WILD CONGRESSIONAL HEARING ON
THE HOUSE SIDE, ON WHETHER OR
NOT WASHINGTON, D.C. SHOULD BE A
STATE.
AFTER THE ORIGINAL 13 COLONIES,
ALL THE OTHER 37 STATES ADMITTED
TO THE UNION SINCE HAVE BEEN
ADDED BY AN ACT OF CONGRESS.
WHY NOT ONE MORE?
THE LAST TWO WERE IN 1959,
HAWAII AND ALASKA.
ALASKA RESIDENTS RECENTLY
BROUGHT ONE OF THEIR U.S.
SENATORS A NEW FLAG WITH 51
STARS ON IT, ASKING THEIR
SENATOR, LISA MURKOWSKI OF
ALASKA, TO PLEASE SUPPORT THE
ADMISSION OF A 51st STATE.
PLEASE SUPPORT THE ADMISSION OF
WASHINGTON, D.C. AS A NEW STATE.
THERE’S EFFORTS, ACTUALLY, ALL
ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO TRY TO GET
SENATE SUPPORT FOR ADDING D.C.
AS A 51st STATE.
IT HAS A BIGGER POPULATION THAN
WYOMING DOES, THAN VERMONT DOES.
D.C. RESIDENTS PAY AS MUCH OR
MORE TAXES AS EVERYONE ELSE IN
THE COUNTRY.
THEY FIGHT IN WARS, VOTE FOR
PRESIDENT, AND DO EVERYTHING
THAT EVERYONE IN THE U.S. DOES
BUT DOESN’T HAVE REPRESENTATION
IN CONGRESS.
THERE’S A REFERENDUM AMONG D.C.
RESIDENTS IN 2016 AS TO WHETHER
OR NOT THEY WANTED TO BECOME A
STATE.
86% OF D.C. RESIDENTS SAID YES,
WE WOULD LIKE TO BECOME A STATE.
THE U.S. HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES IS LIKELY TO
VOTE VERY SOON TO MAKE D.C. THE
51st STATE, WHICH WOULD THEN
SEND IT TO THE SENATE.
THAT’S WHY THE FOCUS OF
ADVOCATES FOR D.C. IS MORE ON
TRYING TO BRING SENATORS ALONG.
THE HOUSE VOTE IS BASICALLY A
FETA COM PLEA.
THEY WILL VOTE THAT D.C.
STATEHOOD SHOULD BECOME A
REALITY.
D.C.’S STATEHOOD HEARING IN THE
HOUSE, NONETHELESS, WAS REDONK.
IT WAS RIDICULOUS IN TERMS OF
THE REPUBLICAN ARGUMENTS AGAINST
D.C. STATEHOOD.
DEMOCRATS ARE ESSENTIALLY
UNIFIED THAT D.C. SHOULD BE A
STATE.
IT USED TO BE AN INTERPARTY
FIGHT WITHIN THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY.
DEMOCRATS HAVE COME AROUND TO
THE IDEA THAT D.C. SHOULD BE A
STATE.
REPUBLICANS ARE ALL OPPOSED BUT
ARE HAVING A HARD TIME
ARTICULATEING WHY.
GREN GROTHMAN OF WASHINGTON
ARGUED WASHINGTON, D.C. CAN’T BE
A STATE BECAUSE WASHINGTON, D.C.
DOESN’T HAVE ANY MINES, AS IN
UNDERGROUND PLACES WHERE MINERS
WORK.
D.C. DOESN’T HAVE THAT SO
CLEARLY D.C. CAN’T BE A STATE.
D.C. MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER WAS
TESTIFYING AT THE TIME THAT
CONGRESSMAN GROTHMAN RAISED THIS
ARGUMENT.
SHE HAD TO CONCEDE, IT’S TRUE,
WE DO NOT HAVE ANY MINES.
MAYBE THAT SHOULDN’T SETTLE THE
ISSUE.
REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN JODY
HEISS OF GEORGIA WANTED TO KNOW
HOW ON EARTH THEY COULD BE A
STATE SINCE D.C. HAS NO CAR
DEALERSHIPS.
I DO REMEMBER THE PART OF THE
CONSTITUTION WHERE IT SPELLS
THAT OUT.
NO TAXATION WITHOUT
REPRESENTATION, NO CRUEL AND
UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT, NO BEING
FORCED TO QUARTER SOLDIERS AND
THEN NOBODY GETS TO BE A STATE
WITHOUT AT LEAST ONE MAJOR CAR
DEALERSHIP.
MINES AND CAR DEALERSHIPS ARE
THE ABSENCE THEREOF.
THAT WAS THE ARGUMENT FROM THE
REPUBLICAN SIDE TODAY ABOUT WHY
D.C. CAN’T BE A STATE.
INCIDENTALLY, D.C. ACTUALLY HAS
CAR DEALERSHIPS.
WHY IS THAT THE BASIS ON WHICH
THIS DECISION SHOULD BE MADE?
ANYWAY, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE
UNITED STATES SENATE WILL
ULTIMATELY DO ABOUT D.C.
STATEHOOD BUT THE HOUSE WILL
PASS THE BILL TO MAKE D.C. A
STATE.
AFTER THEY DO THAT, YOU WOULD
STILL BE MORE LIKELY TO FIND
MOUNTAIN TOP REMOVAL MINING
OPERATION WITH CHEVY DEALERSHIP
IN D.C. THAN FIND TEN REPUBLICAN
SENATORS WHO ARE GOING TO AGREE