'House approves statehood for Washington, DC'

[Antiboyscout]

Well, Washington D.C. is well known to be a stellar example of success as a metropolitan area. I can see why we'd want to give them greater influence over national affairs.

Did DC change recently, I could have sworn that it was a bad place to be by many metrics. From crime to low test scores, and was more an example of how simply dumping more money in gov. programs doesn't produce better results.

[Darth Wedgius]

Well, Washington D.C. is well known to be a stellar example of success as a metropolitan area. I can see why we'd want to give them greater influence over national affairs.

Did DC change recently, I could have sworn that it was a bad place to be by many metrics. From crime to low test scores, and was more an example of how simply dumping more money in gov. programs doesn't produce better results.

I was being sarcastic. Or ironic. Whichever makes me sound smarter. Washington DC is a mess. In 2017, the District ranked as the 16th most dangerous out of the nation's 50 biggest big cities in the country, according a new analysis of crime data. It's not all the local government's fault to be fair, but...

Well, here's an excerpt from Wikipedia:

The most significant intrusion into the city's local affairs since the passage of Home Rule Act was when the Congress removed the city's authority to control its own finances in the mid-1990s. The situation was a result of mismanagement and waste in the city's local government, particularly during the mayoralty of Marion Barry. By 1995, the city had become nearly insolvent, which prompted the Congress to create the District of Columbia Financial Control Board. As part of the restructuring arrangement, the appointed members of the Financial Control Board had the authority to approve all city spending; however, Congress also agreed to provide more funding for federally mandated programs such as Medicaid. Mayor Anthony Williams won election in 1998. His administration oversaw a period of greater prosperity, urban renewal, and budget surpluses. The District regained control over its finances in September 2001 and the oversight board's operations were suspended.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_home_rule

Now, Marion Barry was an especially nasty guy, but the electorate knew this and kept electing him. I could go on, but as an example, while he was apologizing for making anti-Asian-American remarks he slipped in the anti-Polish slur "p*lack." But he was atypically bad; most of DC's politicians are better than he was.

From the website for the current mayor of DC:

Washington, DC is unique in the American political system – the mayor, DC’s chief executive, functions as a governor, county executive, and mayor. Like governors, Mayor Bowser runs Medicaid, issues driver’s licenses, and has tax authority. Like county executives, Mayor Bowser runs the local jail, and, unlike most mayors, also oversees the public school system. In 2020, Washington, DC is home to 705,000 people across 68 square miles, has a AAA bond rating, and an annual budget of more than $15 billion.

So Congress can step in, but in practice most of DC's successes and failures can probably be laid that the feet of DC's local government.