Bernie Sanders calls for statehood of D.C.

[Patrickt]

What has Maryland ever done to you? Merge it with California. States don't have to be contiguous.

Close. Let's move the federal government to San Francisco. We can turn DC into a museum of a failed experiment. Then, when the BIG ONE hits northern California, nature will take care of what we haven't.

 

[JasperL]

The governor of Maryland recently made it legal for thousands of felons to vote. You don't think any are pedophiles? Hillary defends a child rapist with lies and two famous liberals defend Roman Polanski, another child rapist, and you don't think pedophiles are smart enough to know who to vote for. If you feel any better, the Democrats are also the party of rapists, robbers, kidnappers, lynch-mobsters and littering.

Well, the Gov. vetoed that legislation and the legislature overrode the veto, so you're close. https://www.brennancenter.org/analysis/voting-rights-restoration-efforts-maryland

Furthermore, no one gets to vote in MD or any other state until they're released from jail or prison, served their sentence behind bars. I'm agnostic on whether or not a person should have to complete parole, etc. before getting voting rights restored, but IMO, once a person has completed their sentence, they become citizens again and should have all the rights of citizens including the right to vote.

 

[joG]

You've nicely avoided the issue. There are nearly 700,000 people residing in D.C. who have ZERO representation in Congress. That is THE reason to "change the status quo." If you want to argue these people deserve no representation, make the case. Saying, "If you don't like it, move" isn't a compelling argument.

I really see no problem in that. But I guess one can, if one wants to. It certainly does not convince me that we need to make a new State out of the District, though.

 

[JasperL]

I really see no problem in that. But I guess one can, if one wants to. It certainly does not convince me that we need to make a new State out of the District, though.

You wouldn't see a problem if your state had NO reps and NO Senators, or you just don't care that 700,000 of the others don't? If it's just other people whose rights to representation in Congress you don't give a damn about, that is quite noble of you.... :roll:

Great Britain felt the same way about the colonies a while back. You might recall that there was a war fought, at least in part, over the principle that you're now disregarding.

 

[radcen]

Merge it with Maryland, done.
No need for a new state.

Yes. Give it back to Maryland.

 

[EMNofSeattle]

Seriously? For starters "taxation without representation." And Wyoming, with fewer residents than D.C., gets two Senators and one House Rep. D.C. gets nothing.

But Wyoming is a state, the District is not. and the District was never intended to have a large residential populaton. also DC does in fact have representation. they have a city council and a delegate to congress.

 

[Chillfolks]

I would be ok with Va giving up some of its liberal leaning northern territory to the New state

If they don't have official statehood I have always thought the district needs representation in congres

 

[JasperL]

But Wyoming is a state, the District is not. and the District was never intended to have a large residential populaton. also DC does in fact have representation. they have a city council and a delegate to congress.

1) Right, D.C. is not a state, which is why we're now discussing whether it should be a state or other arrangements made so they have a voice in Congress.

2) Whether it was "intended" to have a large residential population isn't relevant. It HAS a residential population of about 700,000, more than or roughly the same as Vermont, Alaska, N. Dakota and Wyoming.

3) And your city has a city council AND the state 10 Congressional reps and 2 Senators, whose votes actually count. Norton's (D.C.'s long time 'delegate') vote doesn't count, which is like "representation" in Congress but completely and utterly different in every way that matters. I'd think you'd at least recognize the important difference. Furthermore, as you must know, the same Congress that D.C. residents do not have a vote selecting can at any time and occasionally do override the city council's decisions.

 

[JasperL]

I would be ok with Va giving up some of its liberal leaning northern territory to the New state

If they don't have official statehood I have always thought the district needs representation in congres

I'm actually indifferent to statehood, but I don't see any way to justify a population of nearly 700,000 having no vote for any member of Congress.

 

[TurtleDude]

Bernie Sanders is now calling for the formation of a state by the same exact area which coincides with what is now known as the District of Columbia.

What implications would a 51st state have in federal law?

3 days before D.C. primary, Bernie Sanders calls for statehood - CNNPolitics.com

Since DC is full of government teat sucklers as well as those who are dependent on government for their jobs-easy
two more Democrat senators

 

[Celebrity]

The governor of Maryland recently made it legal for thousands of felons to vote. You don't think any are pedophiles? Hillary defends a child rapist with lies and two famous liberals defend Roman Polanski, another child rapist, and you don't think pedophiles are smart enough to know who to vote for. If you feel any better, the Democrats are also the party of rapists, robbers, kidnappers, lynch-mobsters and littering.

How many of those who were incarcerated were registered Democrats and how many were registered Republicans?

Please support your opinion with facts.

 

[radcen]

I don't see it happening for one reason... control.

Congress currently gets to control (or dictate, if you will) a great deal of what DC can and cannot do. Congress is a cluster of control freaks. Ergo, ain't gonna happen.

 

[JasperL]

Since DC is full of government teat sucklers as well as those who are dependent on government for their jobs-easy
two more Democrat senators

Possible, even probable, but that's beside the point.

 

[radcen]

But if we did give it to some random state, I say give it to Texas. That would be opcorn2: worthy.

:mrgreen:

 

[natsb]

I haven't seen it brought up yet, but where would we move the seat of Government to if DC becomes a State? The Constitution is pretty clear that the district in which the seat of Government presides cannot be beholden to any State.

Which of course means the same issue will follow it. The Courts have already decided that the District is not a State, and therefore not entitled to State's rights.

 

[Skeptic Bob]

I used to live in DC. The official license plates says "Taxation without Representation".

Give them a choice. They can choose statehood or they can be exempt from federal income tax.

