6.28.2007

A Shame

I am a vocal proponent of DC's retrocession into Maryland. It's the easiest and most Constitutional way to achieve representation in both chambers of Congress. Retrocession into Maryland will also mean an end to Congress's stranglehold on the city laws and budget. This post on AMERICAblog illustrates the drastic need for DC to seperate itself from a political party that has a deep-seeded hatred for gays trying to become and/or raise a family. The Dems taking back Congress was nice, but it obviously isn't enough. As long as our budget and laws are tied to fundamentalist voters in flyover states, DC will never be able to thrive. One vote in the House (with an extra vote in Utah to cancel it out, as if democracy were designed to achieve a 50-50 representation instead of the will of the people) is not enough.

Sometimes I wonder why we aren't rioting in the streets. Perhaps the only civil right I value more than representation is the right to start a family. That right is as old as humanity. Many Wasingtonians are having it taken away. This is a disgrace.
Posted by Rusty at 10:27 AM

23 comments:

  1. HRH King Friday XIII, Ret.June 28, 2007

    I don't really have an opinion on DC voting rights (because I'm still registered to vote at my parent's house in Arizona), but a new congressional district won't solve our social injustices.

    The problem is the White House and the tools in Congress who support him.

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  2. EdTheRedJune 28, 2007

    Meh. I'd prefer retro-retroceding Arlington and Alexandria back to DC, and creating a new state...the population would be enough (just under $1 million), Richmond would jettison the peskiest, most liberal voters in the state without losing too much of the NoVa tax revenue, and it could all be done pretty much by act of Congress, since the language creating the District is still in the Constitution...the little chunk of Alexandria outside the original 10-mile square would have to go to Fairfax County, I suppose...

    Of course, this won't happen, since no one in VA wants anything to do with DC, but I'd prefer it to retrocession to Maryland...of course, that won't happen either, since no one in MD wants anything to do with DC.

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  3. miss beeJune 28, 2007

    separate.

    and i'll give my newfound congressional vote in maryland to the "adopt dc" fund.

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  4. JamesJune 28, 2007

    Rioting in the streets? It's 95 fucking degrees out!

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  5. RustyJune 28, 2007

    Bee, fixed.

    Ed, a 51st state won't happen. Americans like their nice round numbers. It's what makes us better than Canada.

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  6. cj editor.June 28, 2007

    rusty,

    except canada has 10 provinces. which is a round number.
    and if you want to count territories, then the united state doesn't have a nice round number anymore either.

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  7. RustyJune 28, 2007

    Equating Canadian territories with American territories is a bit misleading since Canadian territories are a part of the country (making them more state like). American territories are not. No one really considers Guam part of the United States.

    50 is way better than 13.

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  8. DC DudeJune 28, 2007

    Rusty....WTF? DC becoming part of Maryland is the most imbecilic idea I've heard you bring to the table....ever. Cool, lets just morph into the giant ghetto they call Maryland. Besides, you aren’t even thinking straight about this anyway. If you want to retrocede into another state, then why would it not be Virginia (not that I advocate it)? VA has a much higher population and more electoral vote than Maryland does (correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think so). SO if you are so damn angst about your insignificant DC vote, wouldn’t it make sense to join VA instead? Yuck. Maryland stinks…literally. You move to Maryland! I’ll move back to TX before I’d live in that armpit called MD.

    Moving onto another rant: SE DC can go to Maryland, that's it. All this talk of a fence along the Mexican border? Nah, I say we fence out SE and PG County. Our crime rate would drop by 60%, I swear. Also, riddle me this - none of us particularly love DC, per se, but it has something special *tearing up* too. I'm a Texas transplant. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I never would have ended up in Washington, Maryland. Lame.

    Next post...this one blew.

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  9. DC DudeJune 28, 2007

    Yep. I was correct in my assumptions:

    VA: 7,642,884 pop
    11 in the House
    13 E College votes

    MD: 5,615,727 pop
    8 in the House
    10 E College votes

    Lastly, everyone knows that MD is an acronym for Mung Divers.

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  10. JamesJune 28, 2007

    I agree it would not be cool to have Washington, Maryland.

    That's why you keep the federal buildings and monuments in Washington, DC -- the only residents being the 1st family.

    Then everything else could break off into other municipalities. Glover Park, MD -- Columbia Heights, MD -- Petworth, MD.

    Never gonna happen, I know.

