#NV03 Update: Let Susie Lee Know There Are Alternatives That Will Not Wreck Washington DC Financially!

 NV03, Susie Lee  No Responses »
Apr 122021
 

Democrats Dismiss Alternative Proposals

Democrats’ cynical power grab is exposed by the far left’s unwillingness to consider or even debate less cumbersome alternative proposals. Indeed, numerous proposals that do not require an amendment to the U.S. Constitution could address the perceived problems of the status quo arrangement.

Alternative #1: Retrocession to Maryland

The Capital District area could be reduced and the current land area of D.C. “would become part of the state of Maryland — the state to which it initially belonged” (Fredman, 2014). Under such a proposal, D.C. would gain representation “without increasing the number of senators, as Maryland’s senators would represent former D.C. citizens” (Fredman, 2014).

Alternative #2: Apportion D.C. Residents to Maryland for Congressional Voting

A simple solution to claims of D.C. disenfranchisement has been proposed by Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby.

“Let the city’s residents be counted, for federal voting purposes, as citizens of Maryland (the state from which D.C. was carved out in 1791). What could be simpler? While Congress would continue to exercise exclusive rule in Washington, voters living there would be considered Marylanders in House, Senate, and White House elections. Presto! No more disenfranchisement, no more taxation without representation, and no more cynical talk of turning a medium-sized city into the 51st state.” (Jacoby, 2019)

Alternative #3: Exempt D.C. Residents from Federal Income Tax

Cato Institute scholar Roger Pilon has offered a federal income tax exemption as a libertarian solution to the D.C. statehood question. Such an exemption would address claims that D.C. residents face “taxation without representation” (Hughes, 2014).

“As everyone knows, what they really crave are the three additional Democratic seats in Congress that would come with a new state.”
– Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe

Call Susie Lee and tell her that there are alternatives to address the primary arguments that will not cause a fiscal disaster in Washington DC!

#NV03 Update – Let Susie Lee Know DC Statehood will crush local services

 NV03, Susie Lee  No Responses »
Apr 052021
 

Did you know that Washington D.C. is not financially viable on it’s own? Even the way the democrats are trying to carve it up will not work fiscally.

Washington DC was never created to become a state in any way shape or form. Were Washington DC to become a State, they would lose a ton of money. The cost would be staggering:

In fact, the most strident opposition to D.C. statehood is likely to come from D.C. residents themselves – once they calculate the real and substantial costs to statehood. D.C. statehood would devastate the District of Columbia’s local budget, eliminate hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid and wipe out social services, health care, transportation, and social welfare programs.

“Like most things, life in Washington involves tradeoffs: D.C. residents are closer to the levers of federal power than anyone else, they have free access to many of the nation’s foremost cultural treasures, and they have some of the highest average household and individual incomes in the country,” contends Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby (Jacoby, The Constitution says no to DC statehood, 2020).

Even the Left-Leaning Urban Institute confrims: D.C. #1 in Federal Support

On a per capita basis, D.C. residents enjoy federal payments that are orders of magnitude greater than residents of other states. Even the left-leaning Urban Institute is forced to acknowledge that “the District of Columbia’s per capita spending exceeded all states” (Urban Institute, 2020).

• Number #1 in Welfare at $265 per DC resident.
• Number #1 in K-12 spending per capita at $3,466 per DC resident.
• Number #1 in Medicaid spending per capita at $3,669 per DC resident.
• Number #1 in Housing spending per capita at $814 per DC resident.
• Number #1 in Parks spending per capita at $285 per DC resident.
• Number #1 in Public Transit per capita at $2,145 per DC resident. (Urban Institute, January 2017)

There is simply not enough of a tax base in Washington DC to run an effective State Government.

