MAINTAINING UNITED STATES AT 50 IS WISE COURSE FOR NOW

Two votes occurred in as many weeks that could have ultimately impacted the number of our united states.

On Sunday, the House rejected a plan to let the District of Columbia become the nation's 51st state -- named "New Columbia." The measure lost 277-153, but supporters readily admitted that they garnered more votes than they had hoped. Although the District of Columbia statehood has been publicly debated for some time, this marked the first time statehood had reached the floor.

On Nov. 14, Puerto Rico opted for continued commonwealth status rather than statehood. It was a non-binding ballot on the United States. The vote was close -- 48 percent wanted commonwealth, 46 percent preferred statehood and the remainder opted for independence.

We feel it is rather ironic that these issues received little public attention. Perhaps they were lost in the bigger debates of NAFTA, the Brady Bill or campaign reform. Or perhaps people just don't care. The fact is we should because new statehoods will carry a hefty price tag for taxpayers. It was estimated that Washington would have had to send an estimated $3 billion more a year to Puerto Rico in additional social programs such as food stamps. Folks, that money has to come from somewhere.

We well understand Puerto Rico's reservations. If they had opted for statehood -- and Congress had subsequently approved -- it would have meant amalgamating their culture with ours. There would be no separate Olympic team or beauty pageants. (Miss Puerto Rico is the reigning Miss Universe.) Many Puerto Ricans feared the loss of their Spanish language and island culture.

We feel this vote provides a real wake-up call to those who feel America should do more for foreign countries, and be all things to all people. Here is a country -- already a U.S. commonwealth -- that turned down our handout. They didn't take the "free" billions for worry about the strings attached. Perhaps we shouldn't assume that everyone wants to be just like us.

The push for District of Columbia statehood is far more troubling than Puerto Rico in its political ramifications. We agree with Congressman Bill Emerson -- who voted no -- in saying that our founding fathers purposely designated the District of Columbia as an area which would not have the status of statehood. They wanted the seat of our federal government to be an autonomous site.

The District of Columbia is certainly unique. Sandwiched between Maryland and Virginia, it is the only American city or town that is not part of a state. A mayor and city council run the local government, but the city is under the jurisdiction of the federal government.

Since 1971, Washington has had a delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives. This individual can vote in committees, but not in House votes. In 1973, Congress gave the city the right to elect its local officials. The idea of statehood has been around for years. District voters approved a referendum in 1982, and sent a state constitution to Congress in September of 1983. It took 10 years to garner enough interest for a vote on the matter.

The District of Columbia is headquarters of the federal government, and home to more than 370,000 federal employees as well as the President, Congress and the Supreme Court. The people who live in this singular city already exert mighty influences on our daily lives. We feel there is real credence to the fear that if the district became a state, it might have an undue amount of influence over the federal government.

That's not to say there are not problems in the District of Columbia. Recently, district officials asked the federal government if the National Guard could help to combat the rise in crime. But these are problems that can be solved as a city, not a state. Supporters said the district unfairly gets taxed without representation. We say that is part of the consideration in moving to the district. Residents there are represented by their mayor and council, and vote those representatives in just as they would any state officials.

The last state to join the union was Hawaii in 1959. For now, we feel that 50 states is probably a good round number. It's time the United States fixed our many problems before we take on any new ones.