So, about statehood

It didn’t take long for Democrats in Washington to launch a blatant power grab that would undermine our Constitution and system of government. The House of Representatives recently held hearings on the possibility of admitting the District of Columbia as our nation’s 51st state.

The problem is D.C. was never intended to be a state. The Constitution clearly intended D.C. to be a separate, federally independent seat of government. Our founders, including James Madison, specifically warned against the possibility of a state controlling our capital city, saying that putting our federal seat of government under the control of a state would bring “imputation of awe or influence.”

So why are Democrats pushing for D.C. statehood? It’s simple. They know it will increase their power by giving them a lock on two additional U.S. Senate seats and one additional seat in the House of Representatives. While D.C. statehood supporters would argue that it’s about fairness, they’re quick to dismiss other potential statehood efforts that make more sense, and aren’t questionably unconstitutional, like Puerto Rico.

Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens for more than a century but have been relegated to second-class citizenship. They’ve fought alongside other Americans in every war since World War I, but cannot vote for their commander-in-chief. They must abide by the laws of Congress, but have no voting representation in Congress. Puerto Ricans have themselves voted to become a state three times in the past decade.

With his new position as ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, Congressman Bruce Westerman is uniquely positioned to right this wrong as Puerto Rican statehood legislation makes its way to his committee. If there’s going to be a new state added to our union, there’s no question it should be Puerto Rico, and not D.C. I trust that our congressional delegation believes the same, and I’m glad Congressman Westerman will be in a position to ensure that happens.

TRENT GARNER

El Dorado