District of Columbia Statehood and Voting Rights

[WMS]

yeah, okay, so the answer is we don't know.  clearly the "city-state" of Wasington, DC would be more populous than probably WY, AK, VT, and maybe MT.  So it's not the population issue.  And if Alaska, Texas, California can be put on the same footing with, say, Rhode Island, then clearly we're not about Square Milage when it comes to apportioning US senators, so those arguments are spurrious.  we only say that "most folks" don't like the idea.  Land area, population, race, and party have all been mentioned in this thread.  Only party stands the test of reason.  If we can put that aside, the others fall quickly. 

Okay, so I was wrong about the population, although it's close. I stand by the land bit - note how ALL the small states are old ones which were mostly grandfathered in at independence. Once you get west of the Appalachians, the state sizes get bigger.

Data from The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2005.

Size:
Rhode Island: 1,545 sq. mi.; #50
District of Colombia: 68 sq. mi., 61 land area sq. mi.; #51

Population (2003 estimates):
Montana: 917,621, #44
Alaska: 648,818; #47
Vermont: 619,107; #49
District of Colombia: 563,384; #50
Wyoming: 501,242; #51

Maybe they should merge Wyoming with something too.

[angus]

nice work.  as long as we're separating out land area we might as well note that only two-thirds of Rhode Island's 1500 square miles is land. 

[WMS]

nice work.  as long as we're separating out land area we might as well note that only two-thirds of Rhode Island's 1500 square miles is land. 

Thanks. Should have mentioned that: Rhode Island: land area 1,045 sq. mi. (out of 1,545 sq. mi. total); still #50.

[Jake]

Option 1; make it a full-fledged state.

It would make far more sense to make Virginia Beach a state.

I challenge anyone to come up with an actual, rational reason why a Maryland city, covering so small an area as to be practically invisible on a map, that IS NOT SELF-RELIANT IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM and could quite possibly be the most dysfunctional hellhole on the planet should get statehood.

If the Democrats ever make DC a state, as soon as we get Congress back I'll support dividing up Wyoming into pieces the size of DC and admitting them all into the union.

While we're at it, split Texas into five solid Republican states, as it is permitted to do.

While were making a city into a state and padding the Democrat's congressional numbers, let's make Southern PA (70% Bush country) and Northern PA (65% Bush country) into independent states.  They have more people, more land, and are actually self sufficient.

[7,052,770]

We only have one "district" in the US...but what is a district?  Why not have a constituional amendment that defines a district as a smaller area that's inferior to a state, and is represented by 1 voting member of Congress?
Areas like Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, etc., could also become districts.

[Jake]

We only have one "district" in the US...but what is a district?  Why not have a constituional amendment that defines a district as a smaller area that's inferior to a state, and is represented by 1 voting member of Congress?
Areas like Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, etc., could also become districts.

Let's eliminate DC and make it part of Maryland. Then, the territories can stay territories and everyone can go on with their lives without much hassle.

[TomC]

We only have one "district" in the US...but what is a district?  Why not have a constituional amendment that defines a district as a smaller area that's inferior to a state, and is represented by 1 voting member of Congress?
Areas like Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, etc., could also become districts.

Let's eliminate DC and make it part of Maryland. Then, the territories can stay territories and everyone can go on with their lives without much hassle.

I agree, except give it to Virginia. Or split it 50-50.

[Jake]

We only have one "district" in the US...but what is a district?  Why not have a constituional amendment that defines a district as a smaller area that's inferior to a state, and is represented by 1 voting member of Congress?
Areas like Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, etc., could also become districts.

Let's eliminate DC and make it part of Maryland. Then, the territories can stay territories and everyone can go on with their lives without much hassle.

I agree, except give it to Virginia. Or split it 50-50.

That makes NO sense. DC was part of Maryland historically, they are on the Maryland side of the Potomac, and the residential areas are are near Maryland, not the river.