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Posted on 01/15/2021 6:05:51 AM PST by The Houston Courant
Last week’s outrage at the Capitol has fomented calls for District of Columbia statehood. Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) explained that the riot “made it crystal clear why D.C. officials must have full control over their city’s own security and police force to secure the public safety of its residents.”
So, then, statehood will strengthen riot prevention.
But when Congress abortively voted for D.C. statehood last June, after Black Lives Matter protests, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) said, “Trump’s recent decision to deploy thousands of federal law enforcement officers in D.C. against residents peacefully exercising their constitutionally protected right to protest, and without the consent of the district’s elected officials, demonstrated the urgent need for full local government and congressional representation.”
Entrusting the national government’s security to a state has, of course, already proved unreliable. After hundreds of soldiers mutinied in June 1783, briefly blocking federal delegates’ exit from the Pennsylvania State House, the state refused to deploy militia, forcing Congress to flee Philadelphia. This encouraged lawmakers to eventually create an independent district in which to seat the federal government.
As James Madison soundly argued in Federalist No. 43, America mustn’t put the nation’s capital at the mercy of a state government to steward the former’s ongoing needs. That’s why doing so was made unconstitutional.
Yes, this inconveniences the statehood push. Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution grants Congress plenary power over the nation’s capital. Federal lawmakers may, and have, ceded some powers to local D.C. government, but they cannot relinquish their authority over the city permanently, as they would by bestowing statehood upon it.
(Excerpt) Read more at houstoncourant.com ...
There you go, using logic, reason, evidence to explain why a Leftist policy is harmful.
Doesn’t matter; we will soon suffer under a One Party state in which all of the statist, collectivist, social engineering programs will be rammed down our throats.
They will soon pass a $15/hour minimum wage, which will wipe out many low-paying entry-level jobs. Unemployment will increase dramatically as employers spend the same amount of money on fewer workers.
Try explaining that to AOC who is already complaining that the proposed budget is not bigger.
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but they cannot relinquish their authority over the city permanently, as they would by bestowing statehood upon it.Government doesn't follow the rules. DC would be a "state" in form only. Congress would retain full control. There would be no truly independent "state" apparatus, just another layer of sinecure appointments to be doled out as favors.
More bureacracy is always better, to the bureaucrat.
You make an excellent point. Hadn’t thought about that.
Isn't it, though? This is why many of us appreciate freerepublic.
Been thinking about this. I think the two can be reconciled. DC becomes a state. To stay within constitutional mandates the federal government must move immediately to Guam along with all department headquarters and their employees.
Likely to be Puerto Rico, Guam also in this discussion.
In the DC discussion...it’d be a lot easier to just release SE DC and Georgetown areas back over to Maryland....like Alexandria/Arlington was flipped back to Virginia around 150 years ago.
Perhaps the better answer here....allow Texas and fifteen other states to exit, then allow DC, PR and Guam to enter America-Lite.
The Hoods want another State
DC should be split between West Virginia & Maryland. That is the fairest option.
The founders of the Constitution knew what they were doing. The federal district was deliberately NOT to be a state. It was explicitly designated as NOT a state so that no state would effectively control the federal government.
What part of that is not obvious?
Maybe we can get the Carolinas and the Dakotas to reunite.
Nothing is unconstitutional to the democrats all scams are created equally.
DC isn’t big enough to be a state, but if they want to be a state, sure. No problem. Start at territory level and petition for admission proving the territory can be self-sufficient and an asset to the US of A. All government functions, direct and indirect, must abandon DC within 10 days to a special district on federal land in Wyoming. Let’s see how DC survives with no industry, no jobs and a moratorium on welfare for 10 years. This should be fun.
As to PR - they’ve been wanting independence for 50 years. Give it to them. Cut loose. No subsidies.
I have questions.
From what I heard, the borders of this “state” contained the Capitol, Whitehouse and the Washington mall.
1. Does anyone “live” in this area?
2. How many people currently live or will live in this area?
3. If there are no residents in this area, who will the representatives be representing?
Does this make sense?
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