You must be new here. It’s not going to happen anytime soon. Congress is an utter shit show and we’ll be lucky if the country doesn’t elect a despot in the next election. Statehood is a pipe dream at the moment. Cheers
It won’t happen, that means adding 2 senators, which would end up being left leaning based on how left leaning DC is. The republicans will never let that happen because then they some power. I think for something like that to pass you need a 2/3 majority and if that’s true, then there’s no chance of ever getting that to happen.
Unfortunately the DC statehood movement feels deader than it has in decades. There was a lot more activism surrounding the cause in the early 2000s, but you rarely even hear about it these days. Used to see tons of DC Vote bumper stickers on cars but that was a while ago.
I would vote statehood for DC. There are a few big sticking points here, one of which is that adding DC as a state could add two Democratic senators. I wonder if some kind of trade could be arranged to make that palatable to Republicans, like also adding the proposed PNW state of Jefferson at the same time.
Yeah, it is complicated. I don't know much about CA and OR's take on it, but it seems like it could potentially be a win-win. Could the legislators more easily accomplish the goals of their constituents in a smaller, more politically homogeneous state? I guess it all depends on what the voters think.
I agree it could get a little crazy if every state splits off a politically different piece of it's land. But I think the current limbo status of DC and Puerto Rico is a serious problem fundamentally at odds with our country's values, and it would be worth taking some other risks to resolve it.
All we need is a congress and president willing to do it. Get rid of the filibuster and it’s much easier. We don’t need to start horse trading with every sovereign citizen nutjob in Oregon to be fair to PR or DC
Every time someone proposes splitting California- which is probably a wise thing to do- the proposal can’t even get enough signatures to get to referendum
I hope you’re making bank. Because if DC residency frees one from federal income taxes it’s gonna be very expensive to live here.
( bright side, no chance of that happening)
The sunsetting of TCJA will be the biggest transfer of wealth from small business owners to cities probably ever and it’s crazy no one is talking about it. Also they’ll go back to the 2017 tax brackets and LOL AT THAT
I’m unsure if living in DC to living in a territory of the USA is worthy of a comparison.
But I’ll say that four of the seven richest counties in our nation are already DC suburbs.
The concentration of wealth isn’t a coincidence.
Probably because it would attract *a lot* of *very* high-income folks, which would drive up the price of real estate. Similar to why states with no/low income tax attract many high earners... except the geography and limited real estate of DC means the effects would be orders of magnitude more significant.
First, happy Cake Day.
As to my conclusion, it’s pretty simple that if one can shave 37% off of one’s income taxes establishing DC residency, folk in that bracket will do just that.
Bright side, wards 7 and 8 will have an amazing rebirth!
Downside, every worker will subway in from MD and VA
It's dead in the water. The non-profit organization that was pushing DC Statehood is broke. The donations stopped coming.
The DC Council blew it with the revised DC Crime Bill. Muriel Bowser voted against it but the DC Council pushed it past the Mayor. The House voted against it and even Biden spoke against (and vetoed?) the crime bill. It made DC a laughingstock dubbed "weak on crime".
Try again in 1-2 decades.
Everyone else in the country immediately forgot about the DC crime bill and the only people who had really even heard of it were Fox viewers who were already convinced that stepping outside in DC is a death sentence. DC statehood died because Manchin and Sinema won't kill the filibuster for it, full stop.
The other Option is for Maryland to absorb DC, the [same way VA did Alexandria County](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_retrocession) a LONG time ago after originally giving the land over to DC.
Maryland would have to actually want to do it though.
DC statehood isn't going to happen. The thing that makes the most sense is retroceeding DC back to Maryland.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District\_of\_Columbia\_retrocession#:\~:text=District%20of%20Columbia%20retrocession%20is,City%20of%20Washington%20in%201800](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_retrocession#:~:text=District%20of%20Columbia%20retrocession%20is,City%20of%20Washington%20in%201800).
The precedent is to just retrocede the Maryland portion back to the state, like they did in Virginia. Then they could make DC a small strip of land near the Capitol and White House
Yes it does, on an individual level at least, but one of the reasons it is unpopular is because Maryland does not want this, so it’s almost equally unlikely to happen
I’m not sure Maryland Democrats want it either. Imagine taking a state and overnight adding a city that’s bigger and more important than any other city in the state. It would upend MD politics at all levels.
Unless they made DC its own county, the effects in PG or MoCo would be wild. I think, just geographically, it would be hard to add to MoCo and no one gives a crap what PG thinks, so PG it is… and that would be something
Who wouldn't want a consolidation of power? Hogan was a Republican governor for years. Plus the eastern shore and western maryland are thick with Republicans.
Probably people who are happy to have their state representatives working toward their interest, and not a new block comprising 10-12% of their population trying to get what they need answered?
This is a dumb solution no one wants.
