"already criminal the fact large state’s federal clout is diminished by tiny ones over East"

Do you realize that was the INTENT of the Constitutional Convention (despite what you might want) ?

@FearlessFly “What I might want”? Should that make sense..? In May of 1787 they had no idea they’d end up with ..Washington (state). The most severe discrimination remains leaving massive states with only two US Senators over West, and minuscule states with the same over East. If the West Coast states had more influence, this nation would be a better place.

DC is for those doing temporary service for the Government, not a state unto itself. Had that been the original intention, it would be a State. A friend recently sold her DC home for over a million, retired on more than I’ve ever made, and left driving a very nice vehicle (one of two).. There are high paying jobs there - at all levels, if folks feel it’s more important they ‘be a state,’ as mentioned above - there are plenty ~

@Varn "If the West Coast states had more influence, this nation would be a better place" -- no evidence, your opinion.

"A friend recently sold" -- anecdotes are not data.

The intent of founders is very clear, two parts of Legislature, the Senate has equal power to all states, the House has proportional representation.

"they had no idea"
The founders made provisions for New States :
[en.wikipedia.org]

I have no 'skin in this'. Seems to me that the (strictly partisan) House bill is "dead on arrival" in the Senate (Dems had to know this). Cede DC back to Maryland strikes me as reasonable.

@FearlessFly Obviously taking yourself far too serious… My opinions are that, whether or not they coincide with others is key. If they’re counter to yours - good. You don’t appear as much to ‘want an opinion’ as much as ‘want an argument.’ ...must be why I skip most your crap

It may require a Constitutional Amendment.
It would be easier/expedient/rational to just cede it back to Maryland (from whence it came).

. . . not saying those are my positions.

@FearlessFly

I don't think requiring a Constitutional Amendment is cause for it not to become a state, and since they've been their own entity for this long, I believe it should be up to the people of DC to decide whether they wanted to cede back to Maryland, or to become their own state.

@Lauren . . . watch carefully :

@FearlessFly You mean the legal details? Okay. But you asked what I thought should happen, and that's what I answered.

@Lauren . . . the 'legal details' are kinda important for Statehood.
(don't misunderstand, I'm not opposed to Statehood)

"their own entity" -- not in ANY meaningful way. They have no voting representation, and they are actually controlled by Congress.

@FearlessFly But again you are talking about the legalities: the required steps for them to achieve it. You already know those, so there's no point in my answering that.

However, I think the point of their statehood attempt is that they WANT a meaningful existence - which includes voting representation - to coincide with running their own corner of the world as they have been. I don't see a logical reason why they shouldn't have it.

. . . apparently not RTFA -- the Republicans think it is going to result in two more Democratic Senators.

. . . they also think it requires a Constitutional Amendment.

@FearlessFly Rethuglicans will find as many objections as possible, whether reasonable or not, against Obama Care, in hope of minimizing its effect or having the courts invalidate it. Hopefully their efforts are wasted.