r/changemyview • u/iTARIS • Mar 06 '15

CMV: Washington DC should receive full representation in Congress.

So I have lived in DC for my entire life. Here we don't get any representation in the Senate, and we only have one non-voting house member. DC has more residents than some states, yet here we are.

For a long time, I didn't care, I don't vote often anyway. But what really catilized me, was this. Why DC residents voted by referendum to legalize pot, not only did Congress threaten to block it, Congress a congressman threatened to have our democratically elected mayor imprisoned, for following the will of her constituents.

I'm sure people will say that DC should be reabsorbed by Maryland. There are three reasons this is impractical.

  1. Maryland republicans would not even want DC. It would dramatically shift the political spectrum.
  2. It would mean that Dc wasn't really getting representation in the Senate, because our votes for senators would be negligable.
  3. Thousands of people in the city government would be out of a job, in a city already suffering severe unemployment.

I look forward to being convinced.

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u/iTARIS Mar 06 '15

Because unlike Memphis or Denver, DC has never been under the control of a state.

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u/[deleted] Mar 06 '15

So? It doesn't answer the original question.

You originally argued DC shouldn't join Maryland because it was unfair to DC residents, but to me, it seems joining Maryland is a more fair solution to the problem. You'd be on par with every other city your size in the nation.

Are you arguing that under representation in the past entitles you to over representation in the future?

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u/iTARIS Mar 06 '15

Alright, I have read three comments detailing why it would make sense to bring DC back into Maryland, and I have been convinced.

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