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D.C. and the Constitution [increasing the House of Representatives to 437]
The Wall Street Journal, page A14 ^ | FEBRUARY 25, 2009

Posted on 02/25/2009 8:01:44 PM PST by heleny

D.C. and the Constitution

Will Democrats let the law get in the way of an extra House seat?

The House of Representatives seems set to grow by two Members, to 437, after next year's election. Yesterday the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act passed a key procedural vote in the Senate, making passage of the legislation, which President Obama supports, all but certain. The only thing standing in the way may be the Constitution.
...

... the plain language of the Constitution, ... provides that House members shall be chosen "by the People of the several States" and stipulates that the District of Columbia is not a state.

... if Congress wishes to grant [DC] full representation, [Congress] should do so by amending, not ignoring, the Constitution.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia
KEYWORDS: 111th; bho44; congress; dcstatehood
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1 posted on 02/25/2009 8:01:44 PM PST by heleny
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To: heleny

Constitution? We don’ need no stinkin’ constitution!


2 posted on 02/25/2009 8:02:40 PM PST by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: heleny

Why don’t they do this the proper way an amend the Constitution? Oh ya because they’re evil.


3 posted on 02/25/2009 8:03:13 PM PST by exist
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To: heleny

1. The Utah seat in exchange for a DC seat is ridiculous on the face of it. The missionaries should have been counted already, just like the military. Apples and oranges.

2. The Constitution is clear. States make the call, not the House. And DC is not a state.

3. That being said, I wonder how many of us would be in favor of it (through Constitutional means, of course) if DC were a pocket of conservatism rather than the far left stronghold that it is now.

In principle I agree that American citizens should be represented. (Not that most really are.)


4 posted on 02/25/2009 8:09:06 PM PST by newheart (Obama. We kind of underestimated the creepiness.)
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To: heleny

Two more who are guaranteed to put the “dim” in “Dimocrat.”

Why not save the cost of an election and just clone Cynthia McKinney and The Rev’run Al?


5 posted on 02/25/2009 8:09:16 PM PST by Redbob (W.W.J.B.D.: "What Would Jack Bauer Do?")
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To: exist

One more vote for the looters. SURE why not do that!


6 posted on 02/25/2009 8:09:39 PM PST by MtnClimber (Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Pelosi, Obama, Collins, Snowe, Specter, Reid.)
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To: heleny

How ‘bout this: since D.C. doesn’t have any voting representation in Congress, wouldn’t it be better for Congress to not force the citizens of the District to pay taxes??? O’Reilly was talking about “taxation w/o representation” in his show this evening, but neither he nor anyone else on the show brought up that idea.

Just make the 10-sq miles of DC a tax-free zone! I wonder what that would do for business in the District....hmmmmm....


7 posted on 02/25/2009 8:10:16 PM PST by ChrisInAR (The Tenth Amendment is still the Supreme Law of the Land, folks -- start enforcing it for a CHANGE!)
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To: heleny
The only thing standing in the way may be the Constitution.

Socialists couldn't care less about the Constitution.
8 posted on 02/25/2009 8:10:21 PM PST by Man50D (Fair Tax, you earn it, you keep it!)
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To: heleny

Any and all subsequent Acts of Congress would become de jure null and void, were they to include “representatives” from any non-State as voting members of Congress.


9 posted on 02/25/2009 8:10:28 PM PST by sourcery (Beware The Obama-nable Snow-job Man)
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To: heleny

You know, I would actually support a DC seat if it were a proposed amendment. But the end around makes me sick.


10 posted on 02/25/2009 8:10:42 PM PST by cookcounty (Impeach President dOOm!)
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To: heleny
I think we should have two presidents -- one from each party. Disagreements should be settled in the Congress, unless they can't agree, in which case the Supreme Court decides.

Or, you'll like this one...

Let's give each city a Representative in the House instead of each district, and add a third Senator to avoid ties in votes.

Or...

Hey, I can make this stuff up too, can't I? Why should Congress have all the fun?

-PJ

11 posted on 02/25/2009 8:10:51 PM PST by Political Junkie Too (You can never overestimate the Democrats' ability to overplay their hand.)
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To: newheart
You get your state and we get our state ~ that's how the Democrats handled slavery before the Civil War.

It's just more of the same old playbook ~ the Missouri Compromise didn't work then and it won't work now.

12 posted on 02/25/2009 8:11:16 PM PST by muawiyah
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To: heleny

It will be interesting to see how many actually vote to dilute their own vote, and the votes of all of their constituents. The only way I can see to do this without prejudice would be to redistrict Maryland and incorporate DC into one of the districts by turning DC back over to Maryland (which is already a left-wing hell hole, so no more harm would be done)


13 posted on 02/25/2009 8:12:23 PM PST by La Lydia
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To: heleny

Forgot to say: If they do this, it will make for some wonderfully long and drawn out lawsuits. Lawyers’ full employment bill.


14 posted on 02/25/2009 8:13:34 PM PST by La Lydia
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To: heleny

We the people need to get busy and start reminding the @$$holes in D.C. that we still have a Constitution.


15 posted on 02/25/2009 8:15:19 PM PST by FlingWingFlyer (Just being a "U.S. citizen" does not make one an American.)
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To: heleny

The good news is you can make a legal case that legislation passed with the votes of this representative be thrown out since it’s an unconstitutional appointment.


16 posted on 02/25/2009 8:17:10 PM PST by Snickering Hound
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To: ChrisInAR
Just make the 10-sq miles of DC a tax-free zone!

Not to be picky, but it's 100 sq. miles. The Constitution stipulated that the district would not exceed 10 miles square (10 x 10 x 10 x 10). But you're right, if it were tax free, there would be many more jobs.

17 posted on 02/25/2009 8:20:00 PM PST by Nomorjer Kinov (If the opposite of "pro" is "con" , what is the opposite of progress?)
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To: FlingWingFlyer

Yeah, right.


18 posted on 02/25/2009 8:21:43 PM PST by fieldmarshaldj (~"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps !"~~)
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To: Nomorjer Kinov
George Will and later Jonah Goldberg had an interesting read about expanding Congress to the thousands Congress Just Isn't Big Enough.
19 posted on 02/25/2009 8:33:14 PM PST by tenger (If we don't stay on them, they'll get it wrong...Joe Soucheray)
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To: tenger

Or how about we do like we do with kids: 1 divides the cake and the other decides which piece he gets. Dems divide DC and republicans decide which party is represented.


20 posted on 02/25/2009 8:36:20 PM PST by tenger (If we don't stay on them, they'll get it wrong...Joe Soucheray)
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