DC Residents: How much do you pay in Federal income tax? Probably a lot. The average American, including the average DC resident, pays $16,615 each year in Federal income tax, but DC residents don’t have a say in The Federal government. The average salary in the U.S. is $60,000 per year, which means DC residents spend around one-quarter of their salary for something we have no say in. We have to pay these taxes and follow Federal rules, but we are not even a state. I think this is really important because you and I don’t get to express ourselves and our needs and have people seriously consider them. We need the DC government to create a petition and get 100,000 signatures, and it will go to the White House. DC has 700,000 people, so I think we can do that.
In DC, we have the same responsibilities as a state and pay just as much in Federal taxes, but we do not get a full representative in the Federal government. According to the DC Statehood website, “DC has 712,000 residents, more than Vermont and Wyoming and comparable with other states including Delaware, Alaska, and several others.” Saying that we are too small for a representative is an invalid argument because we are bigger than two states and comparable to four others. Another problem is stated in the same website, which argues, “DC takes on the responsibilities of a statehood without enjoying all the rights and privileges embodied in the U.S. Constitution often referred to as ‘taxation without representation.'” This tells us that we have to be held accountable like a state but do not get to have the pros. This site articulates another problem when it says, “DC residents pay the highest per-capita Federal income taxes in the US. DC residents pay more in total Federal income tax than residents of 22 other states, but have no say over how those tax dollars are spent.” This evidence clearly shows we pay enough in taxes and have to be held accountable like a state and can’t choose where our money goes. All of this evidence shows the problems with DC not being a state and also shows that there are almost no reasons for us not to be one.
To solve this problem, we should get the DC Council to create a petition for becoming a state, and if one in seven DC residents sign it within 30 days, according to the National Archives, those 100,000 signatures mean that Congress must respond to the petition. If they discussed and passed a resolution, it would bring lots of good things, like not being treated as second-class citizens by the federal government. According to DC Statehood, “Statehood will be achieved by the House and Senate passing and the President signing legislation admitting the new state.” The House supports DC becoming a state, as does President Biden, but the Senate will not allow DC to become a state for fear of the Senate being run by the Democratic party.
As we see from DC Statehood, “Based on its population, the new state would get one representative in the House and two Senators. The mayor of Washington would get the new title of governor. The District Council would function as a state legislative body. Washington would be granted the same rights as any other state.” So if DC becomes a state, then the Democratic Party will have two more seats in the Senate as well as one in the House, which, given that DC is majority Democrat, then the right wing would be scared of not having as much power. This proves that if DC got statehood, then we wouldn’t be treated badly, and we would have all of the opportunities and respect as other states. If DC became a state, we would not be treated like second-class citizens and would have a fairer and freer country.
In conclusion, DC meets the requirements to be a state but cannot enjoy the benefits that other states have. We need to get the House of Representatives and the Senate to support DC statehood and then get the President to sign off on it. We will do this by carrying out a bill allowing DC to become a state. If it happens, we would have a more prosperous country, and we could advance to a more free country. I know that we can do this! So let’s create a petition to become a state.