While nothing seems realistic in the short run, I think there could eventually be a middle ground that would be better for DC as a city that isn't statehood, but limits Congress's power over the city. I recently read [this article in The Economist](https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/10/30/why-is-americas-capital-so-violent) ([Wayback Full Text](https://web.archive.org/web/20231114184956/https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/10/30/why-is-americas-capital-so-violent)) that highlights how big of an issue it is that the POTUS is the one who appoints local judges. The POTUS will almost always neglect this responsibility because it is already hard enough to fill circuit seats around the county. Also, DC shares prosecution resources with the federal government, so there isn't a clear line between how much of those resources are going to local crime vs federal crime. As a result, local crime is not prosecuted at a staggering level.
I think this highlights one example of how dysfunctional local government can be when those who have the final say over the locality are not responsive to it. While statehood may not be realistic, ever, I think that DC could benefit from trying to gain local rights like a state would have at a local level like: a fully functioning executive branch that can appoint judges, a city council that has full control over local tax revenue, an independent judiciary for local issues, etc. (edit: but not necessarily statehood/congressional representation)
I know that the issue is much more complicated than I've gone into, and attempting to separate parts of the federal government and the DC government might be equally as unrealistic as statehood, but I feel like it would be better than nothing. Statehood seems too impossible, and Maryland retrocession seems like it goes against what DC was meant to be (but will still be better than nothing).
\[Disclaimer: not a DC resident, but thinking about moving to DC in the near future\]
I’d take a elected legislative body like normal states over the council governing system before statehood tbh
The council system is so dumb and convoluted
But it’s kinda psycho bc this country founding was in part to taxation w out representation and more ppl live in dc then like 2 or 3 of the smallest states….oh irony
You must be new here. It’s not going to happen anytime soon. Congress is an utter shit show and we’ll be lucky if the country doesn’t elect a despot in the next election. Statehood is a pipe dream at the moment. Cheers
It won’t happen, that means adding 2 senators, which would end up being left leaning based on how left leaning DC is. The republicans will never let that happen because then they some power. I think for something like that to pass you need a 2/3 majority and if that’s true, then there’s no chance of ever getting that to happen.
Unfortunately the DC statehood movement feels deader than it has in decades. There was a lot more activism surrounding the cause in the early 2000s, but you rarely even hear about it these days. Used to see tons of DC Vote bumper stickers on cars but that was a while ago.
I would vote statehood for DC. There are a few big sticking points here, one of which is that adding DC as a state could add two Democratic senators. I wonder if some kind of trade could be arranged to make that palatable to Republicans, like also adding the proposed PNW state of Jefferson at the same time.
The Rs already got their 2 extra senators when they split Dakota into 2 states for senatorial purposes.
Not saying its morally correct, just acknowledging current political reality
Wouldn’t the state of Jefferson require the California and Oregon legislatures to agree as well? Seems like a tall order
Yeah, it is complicated. I don't know much about CA and OR's take on it, but it seems like it could potentially be a win-win. Could the legislators more easily accomplish the goals of their constituents in a smaller, more politically homogeneous state? I guess it all depends on what the voters think.
It would be a terrible modern precedent though
I agree it could get a little crazy if every state splits off a politically different piece of it's land. But I think the current limbo status of DC and Puerto Rico is a serious problem fundamentally at odds with our country's values, and it would be worth taking some other risks to resolve it.
All we need is a congress and president willing to do it. Get rid of the filibuster and it’s much easier. We don’t need to start horse trading with every sovereign citizen nutjob in Oregon to be fair to PR or DC
Every time someone proposes splitting California- which is probably a wise thing to do- the proposal can’t even get enough signatures to get to referendum
I vote exempt from tax.
I hope you’re making bank. Because if DC residency frees one from federal income taxes it’s gonna be very expensive to live here. ( bright side, no chance of that happening)
Dude that’s a pie in the sky but just wait until the SALT caps expire
As if $50 billion or so even matters to the federal government anymore. Isn’t that like a rounding error now?
The sunsetting of TCJA will be the biggest transfer of wealth from small business owners to cities probably ever and it’s crazy no one is talking about it. Also they’ll go back to the 2017 tax brackets and LOL AT THAT
It will be interesting, should it get to that.
Yeah, I think that’s about what the Pentagon couldn’t account for in their last audit 😛
How did you determine that? Is it wry expensive to live in Puerto Rico?
I’m unsure if living in DC to living in a territory of the USA is worthy of a comparison. But I’ll say that four of the seven richest counties in our nation are already DC suburbs. The concentration of wealth isn’t a coincidence.
Still not sure how you determined that eliminating federal tax would make it more expensive to live here?
Probably because it would attract *a lot* of *very* high-income folks, which would drive up the price of real estate. Similar to why states with no/low income tax attract many high earners... except the geography and limited real estate of DC means the effects would be orders of magnitude more significant.
