As an aside: I live in DC. My Rep can't vote and I have no Senators

[Recursion]

Asking me if I've written my delegation about something I care about for the most part only infuriates me. Those of us who live in DC need the rest of you to stick up for us.

(specifically not a call out, because the DUer who just did so means well, but still a sore point for many Washingtonians.)

[Still Sensible]

1. Good point. n/t

[rightsideout]

2. I'm with you

I live in Maryland and have been "for" DC Representation for years. There's been discussion of Maryland annexing DC to finally give it some representation. Part of DC was in Maryland before. No reason it can't go back but I'm sure this idea will never pass.

Obama finally put the "Taxation without Representation" license plate on the Presidential Limo but it's going to take more then that to get it going.

The Republicans consistently vote against it.

[Marie Marie]

3. Republicans know that DC would be solidly Democratic.

Can't have that!

[Lugnut]

4. I visited DC for the first time 50 years ago.

I remember street corner protest groups holding signs stating "Home Rule". Ten years later the Home Rule Law was passed but that's not enough. DC is still subject to Congressional control. It's way past time for DC statehood to be implemented.

[Recursion]

5. Or recession; I'm fine with that too.

Something, though.

[Chathamization]

6. Agreed - Statehood now!

I went down to the convention this summer to push for statehood, and thankfully found most of the visitors and delegates to be quite supportive. I don't think we can can't on any Republican votes for this, but the next time the Democrats have control of both houses and the presidency, we should be able to get HR 265 through to make DC a state. It's disgraceful that a polity with a larger population than Wyoming and Vermont still lacks representation and full autonomy.

[davidn3600]

8. It's a George Washington thing... he didnt want the capital to be within a state.

That was a big deal with him. He thought it would cause too much conflict between state and federal government.

There was concern that if the capital was located within a state, the state could at some point attempt to enforce its laws upon the federal government.

And the reason it doesnt have senators or representatives is because these officials would be essentially representing the federal government and therefore giving the federal government more power within the congress.

George Washington wanted the capital to have its own district to avoid potential constitutional conflicts between the powers of the state and federal governments. The prevailing wisdom and consensus among constitutional scholars is to leave it the way it is.

[Chathamization]

9. No relevance today

DC was created when the federal government had less power and felt it needed a jurisdiction under it's own control. This isn't really an issue anymore.

The idea that it gives two senators to "the federal government" is silly. Somehow Boehner is going to be represented by the people the citizens of DC elect, even though he's not a constituent? How does that make any sense? It's not the federal government that will get represented, it will be the people who live in the city of Washington - many of whom have lived their for generations, without representation and full home rule.

The new bill shrinks the federal district to an area that's actually used by the federal government, and lets the city become a state. There's no constitutional conflict any more than there was when Alexandria was returned to Virginia.

[kickysnana]

7. I have an in-law who was stationed around DC for a lot of years

He was loudly negative about the people who lived in DC. Before the Bush fiasco, when we stopped talking entirely for a time, I told him I thought that the people of DC should put up toll booths for non DCers coming into DC and use the money to get enough political clout to get some political clout. His ears turned red.

He is a civilian now and living in the post Bush world and things like his kids college funds being worth less than what he put into them because they were tied to the markets, his house he bought in 2007 losing 1/2 of its value, and looking for a civilian job in this economy at age 52 have got him backing down on some of his stronger bad/sad ideas.

[etherealtruth]

10. Excellent point

I think many people tend to forget about the lack of representation for the people of DC.