Reader comments
Senate vote could lead to 4th seat

It is heartening to learn that Senator McConnell has actually read the Constitution and believes it constrains his power. It is also interesting that this is the first news story I have seen that acknowledges the fact that the ultimate goal of the Democratic Party is to give two senators to the District of Columbia as well, tipping the balance in the Senate to even tighter control by their party, in blatant disregard of the Constitution. If Congress wants to give the residents of the City of Washington full representation in Congress, it should just retrocede the District back to Maryland, just as it did for Arlington in 1845. Maryland would probably get another Representative with the added population, and all Washingtonians would have the bonus of voting for two senators, plus a governor and members of the legislature in Annapolis. Since Maryland is solidly Democratic, it should welcome the addition of more Democrats from Washington. The only reason Democrats oppose this simple and constitutional solution is that they want the imbalance of power that the current approach would give the District, including the ability to get more Federal funding as their Reporesentative and Senators horse trade for votes.

What is most sad is that Utah's congressional delegation is selling its constitutional heritage for a mess of pottage. Utah will get a 4th seat the honest way in the 2010 Census. In the meantime, having 4 votes in 437 in the House is no more power than 3 votes in 435.

Raymond is right! Our two Senators are selling out our Constitutional rights in exchange for a seat we are going to get anyway in 2010! They took an oath to uphold the Constitution and now are trying to "gerrymander" their way around it. T

It is safe to say that the Constitution no longer matters for most Washingtonians, and this includes our delegation.

Our only hope is that Bush will finally do something straight and veto this. Not a single thing has changed since the 1970's when this was attempted the proper way with a Constitutional Amendment, which failed.

Well, one thing changed: Washington. Our leaders of yesteryear used to actually believe in the document, now no more. I am an old fashioned Reagan Republican who will be voting either Democrat or independent for quite some time. There is nothing to being a Republican any more other than sheer naked power. And that is not enough for me.

James - while you are correct that the Republicans have become as power hungry as anyone else in Washington, I urge you to look not to the party of the candidate running but to his or her morals and values, mostly evident by the way that person has voted or the causes that person has espoused. Leave party out of it.

Also, DC cannot be seceeded back to Maryland, as it would cease to become the seat of the government, as the constitution states "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". It can't be in a state, it has to be a separate District. Ideally, they should shrink DC to just be the Capitol Building and the White House, and the rest of the "District" could become part of Maryland, thus ensuring that the District remains the seat of the US Government, but has no residents that would then be lacking in representation (except the President's family, and I think they're probably okay with that. Heck, they can remain absentee voters of their home state for that matter).

Constitutionalist has the right idea. Keep the mall with the white house, capital, museums and monuments the district and give the rest back to Maryland. Maryland should also have the right to refuse the return of the district. With all the problems that exist there I wouldn't want it. One important historical fact is Washington was never intended as a major city with a pernament population that it is now plagued with. I say depopulate the district and make it a true seat of government with temporary residences for elected officials and their staffs. Move everything else out. Then there will be more room for miseums and monuments and even expansion room for Arlington Cemetary.

I hope our Senators vote against it. In three short years we will get the fourth seat anyway. The constitution specifically says that representatives should be apointed among the several states. If D.C. should have a representative it should be done as a constitutional amendment just as the 23rd amendment gave them an electoral vote for president.