That’s why advocates for D.C. autonomy and statehood were probably excited when British comedian John Oliver dedicated a segment on his weekly show Last Week Tonight on Sunday to explore why exactly D.C. residents are denied voting representation and why the nation’s capital should be given the chance to become the 51st state.
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“The people of D.C. clearly deserve a greater voice in their own affairs, and they’ve actually come tantalizingly close to getting a voting representative in Congress”, said Oliver. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C.’s representative in Congress, has argued for D.C. statehood for many years, even going on the satirical news TV show, The Colbert Report, in 2006 to make her case. As a result, the bill was dropped, and D.C. still doesn’t have a vote. When Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) placed a rider into an omnibus spending bill last December, Harris told Politico, “If they [D.C. residents] don’t like that oversight, move outside of the federal district to one of the 50 states that is not covered by the jurisdiction of Congress as a whole.” Del. “Passing it, but with a little addition”.
That addition was an amendment that would have repealed all gun-control laws in the city.
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Who has more of a say in the U.S. government – a panda or a citizen of Washington D.C.? “/ And if you’re you’re totally convinced / That there should be just 50 states / Well then let’s all kick out Florida / ‘Cause no one thinks they’re great”.
