Comments
classicalL t1_je8fz0g wrote
DC will never get statehood. It is not worth it to members of congress even Democrats and has been shown for almost 200 years now. There have been ample times when full control of congress and the presidency existed and it has never gotten close to happening.
The primary argument for statehood is lack of voting rights.
Retrocession to Maryland accomplishes that goal, as Arlington County did.
The most common counter argument to retrocession is DC is its own place and not Maryland. Philly is just as different from parts of PA but it is part of PA. DC is territory that MD gave away, Georgetown was part of the Maryland colony.
DC politicians would rather their citizens have no voting rights in congress than have to share power with the MD population and have less extreme laws.
MD politicians in Baltimore do not want to give up more power to DC and its wealthy suburbs.
So DC will have no voting rights and be able to be overridden by congress, used to score political points because the bulk of congress doesn't care about 600k people in a counter of more than 300 million.
If you are serious about democracy and want congress to not have a choice then retrosession is the only viable path, DC only has to really convince MD, not the majority of the US for that path and MD does care about DC in the end after all it used to be MD.
Old_Distribution_235 t1_je8ynty wrote
DC has been its own entity longer than 34 states have been states. You gonna retrocede West Virginia to Virginia and Maine to Massachusetts while you're at it?
EDIT: *to Virginia
classicalL t1_jeclgpk wrote
They don't need to because they have representation.
IcyWillow1193 t1_je9b6aq wrote
>Retrocession to Maryland
A foolish notion that's been thoroughly debunked.
classicalL t1_jeclkbz wrote
Nice sources. Provide any argument that retrosession doesn't accomplish for the citizens of DC that they don't have now.
jdixonfan t1_je91l0o wrote
The Maryland statehouse isn’t in Baltimore
KeyLimeRegis t1_je9nndw wrote
No, but it is arguably Maryland’s center of political gravity and many of the politicians in Annapolis are representing parts of Baltimore or its suburbs. I think the argument is that DC and it’s suburbs would pull influence away from the Bmore politicos.
jdixonfan t1_jea89ol wrote
Baltimore does not have much political power in Annapolis, at least not proportional to its portion of the Maryland population/economy. But you are correct that one of the main reasons that MD doesn’t want DC is because politicians from the rest of the state think that Moco and PG already have too much power as is, and this would just increase it.
classicalL t1_jecmigr wrote
If we look at who is been gov it generally has been Baltimore or PG for (D) govs which is most of them. As that is the most important office in MD that is why I say Baltimore doesn't really want DC to be part of MD.
They it really would make Baltimore even less important. I wasn't saying that Baltimore has all the power, I'm saying they really don't want to have almost none and be even more ignored.
classicalL t1_jeclcoq wrote
I never said anything about where the statehouse is. Baltimore and the DC suburbs are the power centers... If you read it like that, that is weird.
Edit: Let me clarify even further: think for a second if I thought the state house was in Baltimore, then adding DC to Maryland wouldn't "take power from politicians in Baltimore" if I meant that as "take power from the state house" because the the statehouse wouldn't move if you retroceed DC. So I really don't know how you got that or lots of up votes for it other than just the reflexive I don't think reality downvote, this person makes him look bad upvote stupidity of the mob.
MD has conservative chunks largely starting in Frederick parts of Carrol and running west and the Eastern shore. The rest is liberal with the population centers really being MoCo/PG and Baltimore. Thus much of MD politically is the push-pull between the DC part which has more wealth and the Baltimore part. If DC becomes part of MD that balance is thrown off and therefore a large chunk of people in MD loose power and therefore selfishly don't want it.
I just want people in DC to have representation in congress, good schools, and sane laws. MD does all of those things where DC fails again and again. MD has functioning crime labs. MD has tickets that get enforced. Removing DC as a separate thing simplifies the political calculations for the region for entities like WMATA. It is a huge win for everyone but those in power today. I have never heard a real argument against it that hurts average people (not including tax codes or random policies helping one person over another). DC might rank over MD in some metrics but that is down to it being urban (as are some of the things that it is bad at). DC has been poorly managed for at least the 40+ years I have been watching. It could do so much better than it has done. As some one born here it makes me sad.
Surefinewhatever1111 t1_jea1yz8 wrote
Tell me you know nothing about Maryland or its history, political or otherwise.
jdixonfan t1_jea2ai0 wrote
Who, me or the person I was replying to? Because I know way too much about Maryland history and politics.
MoreCleverUserName t1_je9o1ft wrote
This is such a lazy, ill-informed take.
classicalL t1_jecly2d wrote
Really? more lazy than a 7 word reply?
Were you born in DC like me? Have you been here for decades? I am way better informed than you (almost certainly). Can you tell me when home rule started? Without looking it up?
MoreCleverUserName t1_jecnma8 wrote
I was born at Providence Hospital and unlike you, I am not willing to settle for any lazy workarounds. The notion of retrocession is not viable (Maryland doesn’t want it, end of story) and even if it were, it’s a half-assed, watered down solution. The fact that an actual (alleged) dc resident is in here pushing for it is mind blowing stupid.
that enough words for you or do you need more?
[deleted] t1_je98jt5 wrote
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Surefinewhatever1111 t1_je73csk wrote
"In his testimony, Allen also reiterated his stance on combining policing with investments in services that improve District residents’ quality of life."
Yet since then he hasn't added a single penny to DBMH/DOH or any social services agency for mooted alternatives, funded anything that would deploy from OUC calls or set up an alternative to 911 MPD calls. Such a phony.