Comments about ‘Hopes for 4th Utah House seat may be dead’

Utah will likely get a 4th House seat after the 2010 Census, anyway. What's the rush?

Just too bad BO didn't carry UT. Then this would have been a done deal no matter how Congress would have viewed it. You'll learn.

they're not supposed to. It's against the Constitution. If they want to change the Constitution, fine.

Utah electing a Republican is far from a sure bet (see Jim Matheson) but electing a democrat in D.C. is as guaranteed as death and taxes, both of which are likely liberal inventions. :)

Every time I hear about something Jason Chaffetz has said I am more convinced that he is completely incompetent. It's unconstitutional....please, I think that we all have learned by now that the constitution is up for debate and can be changed by amendment. The population of DC is more than Wyoming and they deserve representation in congress.

It IS unconstitutional - if D.C. wants a rep - then amend the constitution FIRST. Or have them vote for a Maryland representative, that's where the land came from in the first place. I don't get the Utah concern about getting a fourth seat right now, we'll get one after the next Census anyway, without the deal.

"It's unconstitutional....please, I think that we all have learned by now that the constitution is up for debate and can be changed by amendment."

Reading comments like this one reminds me of how Barack Obama continues to enjoy high popularity ratings.

Chaffetz is right to oppose this bill because it gives DC the right to vote by a simple Congressional action -- which is in direct conflict with the text of the Constitution, which, by definition, is unconstituional.

(Incidentally, Senator Bennett's recent realization that the bill is unconstitutional is likely due to the fact he is up for re-election in 2010, just as Senator Hatch's enthusiasm for the bill is due to the fact he doesn't face the voters until 2012).

It would indeed be possible to amend the Constitution to allow DC to have a vote, but that would require 2/3 majorities voting in favor in both Houses of Congress, followed by 3/4 of the states concurring.

Because that's never going to happen with this proposal, it's no wonder the Democrats in Congress are trying to do it the unconstitutional way.

DC is STILL fighting against the Constitution???

What a suprise!

Didn't the Supreme Court already rule the gun laws passed in DC were unconstitutional? How much higher can you go to get a decision? Isn't the Constitution and the Supreme Court ruling AGAINST you pretty much the end of the road?

Chaffetz is such a talking head! The guys EGO is as big as his political ambitions.

I don't understand why any Republican in Congress would be in favor of this bill. Utah will get a 4th seat in the House after 2010, probably taking a seat from a Democrat district, but if you give it to them now as a counterweight to D.C. then you've gained nothing. This bill should be opposed 100% by the Right.

Chaffetz is an egomaniac whose political ambition knows no limits. Too bad his brains can't keep pace. Ever notice how eager he is to criticize everyone else in the Utah delegation?

I love the way people like Alan love to insult the intelligence of anyone they don't agree with. That's very typical of the liberal left. I learned a long time ago never to make the mistake of thinking someone is stupid just because they have a different view.

The District in no way fits the criteria to become a state and only states constitutionally have representation in Congress. The District exists purely to House the federal government and for no other reason. If they want representation they should be ceded back to Maryland.

Utah will get another seat in the 2010 census anyway. That is the way to do it constitutionally. Getting a seat now is not in any way worth giving a vote to D.C. I used to live in the District and if you saw the way they run their City government you'd know why.

Jason Chaffetz is right to oppose this measure and I fully support him in it. Let's just have a little patience.

I like how Chaffetz stands on principle, and I hope it lasts longer than his first term. As a VA resident I also agree with him that the residential areas of DC should be voting in Maryland. It is the correct way to handle it.

Having said that, it is incredibly stupid to have all 3 branches of the government in a port city like DC. It would be much better to have congress meet somewhere central like Nebraska or Iowa. Better yet, how about if they only meet a few times a year, vote by computer, and spend more time in their district, where they should be.

Utah will get its 4th congressional seat after the 2010 census is done and tallied.

Hopefully, Utahns will be smart and intelligent enough to vote a Democrat into that seat to match Matheson's and offset the two other Republican seats.

Oh, you say Democrats? Of course! Because Utahns don't choose any ole run of the mill liberal democrats, they choose the conservative Blue Dog Democrats, just like Matheson.

Balance and accountability is where sound wise governance is, not in a the facist agendas and indebt-n-spend policies of the past self-serving power base we've been wrenched apart with.

I have followed this since the beginning, and it's nice to see the Republicans finally getting it (except Hatch, of course, who MUST go ASAP). I remember when one of the legislators (Julie Fischer?) opposed the creation of a redistricting map that allowed for the fourth seat. Her point was that the map helped DC's unconstitutional effort and therefore was in opposition to the oath of office. She lost on a close vote. That map signaled Congress that Utah liked the deal. Why couldn't the Republicans have opposed it in the first place? We might not now be dealing with this absurdity. To give DC the voting rights, the Constitution must first be respected, then changed.

This is an unconstitutional piece of legislation anyway. No geographical location can have a voting position in Congress unless it is a state. Bob Bennett explained to GOP delegates recently that he didn't know it was unconstitutional when he voted in favor of it.

This is a perfect example of not only the horsetrading that goes on in Congress but one of many reasons why we need a new Senator.

Cherilyn Eagar

As someone from Utah, I was ticked we didn't get the 4th US Rep seat. We lost that battle. I am not expecting it, unless a fair census says we should get it.

The residents of DC, if they want a vote, they already have one. They can vote for President, something we changed by changing the constitution - legally. If they want representation in the US reps, they have one, one that can vote in committees. If they want a voting rep in the US house, all they have to do is what a large chuck of DC did in the mid 1800's. Join a state. They should be part of Maryland. If they don't like that, they should move.

I am glad we have someone like Rep. Jason Chaffetz defending the Constitution.

Alan doesn't like Chaffetz because he is getting stuff done. Alan, you may disagree with his morals (or morals in general), but you can't call him incompetent. He is accomplishing what he set out to do.
Sure, he doesn't fit well in DC, but he gets points from me for that one. Unlike most politicians, he puts his neck on the line and creates a stir. Maybe it's not good for a healthy life-long career in DC, but he's taking care of what matters.

Good old politics getting in the way of fair representation...

oops, I almost agreed with Matheson! Um, (backpedal, backpedal) nevermind. Go Cougs!

Utah will get the 4th seat after the 2010 census when California losses 1 or 2 seats and Michigan losses 1 also! But more to the point. It seems that when the Congress decides that Mormon missionaries can be disenfranchised then that is a issue for debate! The current Congress wants DC to get that seat because it is assured to be a democrat vote and not a possible republican vote! It also is an issue as all Citizens of Utah are denied equal representation since politics played into not receiving the seat after the last election! I hope you get your additional fair representation but don't count on it!

LDS Missionaries were not counted in the last Census because the congressmen that approved the bill didn't ask for it, or didn't read the bill. Now these same congressmen are complaining. The rules for the census change each 10 years, and congress must approve them. Maybe this year our congressmen will do what their paid for doing. Represent Utah!