Greater Idaho

[zincwarrior]

My tongue-and-cheek contribution to the Greater Idaho project: Idaho can have Eastern Oregon if it also takes all the other brown parts of the map. By my count this leaves us with 2 Republican states, 40-41 Democratic states, and 7-8 swing states. You're welcome.

View attachment 67512929

That would be...a big state.

 

[Lord Tammerlain]

The border between Idaho and British Columbia is really short but it includes Bountiful, BC, a town full of fundamentalist Mormons. They were in the news a lot awhile ago, polygamy and under-age girls.
Don't know if there's any Idaho-type compounds manned by anti-government 'militias' in BC though.

I doubt there are many if any anti government militia camps in Canada. The last I heard of them was back in the late 80s or early 90s with a few Aryan nation camps. With the cost of land especially in Alberta and the BC interior, combined with much of it being government owned I doubt the bigots could afford to buy it today.

Combined with the probability of getting arrested for firearm violations the anti government types likely are left Canada for the US.

 

[Glitch]

I understand why the right doesn't want DC to be a state. It's still unfair to the people there, though.

DC cannot be a State. The District of Columbia was established by the US Constitution to be the nation's capitol by taking land from both Maryland and Virginia. Which means that an amendment to the US Constitution must be ratified by at least 38 States in order to alter Article I, Section 8, Clause 17 of the US Constitution. Even then, both the States of Maryland and Virginia would have the right to regain the land that was taken from both States when the national capitol was created.

 

[Helix]

DC cannot be a State. The District of Columbia was established by the US Constitution to be the nation's capitol by taking land from both Maryland and Virginia. Which means that an amendment to the US Constitution must be ratified by at least 38 States in order to alter Article I, Section 8, Clause 17 of the US Constitution. Even then, both the States of Maryland and Virginia would have the right to regain the land that was taken from both States when the national capitol was created.

Why D.C. Should Be A State

Why D.C. Should Be A State

norton.house.gov

 

[zincwarrior]

Why D.C. Should Be A State

Why D.C. Should Be A State

norton.house.gov

Ok then lets do this.

• D.C. is home to 712,000 Americans who have the same jobs as other Americans -- health care, education, retail, food, hospitality, manufacturing, construction, and professional services

Yes that makes it smallish city. By this logic Texas should be broken into seven states.

• D.C. has a larger population than two states – Wyoming and Vermont

And?

• Taxation without representation. D.C. residents pay more federal taxes per capita than any state and more total federal taxes than 21 states, but have no voting representation in Congress

Reduce the size of it and its not an issue. Further, no one has to live there.

• No consent of the governed. D.C. residents can't vote on any of the federal laws that govern them

They don't have to live there. Further, there is nothing stopping the reduction of the district down to a few square blocks with the remainder part of Virginia / Maryland.

• 200,000 D.C. residents have served in the armed services and 30,000 veterans live in D.C.

And?

• Congress controls D.C. local laws and budget

They don't have to live there. Further, there is nothing stopping the reduction of the district down to a few square blocks with the remainder part of Virginia / Maryland.

• Congress can abolish local D.C. government

They don't have to live there. Further, there is nothing stopping the reduction of the district down to a few square blocks with the remainder part of Virginia / Maryland.

• D.C. is the only capital of a democracy with no voting representation in the national legislature

Thats not an argument for anything, unless you want to move the Capital to NYC or something.

• The Washington, D.C. Admission Act (H.R. 51) is constitutional
  • The Admissions Clause gives Congress the authority to admit new states. All 37 new states have been admitted by simple legislation. No state has been admitted by a constitutional amendment
  • The District Clause establishes a maximum size of the federal district, not a minimum size. Congress has previously reduced the size of the federal district by 30 percent. The bill maintains a 2 square mile federal district, consisting of the White House, Capitol, Supreme Court, major monuments and the National Mall
  • The 23rd Amendment does not establish a geographical or population size for the federal district. In any event, Congress and the states will quickly repeal the amendment after passage of the bill

Yes, thats how states are added.

