by Stephen Dreyfus

Created on: October 04, 2009   Last Updated: October 05, 2009

Washington, DC: A State of Confusion and an Out-of-the-Box Solution

We're stuck. We're stuck with the status quo. We're stuck with an antiquated English system of measurements when most of the rest of the world is using the more facile metric system. We're stuck with qwerty computer keyboards that were originally designed to slow typists down. We're stuck with an Electoral College monstrosity that elected George W, even when the majority of voting Americans cast their ballots for Al Gore. We're stuck with city streets that weren't planned that result in gridlock traffic and frustrated visitors who can't figure out how to get from point A to point B.

Wait. There is one American city that was carefully planned: Washington, D.C. This is why Washington is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. At least parts of Washington are beautifully arranged. Unfortunately, the political configuration is a mess.

In spite of the magnificent buildings and monuments of Washington, the founding fathers blew it when it came time to create a political entity. Should Washington be part of Virginia or Maryland? Rather than opting for either, our nation's capital was turned into a "District of Columbia," a unique political configuration that ended the petty bickering, interstate envy, and the irrational fear of our founding fathers that one state would have more political clout than another.

Upon reading all the reasons that Washington, D.C. should become a state, I have no real quarrel. Congress has too much to do trying to run a country, than to waste its time trying to run a city. The citizens of Washington are denied political voting rights the rest of the country takes for granted. Moreover, because the District of Columbia, was made far too small for an expanding city, the wealthy residents of the suburbs of Washington live in Virginia and Maryland, while the far poorer denizens live in the legal limits of Washington. This results in such an economic disparity that Washington has been struggling for years to overcome one of the worst school systems in the country.

Consequently simply converting Washington, DC into a state doesn't remedy this economic disparity. Other states have poor cities, but receive both federal and state revenue. Washington can only receive federal revenue, but the politicians in power in Congress are focused on national problems (or at least becoming re-elected) and not the plight of the citizens of the District of Columbia.

Besides with all the

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