Mother Jones
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On Sunday, Last Week Tonight took on the issue of restricted voting rights for Washington D.C. residents, despite the fact they pay federal taxes and have a larger population than some entire states such as Vermont and Wyoming. Even the Dalai Lama once called the situation “quite strange.”
“The people of D.C. clearly deserve a greater voice in their own affairs and they’ve actually come tantalizingly close to getting a voting representative in Congress,” John Oliver explained. “In 2009, a bill to give D.C. a vote was introduced in the Senate, and the Senate did the most dickish thing imaginable: passing it, but with a little addition.”
That controversial addition sought to repeal all of D.C.’s gun control laws, further illustrating the uphill battle that is granting D.C. statehood.
“It was the kind of amendment NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre dreams about as he sleeps in his bullet-filled bathtub, I presume,” Oliver said.
As a result the bill was dropped.
With the help of a group of singing children, Oliver continued his call for D.C.’s statehood with an amended tune about America’s 50 states. Not convinced? The song ends with the suggestion, “Well then let’s all kick out Florida cause no one thinks they’re great.”
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Watch John Oliver Explain Why Washington D.C. Should Be the 51st State