 

[Helix]

Ok then lets do this.

Yes that makes it smallish city. By this logic Texas should be broken into seven states.


And?


Reduce the size of it and its not an issue. Further, no one has to live there.


They don't have to live there. Further, there is nothing stopping the reduction of the district down to a few square blocks with the remainder part of Virginia / Maryland.



And?


They don't have to live there. Further, there is nothing stopping the reduction of the district down to a few square blocks with the remainder part of Virginia / Maryland.


They don't have to live there. Further, there is nothing stopping the reduction of the district down to a few square blocks with the remainder part of Virginia / Maryland.


Thats not an argument for anything, unless you want to move the Capital to NYC or something.


Yes, thats how states are added.

Texas is already a state with representatives.

 

[zincwarrior]

Texas is already a state with representatives.

And everyone who works in Washington can have that as well. reduce the capitol size so they are covered as a Virginia or Maryland resident.
Alternatively don't live there. Its only 61 square miles. Thats a space ten miles by 6 miles.

Ten by six. Thats nuts and a slap in the face to every state bigger than Rhode Island.

 

[Helix]

And everyone who works in Washington can have that as well. reduce the capitol size so they are covered as a Virginia or Maryland resident.
Alternatively don't live there. Its only 61 square miles. Thats a space ten miles by 6 miles.

Ten by six. Thats nuts and a slap in the face to every state bigger than Rhode Island.

Or we could just make it a state.

 

[zincwarrior]

Or we could just make it a state.

Which means the voters in neighboring Maryland and Virginia, not to mention every other state outside Rhode Island, has their vote diluted because of the minimum of two electoral votes. It patently, literally unfair to every other voter in the US.

Why should my vote count as 2.5% of a rich lobbyist in Washington DC?

As noted, the easiest and most equitable solution for voters is to reduce the "DC" to a couple of square blocks - or none frankly, and return the remainder to Virginia/Maryland.

 

[Helix]

Which means the voters in neighboring Maryland and Virginia, not to mention every other state outside Rhode Island, has their vote diluted because of the minimum of two electoral votes. It patently, literally unfair to every other voter in the US.

Why should my vote count as 2.5% of a rich lobbyist in Washington DC?

As noted, the easiest and most equitable solution for voters is to reduce the "DC" to a couple of square blocks - or none frankly, and return the remainder to Virginia/Maryland.

They'll be ok, and DC voters will get representation.

 

[zincwarrior]

They'll be ok, and DC voters will get representation.

Maybe so, but that will not be this day.

 

[Helix]

Maybe so, but that will not be this day.

Yep, I doubt that it will happen under the current government.

 

[Nickyjo]

Ok then lets do this.

Yes that makes it smallish city. By this logic Texas should be broken into seven states.


And?


Reduce the size of it and its not an issue. Further, no one has to live there.


They don't have to live there. Further, there is nothing stopping the reduction of the district down to a few square blocks with the remainder part of Virginia / Maryland.



And?


They don't have to live there. Further, there is nothing stopping the reduction of the district down to a few square blocks with the remainder part of Virginia / Maryland.


They don't have to live there. Further, there is nothing stopping the reduction of the district down to a few square blocks with the remainder part of Virginia / Maryland.


Thats not an argument for anything, unless you want to move the Capital to NYC or something.


Yes, thats how states are added.

Taxation without representation is tyranny.

And of course, why would we be wanting to add such a diverse community into the union? Next Puerto Rico Will want statehood.

 

[zincwarrior]

Taxation without representation is tyranny.

And of course, why would we be wanting to add such a diverse community into the union? Next Puerto Rico Will want statehood.

PR has a strong argument.
Washington DC is literally smaller than some ranches in Texas and definitely smaller than my county, and a person on a bike can go through it in an hour. Yah..Nah

Would be much better to turn PR into a state, annex Cuba and turn it into three states, Annex Canada and make it ten states,. Annex Central America and turn it into ten states...Manifest Destiny 2024, This Time Its Vertical!

