this is actually about.
2. That said, the Demo strategy is not strictly unreasonable, given the fact that Republicans have disproportionate voting power based on the number of people they actually represent. This is because of how the Senate works, so normally this shouldn’t matter, except that the GOP is currently operating in bad faith regarding almost everything these days - to include backing an insurrection against the Capitol (at least up to the point where the insurrection didn't succeed). So I understand why the Demos would want whatever edge they can get.
3. The strategy is also not unprecedented (for example, reportedly, 19th-century Republicans supported the North/South Dakota in large part because of the Congressional gains they would get from it).
4. Strategies aside, there are a few good reasons for making DC a state - namely, the fact that residents there have no govt representation yet still pay taxes and are subject to the same federal regs as everyone else. The population is higher than some states, yet they have no say. They can vote for POTUS and VP, and that’s about it.
5. However, there also a few actual decent reasons not to do it, although they’re more like obstacles than negative outcomes.
For one thing, there’s a couple of Constitutional hurdles: (1) Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17 (the clause that specifically defines DC as a federal jurisdiction and not a state), and (2) the 23rd Amendment, which grants specific voting rights to DC. Neither of these are unfixable, but it would probably require some kind of Constitutional amendment, which would require a two-thirds majority in both houses plus 38 out of 50 state governments.
And, you know, good luck with that.
The other challenge, as I understand it, is that they might need permission from Maryland, who supplied the land that DC now occupies. And of course there’s the question of expense - DC would have the extra cost of running a state government, while the federal government would have to shell out more for things like prisons and courts.
6. So, while I personally don’t mind if DC becomes a state, I think there are significant obstacles (the GOP alone being the biggest one) that make it unlikely to happen.
7. While we’re at it, I feel the same way about Puerto Rico statehood. I’m not against it, but there are tradeoffs. For example - unlike DC - PR citizens don’t pay federal income tax. Statehood would change that, and most of the people there probably couldn't afford it.
Point being: I’m fine with adding more states, as long as everyone involved understands both the benefits and the potential disruptions, as well as the legal snags.
8. Meanwhile, here’s a great statehood math joke.
https://twitter.com/DaveGragg/status/1374091442893815811
The state I'm in,
This is dF
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