The only consistent thing about the seat of the federal government is that it’s never been able to run its own affairs. Whether it was brewing with ex-Confederates after the Civil War or outright criminals like former Mayor Marion Barry in more contemporary times, the ‘District’ is an extended catastrophe, a giant conceptual mistake that perhaps should never have been and would never have been if a mob of Philly veterans hadn’t attacked Congress and if keeping the nation’s capital in New York didn’t seem like an excessive power shift to a state with already too much power, and subject to a financial trade between Jefferson and Hamilton. In short, D.C. was a mistake. It’s impossible to navigate, govern or live in (and without air conditioning was impossible to live in during the summer.)

Trying to give D.C. a city government and an ability to run its affairs was a disaster even before Mayor Bowser decided to throw in with a mob of rioters back in 2020. Having Congress assume its traditional responsibility for the District would be helpful, but the larger issue, especially as Dems remain obsessed with granting statehood to D.C. and adding two Senate seats (if you think they’re not serious about that, think again) is who should govern much of the city.

And the answer is Maryland. What makes the most sense and always has is to return much of the city to Maryland (and the folks with the No Taxation license plates can start paying taxes to Maryland) and retain key federal areas for security purposes. Will that be ideal? No. But short of moving the capital out of D.C. (and there are good arguments for it), it’s the most feasible outcome.

Still just imagine how many swamp creatures would remain in the nation’s capital if the center of government moved to Montana.