.... to help them have a big enough tax base/population to be considered for statehood. And while we are at it, Mont. CO and PG Co. need to be hacked off of Maryland and given to DC. All of those people aren't really Marylanders or Virginians, they are actually Washingtonians. The new state (which I suggest be called "Columbia" instead of "District of Columbia") would have a much larger land area and a population of about 3.5 million -- much more appropriate for a state. It would even be a Democratic state -- just like the DC folks want. But the effect on the state houses in Richmond and Annapolis would be quite helpful. The makeup of those bodies would change to be something more representative and in keeping with the character of those states (instead of two states being dominated by the DC suburbs). Maryland and Virginia would be minus a big hunk of tax base -- but ALSO minus a big hunk of the infrastructure they need to provide for the DC suburbs to stay afloat. Additionally, you've heard the DC region bellyaching abut funding, etc being split over three jurisdictions and causing problems. In my proposed new state of Columbia, that problem is (by definition) erased.