 

[Glitch]

Ok then lets do this.

Yes that makes it smallish city. By this logic Texas should be broken into seven states.


And?


Reduce the size of it and its not an issue. Further, no one has to live there.


They don't have to live there. Further, there is nothing stopping the reduction of the district down to a few square blocks with the remainder part of Virginia / Maryland.



And?


They don't have to live there. Further, there is nothing stopping the reduction of the district down to a few square blocks with the remainder part of Virginia / Maryland.


They don't have to live there. Further, there is nothing stopping the reduction of the district down to a few square blocks with the remainder part of Virginia / Maryland.


Thats not an argument for anything, unless you want to move the Capital to NYC or something.


Yes, thats how states are added.

This is what happens when you have civically illiterate idiots who have never bothered to actually read the US Constitution.

While Congress may indeed be able abolish the local DC government that they control. Congress cannot alter Article I, Section 8, Clause 17 of the US Constitution, which is what gives Congress the power to establish DC as the nation's capitol. Only the ratification of a constitutional amendment by 38 State legislatures can the US Constitution be altered, and Congress does not have the sole authority.

Furthermore, under Article IV, Section 3, Clause 1 of the US Constitution it requires the approval of all States bordering a new State, in addition to congressional approval. Which means that even after an amendment to the US Constitution is ratified, both the States of Maryland and Virginia would have their own vote whether or not to allow DC to become a separate State, or become part of their own State as was originally established in 1788, before DC was created.

 

[Nickyjo]

PR has a strong argument.
Washington DC is literally smaller than some ranches in Texas and definitely smaller than my county, and a person on a bike can go through it in an hour. Yah..Nah

Would be much better to turn PR into a state, annex Cuba and turn it into three states, Annex Canada and make it ten states,. Annex Central America and turn it into ten states...Manifest Destiny 2024, This Time Its Vertical!

If we can have two Dakotas as states, Wyoming as a state with more than 100k fewer people, making DC a state doesn’t seem atrocious.

 

[Glitch]

If we can have two Dakotas as states, Wyoming as a state with more than 100k fewer people, making DC a state doesn’t seem atrocious.

No State was ever created by the US Constitution, but DC was. Which means that it requires an amendment to the US Constitution before DC can ever be removed as the national capital and made into a new State. Furthermore, a new national capitol would have to be established. No State can ever be allowed to be the national capitol. It cannot ever have its own House Representatives or Senators and still be able to vote for President.

 

[zincwarrior]

If we can have two Dakotas as states, Wyoming as a state with more than 100k fewer people, making DC a state doesn’t seem atrocious.

It adds to the stupid and dilutes voting power even more. And its not my fault no wants to live in Wyoming or the Dakotas.

 

[Glitch]

It adds to the stupid and dilutes voting power even more. And its not my fault no wants to live in Wyoming or the Dakotas.

Wyoming would have been my next choice after Alaska. I like the Dakota's, and even hunted in South Dakota regularly when I lived in Nebraska, but I need to have my forests and mountains about me, which the Dakota's are notably lacking. I've been hunting in Wyoming as well, and they have a much better selection of game. My only issue with Wyoming is that it is on the lee side of the Rocky Mountains. Which means that Wyoming has smaller forests and less vegetation overall than States on the windward side of the Rocky Mountains, like Idaho or western Montana.

The population of the US diminishes significantly when you are east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and west of 100°W, with fewer than 10% of the total US population living in that area even though it encompasses 30% of the entire landmass of the US.

 

[Nickyjo]

No State was ever created by the US Constitution, but DC was. Which means that it requires an amendment to the US Constitution before DC can ever be removed as the national capital and made into a new State. Furthermore, a new national capitol would have to be established. No State can ever be allowed to be the national capitol. It cannot ever have its own House Representatives or Senators and still be able to vote for President.

Why can no state be allowed t be a national capitol?