Image Credit, Robert Jones
In a historic but wildly overdue move, the U.S. Congress has finally decided on a framework vote to admit Washington, D.C., as the 51st state of the United States. After decades of debate, countless hearings, and enough political stalling to make a tortoise look fast, the District of Columbia is finally getting what its residents have been demanding for generations: representation, rights, and full statehood.
Of course, it comes after much silliness, including whispers in certain political corners about acquiring Canada as the next state instead. Yes, Canada. As in the entire sovereign nation of Canada. The idea of folding in 10 provinces, three territories, universal healthcare, and an affinity for maple syrup into one tidy package and calling it “State 51” was not only delusional, it was, well—exactly the kind of geopolitical fantasy that belongs in an election-year fever dream.
So, with our polite northern neighbors politely declining a U.S. takeover, Congress has returned to the more realistic idea: giving D.C. the dignity of statehood. The proposed state will be known as “Washington, Douglass Commonwealth” in honor of abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Residents of D.C.—who have for decades paid federal taxes without voting representation in Congress—would finally be able to elect two senators and a voting House member. That’s right: “taxation without representation” might actually get erased from those license plates.
This move is decades late. The people of D.C.—over 700,000 of them—have more residents than Wyoming or Vermont, and yet they’ve had no say in the laws that govern them. That’s not just undemocratic; it’s a stain on the face of American self-governance. But the delay wasn’t about logistics or legal complexity—it was about raw politics. Giving D.C. statehood would tip the balance of power in Congress, and that alone was enough for many elected officials to keep dragging their feet.
Opponents of D.C. statehood have long peddled excuses, claiming the Constitution prevents it or that D.C. is somehow “too unique.” In reality, it’s always been about who gets a seat at the table. And for decades, D.C.’s overwhelmingly Black population and progressive electorate made it convenient for some in Congress to look the other way.
But now, the tide has turned. The political calculus is shifting, the voice of the people is growing louder, and after years of empty promises, Congress has finally gotten the message. Washington, D.C., deserves to be a state. It deserved it yesterday. It deserves it today. And if democracy means anything at all, the residents of the District should never have had to wait this long.
And for those still worried about the U.S. claiming Canada as its 51st state—relax. It’s not happening. D.C. was always the right answer.
April Fools.
But let’s be real: D.C. should have long been the 51st state. It’s politics that kept it waiting. Not principle.
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