Look at just how much DC depends on the Federal Government:

Net Federal Expenditures Per Capita: D.C. $37,457 vs. -$1,181 for Ohio

For decades, Washington, D.C. has experienced incredible net federal expenditures compared to other states. According to federal budget data for the Fiscal Year 2004, net federal expenditures per capita, after subtracting taxes paid, showed D.C. on top at $37,457. That was nearly 5x greater than second place Alaska at $8,005. Meanwhile, residents of Ohio lost -$1,181 on a per capita basis, with Delaware at a shocking -$7,010 (MacEwan, October 11, 2016).

By 2010, the gap had expanded even further. D.C. residents were receiving $72,292 on a per capita basis, a figure nearly 7x greater than second place Alaska at $11,123. Meanwhile, residents of Ohio remained in the negative on a per capita basis, with Delaware at -$8,019 (MacEwan, October 11, 2016).

2017 Council of State Governments Report: DC Funding at $82,508 Per Capita

A 2017 Council of State Governments report, which analyzed $3.4 trillion in federal spending in five categories: retirement benefits; nonretirement benefits; salaries and wages; grants; and contracts, concluded that D.C. residents received $82,508 per capita, compared to $17,052 for second place Virginia. Residents of Utah, meanwhile, received a meager $7,327 on a per capita basis (Hopkins, 2017).

And for a specific example of the impending fiscal disaster of statehood – look at just the courts:

$274 Million Federal Subsidy of D.C. Courts
D.C.’s courts would be unable to function without federal assistance. “In fiscal year 2016, the federal government paid for the costs of running D.C.’s court system, a total of $274 million” (Lefrak, 2016).

Then – look at this, Washington DC’s bonds are Junk Bonds! Ouch.

Because the District lacks a state-level economic system, it has resorted to junk bonds and accounting gimmicks. In 1995, President Bill Clinton authorized the financial control board, officially called the District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority, to rescue D.C. form its $518 million structural deficit (Delgadillo, Kurzius, & Sadon, 2019).

I can only guess that the democrat leadership are fixated on the Two extra Senators and nothing else. One would hope that responsible members of Congress will stand up and look at the totality of the situation and realize what they would be doing to the residents of Washington D.C. should this hare-brained scheme pass.

Call Susie Lee and encourage her to stay away from this.

NV03 Update: Susie Lee should heed the words of her Governor Steve Sisolak, Don’t Erase Nevada’s Voice

 NV03, Susie Lee  No Responses »
Mar 292021
 

When Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak Vetoed the National Popular Vote Compact – his words were quite clear:

“Once effective, the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact could diminish the role of smaller states like Nevada in national electoral contests and force Nevada’s electors to side with whoever wins the nationwide popular vote, rather than the candidate Nevadans choose.”

One of the primary arguments against Washington DC Statehood is that it will disenfranchise Small States – by diluting their representation in the US Senate.

Here is another and it is devastating. Washington D.C.’s entire economy is the care and feeding of Government:

Supporters of D.C. statehood argue that the District’s population exceeds two states, Vermont and Wyoming (Paunescu, 2019). However, John S. Baker, Jr., a visiting professor at Georgetown Law School, establishes the important distinction between cities and states. “The District of Columbia lacks the status of statehood … because it is a city. The United States, unlike medieval Europe, does not have city-states” (Baker J. S., 2020)

Through a larger geographic footprint, states represent a multiplicity of interests. Historian John Steele Gordon says: “Every large state has a multiplicity of interests that must be balanced: agricultural, mining, fishing, banking, insurance, etc. But the District of Columbia has only one interest: the care and feeding of the federal government. It is the ultimate company town.” (Jacoby, 2019)

A city-state basically violates the constitution.

Then the scheme of making Washington DC a City-State further shreds the voice of small states like Nevada by creating supervoters. The scheme would effectively shrink Washington DC to a tiny area with a few thousand voters that still have their 3 electoral votes.

Democrats’ plan for D.C. statehood would create severe inequities in electoral representation with the creation of “super voters.” In order to bypass the U.S. Constitution, H.R. 51 preserves a capital district of just two miles (Lefrak, 2016). However, this district – under the 23rd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution— would retain its 3 electoral votes (Hewitt, 1993).