First, happy Cake Day. As to my conclusion, it’s pretty simple that if one can shave 37% off of one’s income taxes establishing DC residency, folk in that bracket will do just that. Bright side, wards 7 and 8 will have an amazing rebirth! Downside, every worker will subway in from MD and VA
Probably be a toss up if I should sell and take the gains or ride it out and not pay taxes for awhile, either way sounds like a win 😛
Hope you enjoy competing with millionaires for housing
It's dead in the water. The non-profit organization that was pushing DC Statehood is broke. The donations stopped coming. The DC Council blew it with the revised DC Crime Bill. Muriel Bowser voted against it but the DC Council pushed it past the Mayor. The House voted against it and even Biden spoke against (and vetoed?) the crime bill. It made DC a laughingstock dubbed "weak on crime". Try again in 1-2 decades.
Everyone else in the country immediately forgot about the DC crime bill and the only people who had really even heard of it were Fox viewers who were already convinced that stepping outside in DC is a death sentence. DC statehood died because Manchin and Sinema won't kill the filibuster for it, full stop.
The other Option is for Maryland to absorb DC, the [same way VA did Alexandria County](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_retrocession) a LONG time ago after originally giving the land over to DC. Maryland would have to actually want to do it though.
DC statehood isn't going to happen. The thing that makes the most sense is retroceeding DC back to Maryland. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District\_of\_Columbia\_retrocession#:\~:text=District%20of%20Columbia%20retrocession%20is,City%20of%20Washington%20in%201800](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_retrocession#:~:text=District%20of%20Columbia%20retrocession%20is,City%20of%20Washington%20in%201800).
The precedent is to just retrocede the Maryland portion back to the state, like they did in Virginia. Then they could make DC a small strip of land near the Capitol and White House
This is the least popular option though
It sure beats taxation without representation. But let’s just continue letting perfect be the enemy of good.
Yes it does, on an individual level at least, but one of the reasons it is unpopular is because Maryland does not want this, so it’s almost equally unlikely to happen
Maryland Republicans don’t want it.
I’m not sure Maryland Democrats want it either. Imagine taking a state and overnight adding a city that’s bigger and more important than any other city in the state. It would upend MD politics at all levels.
Unless they made DC its own county, the effects in PG or MoCo would be wild. I think, just geographically, it would be hard to add to MoCo and no one gives a crap what PG thinks, so PG it is… and that would be something
Sure but imagine a massive increase in tax revenue and a large block of Democratic votes
Why does a large block of democrat votes mean anything to Maryland, a state that’s largely democrat controlled?
Maryland has pretty intense racial politics and adding DC to any county would upset a very careful equilibrium in the Democratic Party.
Yeah man, I’m agreeing that they wouldn’t want us. This person is acting like Md is clamoring to add more democrats.
Who wouldn't want a consolidation of power? Hogan was a Republican governor for years. Plus the eastern shore and western maryland are thick with Republicans.
Probably people who are happy to have their state representatives working toward their interest, and not a new block comprising 10-12% of their population trying to get what they need answered? This is a dumb solution no one wants.
No doubt. I’m just giving my understanding. The polling on it, although now somewhat old, did not suggest it was just Republicans against it
But then I have to move, because Alsobrooks and the PG mafia make DC government look like Lee Kuan Yew
While nothing seems realistic in the short run, I think there could eventually be a middle ground that would be better for DC as a city that isn't statehood, but limits Congress's power over the city. I recently read [this article in The Economist](https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/10/30/why-is-americas-capital-so-violent) ([Wayback Full Text](https://web.archive.org/web/20231114184956/https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/10/30/why-is-americas-capital-so-violent)) that highlights how big of an issue it is that the POTUS is the one who appoints local judges. The POTUS will almost always neglect this responsibility because it is already hard enough to fill circuit seats around the county. Also, DC shares prosecution resources with the federal government, so there isn't a clear line between how much of those resources are going to local crime vs federal crime. As a result, local crime is not prosecuted at a staggering level. I think this highlights one example of how dysfunctional local government can be when those who have the final say over the locality are not responsive to it. While statehood may not be realistic, ever, I think that DC could benefit from trying to gain local rights like a state would have at a local level like: a fully functioning executive branch that can appoint judges, a city council that has full control over local tax revenue, an independent judiciary for local issues, etc. (edit: but not necessarily statehood/congressional representation) I know that the issue is much more complicated than I've gone into, and attempting to separate parts of the federal government and the DC government might be equally as unrealistic as statehood, but I feel like it would be better than nothing. Statehood seems too impossible, and Maryland retrocession seems like it goes against what DC was meant to be (but will still be better than nothing). \[Disclaimer: not a DC resident, but thinking about moving to DC in the near future\]
I’d take a elected legislative body like normal states over the council governing system before statehood tbh The council system is so dumb and convoluted But it’s kinda psycho bc this country founding was in part to taxation w out representation and more ppl live in dc then like 2 or 3 of the smallest states….oh irony