51st State?

The favorite cry of D.C.ers: “No taxation without representation” may continue, but the District is getting some rights to self-determination once held by the Federal Government. “The House of Representatives passed a bill on December 10 that would allow the government of the District of Columbia to use public funds to pay for abortions and also allow the city government to legalize the medical use of marijuana. If enacted into law, this legislation would move the District closer to exercising the same sorts of sovereign powers as state governments, with profound long-term structural implications for our federal system.”