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[quote=Anonymous][quote=jsteele][quote=Anonymous]
Look, everyone knew the rules for DC when it was created, people who lived there did so electively. I mean you could say slaves didn't have a choice, but they did upon emancipation. Injustice? Oh the hyperbole...[/quote]

Of course it is an injustice. How could you say otherwise? There are many examples of people seeking political change in one state that has already occurred in a neighboring state. Legal same sex marriage is a current example. Would you advise SSM supporters to simply move to another state and ignore the injustice in their state because they live there electively? Many states have fairly easy access to abortion while others restrict it. Should we tell both the pro-choice and pro-life camps to stop trying to change laws and simply move to a state that matches their position on the issue? Should pro-choice Texans simply move to New York and vice versa?

I could move out of DC and gain the right to vote for those who tax me. But, the injustice of taxation without representation -- an injustice against which our forefathers rebelled but you so cavalierly disregard -- would remain in DC. Because my concern about rights does not end at the tip of my nose, I would still be a champion of DC statehood. 
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First let me say good luck in your statehood endeavors (forgot to add last time).

Let me also say it’s a pleasure to talk to a non-anonymous person… I think you are the only named person on this site (I’m guessing because it’s your site??).

As to you ?’s on SSM, Abx,  ‘should people move to the state that they like’? YES! it’s called federalism, people do it for tax reasons, legal reasons, property reasons, education reasons etc etc etc. Federalism works, it’s not perfect (nothing is) but it works very very well, we best stick to it.

Look it’s not an injustice for this this reason, when DC was created the on paper, before a single trowel dug into the swamp the law regarding DC was equally applied to all. All who would go to DC did so by their own consent. The founders were satisfied with this arrangement, if they of ‘taxation without representation’ fame were satisfied, its specious to claim otherwise. Still let’s consider the ‘taxation without representation’ meme further. DC has representation and Eleanor Holmes Norton is a very good advocate of DC. And in the macroscopic while taxed, you are taxed significantly less than the average resident of every other state. In fact, you receive more federal dollars back than federal taxes paid. In the larger context DC is a net tax recipient, not payer.

Fun discussion so if you don’t mind I’d like to bounce some other thought off you.  The taxation w/o rep appeal is an emotion one. Grand rhetoric but remiss in detail. Still if the emotion appeal is successful consider these implications. Could California will be next? There is in Cali a very strong secession movement to form a second or multiple states out of the areas where many feel there are paying taxes but not ‘represented’ by an intransigent and hostile State government in Sacramento. (Actually I’ve heard grumblings from the distal parts of Maryland in this regard too). Now I’m not a big fan of secession but if the Constitution is changed to allow DC statehood based on ‘representation’ concerns… the same precedent will give impetus to other secessionists seeking direct representation. I don’t like where that would lead. Ironic isn’t it, DC joining the union as a State could lead to dissolving of the union (or I could just be a paranoid kook).

PS – I am very much concerned about rights as you and the forefathers are/were. I do not disregard them no treat them cavalierly. But there is a difference between natural rights, human rights, civil rights and civil liberties and to muddy those difference is to do a disservice to all those rights.   (I’m not saying your intent is to muddy for sadly most of the electorate is unaware of the differences… alas I’m veering way off topic)
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