Maryland Neighbors Sound Off About 'Taking D.C. Back'

After a healthy debate heated up over a Washington Post opinion piece last week about D.C. being integrated into Maryland, Rockville Patch contributor that bringing D.C. back into Maryland would be the right move for voting rights and democracy.

Parsons argues:

Our neighbors in D.C. pay their taxes, just like the rest of us, but they have no say in how any of it is spent.  That, to me, sounds like something we should all rise up and fight a revolution over!

Oh, wait.  We already did that.

He explains that the process "could only require legislation approved by the U.S. Congress and the relevant state governments."

He poses the question to Maryland residents, "the big question for the Free State is: Do we want this?"

Rockville Patch forcefully about their feelings on embracing D.C. and the likelihood the it could actually happen.

The first person to respond played down the District's plight of "No Taxation without Representation" as declared on its license plates.

Commenter wrote, "With respect to voting rights, DC residents are free to move or to retain voting citizenship in other states."

, another commenter, keeps his response simple, "As a Maryland resident ---- NO, NO, NO!!!!!"

Others were indifferent.

wrote, "I live in Maryland and have NO say in how MY taxes are spent either so it really wouldn't make much difference."

Some felt it was possible and perhaps the right course.

wrote, "Even as a Maryland resident, I like the idea of retrocession. It features a route to representation without the radical notion of given a city (the 27th most populous one at that) what heretofore has been reserved to states. If the Virginia retrocession is used as a model, a constitutional amendment is not necessary--as it would be to given the District voting rights in Congress."

There is currently no proposal to move the District into Maryland. However, the academic and not-so-academic coversation about the pros and cons of such a move continue.