Wait, what?

Jim Moran has said a lot of bizarre things over the years, but this has to be at the top of that list: He said Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland should be merged into Washington D.C. From Patch.com:

“Jim Moran said Northern Virginia was more reflective of the D.C. metro area than the rest of the state.

‘We’d all be better off if they took the Virginia and Maryland suburbs and made them part of the district,’ he said. ‘But that’s not going to happen, so we’re dependent on what happens in Richmond.’”

The idea is not only dumb, but unconstitutional. Article One, Section Eight of the Constitution specifies that the size of the District shall not exceed ten square miles.

Patrick Murray shows just how dumb this idea is:

“At first blush, it’s hard to fathom why anyone, Republican, Democrat, Independent or space alien, would want to trade Virginia’s great leadership, budget surpluses and low unemployment for that of Washington DC. The city politicians who control our nation’s capital aren’t exactly a beacon of efficiency, honesty or character. Right now DC is in the throes of Ward 5 Council member Democrat Harry Thomas’s resignation, after he confessed to stealing over $350,000 from the city for personal use.

This is hardly an isolated incident; in fact DC seems to be frequently in the ‘throes’ of scandal. DC Mayor Vincent Gray has been fighting allegations of nepotism and hiring improprieties, including Gray’s promise of government jobs in exchange for people bad-mouthing then-Mayor Adrian Fenty. But perhaps the most ‘colorful’ is DC Council Chairman Kwame Brown’s SUV scandal. Last year, despite the District’s $400 million budget deficit, Chairman Brown felt he deserved a fully-loaded, black-on-black Lincoln Navigator luxury SUV for his personal use, costing taxpayers $1,900 per month. But when the vehicle arrived, it wasn’t black-on-black at all; the Lincoln’s interior was tan. Who could put up with that? Well, not Chairman Brown, who insisted the problem be corrected. ‘I said black-on-black!’ So the District apparently ended up leasing two Navigator L models at $1,900 month each! I wonder what poor sap had to settle for the black-on-tan?

Of course we all remember Mayor Marion Berry’s legacy of corruption, culminating in his 1990 arrest and jail term for smoking crack cocaine with a woman in a DC hotel room. ‘B**** set me up’ was the Mayor’s exact quote as he was cuffed and led away by FBI agents.

So it is no secret that DC has a history of corruption, crony capitalism and career politicians who use their elected office to break the law, fleece their citizens and enrich themselves. Who would want to be part of that? Why, apparently Jim Moran!

Moran is the king of crony capitalism and self-enrichment in the U.S. Congress, with a legacy of earmarks-for-kickbacks, sweetheart bank loans, and most recently the shocking revelations of Moran’s prolific insider trading, when he dumped stock in 90 companies hours after getting private briefings from Federal Reserve Chairman Bernake and then-Treasury Secretary Paulson. Instead of worrying about the nation, Jim’s first priority was to lock in his personal profits. No wonder Moran wants to move Northern Virginia into Washington DC; he’s a perfect fit on the DC City Council!

Demand honest leadership!”