“As long as the 23rd Amendment is in force, the District of Columbia is guaranteed at least three votes in the Electoral College,” points out columnist Jeff Jacoby. “Under the House bill, those votes would be controlled by the microscopic population of the drastically shrunken district, making them far and away the most influential voters in the nation. Such an outcome would obviously be absurd, yet it would be unavoidable unless the 23rd Amendment were repealed” (Jacoby, The Constitution says no to DC statehood, 2020).

Constitutional amendments are a lengthy and cumbersome process requiring BOTH a two-thirds approval of both houses of Congress AND ratification by three-fourths of the states (Erickson, 2017). Therefore, if or until such an amendment was approved, voters within this two square mile area would hold tremendous control over the selection of the U.S. President.

IT seems amazing that a Congresswoman from an R-Leaning District is considering gutting the voice of her own state. But this is the state of politics in 2021. Please contact Susie Lee and ask her to stay away from the DC Statehood.

#NV03 Update: Susie Lee is Debating Constitutional Suicide Let’s Encourage her to stay away from HR51, DC Statehood

 NV03, Susie Lee  No Responses »
Mar 252021
 

Since its founding on July 16, 1790, Washington, D.C. has served as the independent capital of the United States of America. The District of Columbia holds a unique and prestigious place in American history as the central seat of the U.S. federal government.

In addition to substantial benefits for its 705,749 residents (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020), D.C. independence has remained a vital national interest to protect against extreme states’ rights power grabs that could imperil the operations of American government.

As of right now, Susie Lee who is in an R-Leaning Congressional District NV-03 is not a co-sponsor of HR51 to make Washington DC a state. The Right on Daily Nevada Blog is encouraging everyone to contact her and her office to tell her not to make this mistake.

We are going to walk Susie Lee through several aspects of the DC Statehood drive and how it actually hurts the residents there!

H.R. 51: D.C. Statehood Bill in 116th United States Congress (The current bill in the 117th Congress has the same number)

In June 2020, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives approved H.R. 51, a simple-majority vote bill that would make Washington, D.C. the nation’s 51st state (Jones, 2020). Sponsored by Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C.’s elected Democrat Member of Congress, the bill passed on a 232 to 180 vote, with only Democrat support (Roll Call 122, 2020). In fact, one Democrat, Rep. Collin C. Peterson of Minnesota, broke ranks with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and opposed the bill, demonstrating bipartisan opposition to the measure (Tumulty, 2020).

The ban on D.C. statehood has been enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Constitutional scholars point out that “Maryland could object to the establishment of a New Columbia, arguing that it ‘did not cede the land for the purpose of creating a new state on its border’” (DeBonis, 2014).

Similar to the National Popular Vote effort which has been rigged and factored to circumvent the constitution, the DC Statehood effort is the same.

U.S. Constitution: Article 1, Section 8

As Time Magazine notes: “… the lack of statehood for the capital is enshrined in the Constitution. Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17 of the document reads, “The Congress shall have Power To …exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States” (Berenson, 2016).

“Congress cannot change the status of the capital district simply by redefining it.”

Democrats Flout Prima Facia Constitutional Barriers

Curiously, Democrats openly celebrate the unconstitutional nature of H.R. 51 (Wolf, 2020). Rather than amend the U.S. Constitution, the bill would reduce the size of the federal district to just two square miles and then admit the remaining territory of D.C. as a new state, the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth (MacFarlane, Bensen, & Staff, 2020). The federal-controlled district would include the White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court and the principal federal monuments, while the state would consist of 66 of the 68 square miles of the present-day District of Columbia (Norton, 2020).

Let this sink in, the cynical nature of this effort should be alarming to any reasonable person.

As we continue, we are going to start laying out the disasterous consequences for the people of Washington DC if they become a state.

BTW – here is a poll in 3-2021 showing 55% of Americans opposing DC Statehood versus a paltry 29% in favor.