NEW BID TO MAKE CITY 51ST STATE (NYC)

New York Post ^ | January 18, 2005 | STEPHANIE GASKELL

[nickcarraway]

Should New York City become the 51st state?

A bill that would create a commission to study whether the city should secede from New York state will get another hearing soon — after sitting in the City Council for nearly two years

The bill was introduced on Feb. 26, 2003. A hearing was held shortly after, but no action has been taken on the bill since then.

"I expected delays and opposition when we got to the state level, but I never thought it would be held up for two years trying to get out of a City Council committee," said Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Queens), who introduced the bill.

[conserv13]

So West Virginia is not a state?

[from occupied ga]

This may accelerate as technology makes the spreading out of industries more viable.

I work in Atlanta my manager is in Wa his boss is in Atlanta, and all of our corporate data is in Tx. No reason the financial industry can't do this more than they do. If NYC actually separates, then the tax support from upstate will go away causing the politicians to bleed the corporations even whiter. (After all you can't cut spending) The corporate executives with any sense of responsibility to the stockholders will remove their operations as quickly as possible to places where there is less government plundering. NYC will go downhill quickly because it really doesn't produce much wealth it just brokers the transfer which is what I said that started this whole thing in the first place. Gotta say that I've enjoyed the discussion though.

[izzatzo]

Make it a FTZ, governed and owned in perpetuity by U.S., without representation, and taxed to the hilt in order to justify its relationship with this great country.

[LibertarianInExile]

Another Freeper said about 50K people per rep was the original plan. With about 280 million Americans today, that would mean we'd have about 5600 Representatives.

I like the idea, personally. Can you imagine these guys trying to get business done--when the Redskins aren't practicing or Wizards aren't playing?!?! It would be an extremely rare piece of legislation that would EVER get through that size body, which is darn near the ideal government in my book.

Additionally, if we'd had 5600 of the SOBs, we'd never be paying them what we're paying them now in cash and perks. Too many people would have objected!

[mo]

can anybody say "Two MORE Demcratic Senators!!"

[LibertarianInExile]

I don't think they should have ANY personal staffers paid for by the government. Committee staff MIGHT be okay, for purposes of evaluating bill impact on current law. But only maybe, because there are too damn many of those bureaucrats, too.

[F16Fighter]

Nevermind New York City seceding from the state of New York.

It oughta be thinking about seceding from Planet Earth.

[The Mayor]

well we will have agree to disagree.

NYC ie silver, bruno and the number of politicans control the politics of the whole state.

We need more, not less influence in Albany.

no matter what the vote it will favor the city even if every legislator that represents us voted against it.
we do not have the votes in Albany to carry this end of the state.

[CMAC51]

I also posted an example of one of NY's strongest wealth creation capabilities. Real estate. Tell me how many other locations create buildings (such as the Time Warner Center) that rise in value from $1 billion to $1.2 billion in one year? That's not wealth transfer, that's wealth creation.

The real estate boom would be just across the border line in old New York state. New York City would be bound to support its infrastructure. Under the current situation, the trade off is not large enough for moving outside NYC proper because the state is compelled not to undermine NYC financial situation. NYC becomes a state and its a whole new ballgame.

[AuH2ORepublican]

"making Maryland's eastern shore a state with two Senators"

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The Eastern Shore has too small of a population (about 350,000 IIRC) to even be considered as a state. A better idea would be to excise Prince George's County and Montgomery County from the State of Maryland so that they can join Washington, DC and Arlington County, Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax city and Fairfax County, VA in a State of New Columbia (which would also enfranchise the residents of DC, who currently do not get to elect Senators or Representatives). Without PG and Montco, Maryland would have given Bush 50.52% to 48.29% for Kerry and thus its (reduced) 8 Electoral Votes. And Virginia, which has been trending a bit Democrat of late, would have given Bush 56.54% to only 42.64% for Kerry for 11 EVs. While the State of New Columbia would have given Bush only 30.29% of the vote and thus delivered its 8 EVs to Kerry, the area currently covered by MD, DC and VA that gave Bush 13 EVs and Kerry 13 EVs would have given Bush 19 EVs and Kerry 8 EVs if a State of New Columbia was created out of DC and the aforementioned suburbs. And while the new state would elect 2 Democrats to the Senate, chances are that MD would elect 2 Republicans and VA would definitely elect 2 Republicans.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

It's an idiotic idea on a par with giving DC statehood. Think two more left of Castro Senators. Now if they were to withdraw from the US altogether that would be cause to rejoice.

Think this through. Unlike DC where you get two new lib Senators, NYC would have two libs, like NY State already has, but upstate would be likely to give us two far more moderate ones. The gain is whatever you would get upstate.

[mewzilla]

And if NYC doesn't secede, and I think they'll chicken out again, Upstate ought to go ahead and do it.

[from occupied ga]

but upstate would be likely to give us two far more moderate ones

Here is where we disagree. Buffalo, Ithaca, and Syracuse along with Watertown and the whole area around Lake Placid went heavily to Kerry. I think Westchester county went for Kerry too, but I'm not sure about this I think it is not at all sure that upstate would elect Republicans, and if they did they would probably be along the lines of Chaffee.

[rocksblues]

Your trading me to the blues?

[mhking]

"Paging Mr. Plissken....Mr. Snake Plissken....Please pick up the nearest white courtesy telephone...."

Just damn.

If you want on the list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[mewzilla]

...I think it is not at all sure that upstate would elect Republicans...

Around my neck of the woods, we would. Real ones, not RINOs that is.

[Voir Dire]

LI would be split. Suffolk county goes blue, Nassau county goes red.
But Nassau is more populated, so LI ends up blue IMO.

[AuH2ORepublican]

"The State of Crabistan could have the two Virginia Eastern Shore counties added as well."

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Crabistan: I like the sound of that. But the VA portion of the Delmarva Peninsula leans Democrat, and as such I would keep it in VA (which would be overwhelmingly Republican once Arlington and Fairfax Counties and Alexandria, Falls Church and Fairfax cities are removed).