House approves bill to let Puerto Ricans vote to become 51st state

[Ooh La La]

Originally Posted by AnotherKD

It just seems kind of shitty to me that we just fought a losing battle for trying to get DC statehood, and now about a week later, the House is like, Hey, Puerto Rico! Wanna join us?

We never got that opportunity. I'd like to see what the numbers would be if DC residents had a vote as to whether or not to become a state.

Considering the DC license plate says, "Taxation Without Representation," I'm sure DC residents would be thrilled to become a state.

[AnotherKD]

Originally Posted by Ooh La La

Considering the DC license plate says, "Taxation Without Representation," I'm sure DC residents would be thrilled to become a state.

We actually get the choice to have "Taxation Without Representation" on our license plates. It is the default, but those who are against it can choose to have "A Capital City" on their plates, and while I don't see many of them, they are around.

Aside from repealing the 23rd constitutional amendment, what others also argue is that the new state that would be created would also have to take on the responsibility of policing/guarding all of the embassies and figuring out what to do with the federal areas, such as the Capitol Building, the White House, and even places like the memorials on the Mall. DC gets about $600,000,000 per year from the federal government because it hosts a lot of these things (even though we do have the highest federal tax rate per capita). We wouldn't get that money if we were to become a state. States that border us (MD and VA) tend to not support our creation of a state because they would lose money due to commuter taxes. The federal government part of the state would be impacted by the state's interference in certain issues (simply by way of physicality) and also DC's dependence on it, as we are a town that thrives on government work. The framers of the constitution envisioned a seat of government, and DC is quite small in the scheme of other "big" cities.

So, I guess that's some of the arguments that people around here can make.

[Ooh La La]

Originally Posted by AnotherKD

We actually get the choice to have "Taxation Without Representation" on our license plates. It is the default, but those who are against it can choose to have "A Capital City" on their plates, and while I don't see many of them, they are around.

Aside from repealing the 23rd constitutional amendment, what others also argue is that the new state that would be created would also have to take on the responsibility of policing/guarding all of the embassies and figuring out what to do with the federal areas, such as the Capitol Building, the White House, and even places like the memorials on the Mall. DC gets about $600,000,000 per year from the federal government because it hosts a lot of these things (even though we do have the highest federal tax rate per capita). We wouldn't get that money if we were to become a state. States that border us (MD and VA) tend to not support our creation of a state because they would lose money due to commuter taxes. The federal government part of the state would be impacted by the state's interference in certain issues (simply by way of physicality) and also DC's dependence on it, as we are a town that thrives on government work. The framers of the constitution envisioned a seat of government, and DC is quite small in the scheme of other "big" cities.

So, I guess that's some of the arguments that people around here can make.

True, but it's always interesting for the proposition to become "New Columbia" to pop up in Congress every few years. These people at least have to get a representative.

[AnotherKD]

Originally Posted by Ooh La La

True, but it's always interesting for the proposition to become "New Columbia" to pop up in Congress every few years. These people at least have to get a representative.

I completely agree. Hell, up until the 60s, we couldn't even vote for the President! (I say "we" as if I was alive in the 60s and lived here then... haha! )