 

[reinoe]

This is an insincere gesture. Democrats had the House and the Senate and the presidency from 2009-2011 and it didn't happen. It's hilarious watching the shameless pandering although I never though I'd see something like this from Bernie. I don't know why he's even bothering. Hillary Clinton has appealed to Black voters by saying their youth need to be brought to heel and calling them super predators. These are the sorts of things that Blacks want to hear: they aren't interested in hearing about some guy who fought for Civil Rights in the 60's, they want a Goldwater Girl to put more minorities into the prison industrial complex.

 

[Patrickt]

You wouldn't see a problem if your state had NO reps and NO Senators, or you just don't care that 700,000 of the others don't? If it's just other people whose rights to representation in Congress you don't give a damn about, that is quite noble of you.... :roll:

Great Britain felt the same way about the colonies a while back. You might recall that there was a war fought, at least in part, over the principle that you're now disregarding.

Sorry, but the issue isn't representation. The issue is four more Democrat Senators and more Democrat representatives. The concern Democrats have for proper representation is demonstrated by their willingness to have dead people voting, foreign nationals voting, and felons voting.

The solution of allowing the residents of DC to vote with Maryland is quite valid and Constitutional. Sadly, it wouldn't give the Democrats another two Senators. And they could continue to vote their favorite crack addict for mayor.

And, no, a felon does not, and should not, have all rights restored at the completion of his sentence. Does a man convicted of repeated forcible rapes have a right to not be discriminated against in employment at a girls boarding school, for example. The current administration thinks he does and doesn't think the school should know of the rapist's history.

 

[Celebrity]

This is an insincere gesture. Democrats had the House and the Senate and the presidency from 2009-2011 and it didn't happen. It's hilarious watching the shameless pandering although I never though I'd see something like this from Bernie. I don't know why he's even bothering. Hillary Clinton has appealed to Black voters by saying their youth need to be brought to heel and calling them super predators. These are the sorts of things that Blacks want to hear: they aren't interested in hearing about some guy who fought for Civil Rights in the 60's, they want a Goldwater Girl to put more minorities into the prison industrial complex.

Interesting, because crime per square mile is much higher in DC than in the states and because arrests of blacks are disproportionately higher than that of whites, I think this is marginally relevant to the upcoming Democratic primary. Without getting too involved in race, I wonder if black voters are motivated to elect HRC because they see her absolving them as a group from "those people."

Of course, the mayor has been calling for statehood for some time now.

 

[Celebrity]

Sorry, but the issue isn't representation. The issue is four more Democrat Senators and more Democrat representatives. The concern Democrats have for proper representation is demonstrated by their willingness to have dead people voting, foreign nationals voting, and felons voting.

The solution of allowing the residents of DC to vote with Maryland is quite valid and Constitutional. Sadly, it wouldn't give the Democrats another two Senators. And they could continue to vote their favorite crack addict for mayor.

And, no, a felon does not, and should not, have all rights restored at the completion of his sentence. Does a man convicted of repeated forcible rapes have a right to not be discriminated against in employment at a girls boarding school, for example. The current administration thinks he does and doesn't think the school should know of the rapist's history.

Your vote is your voice. The mayor of DC recently attended a community breakfast attended by civil rights leaders and Congressmen, where she suggested statehood. The fact is that Congressmen and Congresswomen are not required to represent the interests of the people living in DC, whether or not those citizens are criminal, or law abiding by nature.

 

[poweRob]

I guess Bernie's really getting desperate now, doing a Hillary Clinton style of pandering for votes. I wonder what the capital city of the state would be? Can you even have a state that only makes up one city and that's it? Interesting as to what the implications would be for having a 51st state though, whether it be DC or Puerto Rico or one of our current states splitting in two.

I don't think you have a clue as to what pandering is. Had you simply read the article you'd have seen he co-sponsored legislation to make DC a state back in June of 2015.

 

[poweRob]

Funny, he wants to fix something that has never seemed broken.

Funny you don't think taxation without representation is a pro OEM seeing how the birth of this country exactly because of that problem.

 

[digsbe]

Merge it with Maryland, done.
No need for a new state.

I think they've tried in the past. It's my understanding that Maryland doesn't want to pay for it.

 

[Celebrity]

Retrocession would have that effect, although gerrymandering would as well. Could you imagine a federal district which extended across state lines, but existed solely for the purpose of electing state representatives?

 

[JasperL]

Sorry, but the issue isn't representation. The issue is four more Democrat Senators and more Democrat representatives. The concern Democrats have for proper representation is demonstrated by their willingness to have dead people voting, foreign nationals voting, and felons voting.

That literally makes no sense at all. I could restate it, "Democrats suck, and D.C. is likely to vote democratic, so f'em."

The solution of allowing the residents of DC to vote with Maryland is quite valid and Constitutional. Sadly, it wouldn't give the Democrats another two Senators. And they could continue to vote their favorite crack addict for mayor.

I'm OK with them voting with Maryland or Virginia, I've just seen no good rationale why 700,000 citizens deserve no representation in Congress.

And I wasn't aware that Muriel Browser (the D.C. Mayor) is/was a crack addict. Do you have a link?

And, no, a felon does not, and should not, have all rights restored at the completion of his sentence. Does a man convicted of repeated forcible rapes have a right to not be discriminated against in employment at a girls boarding school, for example. The current administration thinks he does and doesn't think the school should know of the rapist's history.

I guess we can disagree whether a conviction at, say, age 18, should forever and permanently mean a loss of voting rights.

And your example is absurdly off point, but assuming it's relevant, which "current administration" are you referring to (Obama?) and can you provide a link that the "administration" believes being a convicted rapist should be hidden from prospective employers? I'm nearly positive you're getting facts off chain emails and/or Facebook or making them up as you go....