    Of course, I'm not about to quit my job and go on a violent rampage just because I have a few less hacks representing me than most Americans.

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  11. AnonymousJune 28, 2007

    Virginia won't happen because it's a swing state. Maryland is solidly blue. Also, DFC has way more in common with most of Maryland than with most of Virginia.

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  12. DC DudeJune 28, 2007

    What do you mean by "solidly blue"? Is that the popular vote; the "voice of the residents"? Popular vote for 2004 in MD was roughly 55% Dem, 43% Rep and over 1% wasted votes on pointless candidates. Admittedly, that is no small lead the Dems have, but not sure one could or should label that "solid". Again, being from TX, I understand a “solid” chokehold on the state gov by republicans. That’s “solid”.


    But you argue good points. And besides, Virginia is a stuffy place. Hell they banned gay marriage with a Constitutional (State) amendment, yes? So they're a******s too.

    But Rusty, buddy, you're never never never going to get me (or lotsa people) to say it would be a good thing were DC to retrocede into MD. And, lucky for me, this has a snowball's chance of happening. Perhaps less.

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  13. dcJune 28, 2007

    Rusty, I'm going to take your side on this one-- retrocession to MD is the way to go. DC could be a much-reduced area around the National Mall, analogous to the "square mile" that makes up London proper. DC's problem has always been a bunch of angry southern rednecks who felt the need to lord their authority over someone, and the residents of DC seemed to be a convenient target for them. The District of Columbia was an interesting concept in theory, but I think we have to chalk it up to being a failed experiment.

    Arguments in favor of statehood: Our flag is much, much cooler than the flags of most other states.

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  14. RustyJune 29, 2007

    I'm pretty happy with the MA flag. An American Indian with his arrow pointing towards the ground...because that somehow represents piece.

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  15. ErieJune 29, 2007

    All we are saying/
    is give piece a chance.

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  16. AnonymousJune 29, 2007

    Ugh. That was before my coffee.

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  17. AnonymousJune 29, 2007

    given a choice, id take maryland over the unabashedly retro virginia. but it is true that our lack of representation is a henious miscarriage of justice...
    ive been ready to riot!

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  18. Denizen of TennallytownJune 29, 2007

    Fuck it. I had a coherent, eloquently written addition to this discussion, and then I accidentally clicked the fucking back button on my 80 button Wundermouse.

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  19. AnonymousJune 29, 2007

    there are *counties* in the US that dwarf DC's population.

    wouldn't it be great to have two more fucking far left senators in congress? really, so great. just what a prosperous economy and a criminal underclass need. ted kennedy would have more competition for Bloviator Prime.

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  20. AnonymousJune 29, 2007

    What about all of the latinos who hang outside of the 7-11 each morning waiting for a rich white guy to drive up and hire them to paint the outside of his 400k+ townhouse?

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  21. EdTheRedJune 29, 2007

    Hey Roissy, there are counties in the US that dwarf the populations of numerous STATES. That doesn't mean that the residents of those states shouldn't have representation, no matter how fucking batshit crazy they are...but I guess the good citizens of Wyoming are "real Americans," huh? And we need more sane, reasonable Representatives like Dick Fucking Cheney, don't we?

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  22. Christopher1974July 01, 2007

    I was reading something recently that basically said that we already HAVE been retroceded back to Maryland. Originally, there were multiple areas within the District of Columbia: Georgetown, the County of Washington, Washington City, and Alexandria County. Those that were originally taken away from Virginia still voted in Virginia. Those that came from Maryland voted in Maryland.

    Congress changed this a number of times, eventually giving Alexandria County back to virginia (which divided it into Arlington and Alexandria City) and Georgetown was merged with Washington City. But the land that was Washington County has never actually been officially dealt with. Apparently, we who live North of Florida Avenue -- live in a legal know mans land that might be rightly able to vote in Maryland. No one can actually say. Congress has never dealt with it and neither have the Courts.

    As I'd rather live in Maryland than Virginia (shudder). I think this is fine. If we could live in DC and vote for representatives and senators from Maryland (as it would seem we could) that would be even better.

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  23. AnonymousJuly 02, 2007

    untethered: WY is the only state DC beats in population, and it's a razor thin margin. given that DC voting rights hyperventilators love to throw around the population argument, why aren't you clamoring for Dallas to have its own two senators? 1.2 million and counting you know.

    the point is, of course, that population ipso facto is a non-argument cloaking an ideological agenda.

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