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your problem is that you don't understand Puerto Rico's politics and their people. The Statehood movement was NEVER a majority in the island. They don't want to become a state because they don't want to lose their culture and identity, they want to remain a Commonwealth. That is not my view but the view of many on the island. I was born and raised there so I should know.
of all the referendums done on statehood on the island since 1967, Statehood was rejected by the majority in the island. It would never pass the statehood act even if Congress gives the green light, this is American Civics 101:
These are the actual results of all the referendums done on the island. These are not polls or opinions but the actual will of the people in the island:
1967: remain a Commonwealth 60% Statehood 39%
1993: remain a Commonwealth 49% Statehood 46% Full Independence 5% (54% vs 46%)
1998: Protest the referendum 50.5% Statehood 46.6% Independence/Free Association 3% (53.4% vs 46.6%)
2017: Statehood got 97.18% (502,801 votes) but 77% of the voters (electorate) stayed home to protest the referendum. That means over 2 million voters stayed home and didn't vote for statehood.
502,801 votes for statehood vs over 2 million voters that protested the statehood referendum.
Numbers don't lie. You can't make a territory a state when the majority don't want to take the oath of statehood and pledge allegiance to the U.S. Flag.
So since 50% didn't vote in the last presidential election, none of the above is now our president?
Don't think it works that way.
60% of the Puerto Rican electorate votes in every election in Puerto Rico. That has been consistent in the elections in P.R. for decades
When you have a statehood referendum in 2017 that the statehood party in power pushed in the island and only 23% of the electorate voted ( 97% for statehood) and 77% of the electorate stayed home because the other 2 parties (PRO Commonwealth and PRO Independence) campaigned to protest the referendum and those 2 parties are ANTI-Statehood then you can't ignore that. That means they won. They made the majority of the electorate stay home as a protest against the statehood referendum.
Out of a total population of 600,000 in Hawaii in 1959, 155,000 registered voters, 140,000 votes were cast, the highest turnout ever in Hawaii. The vote showed approval rates of at least 93% by voters on all major islands. Of the approximately 140,000 votes cast, fewer than 8,000 rejected the Admission Act of 1959.
registered voters are the electorate....not everybody in the population gets to vote, you have underage children and you have a lot of military personnel in Hawaii during the war and after and their families that are just station in the military bases and are not full residents of Hawaii and don't get to vote. I'm a Veteran and I was stationed in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Alaska and other places and I wasn't allowed to vote in their local and state elections because I wasn't a full-time resident there regardless if I was stationed there with the military.
you are comparing Apples and Oranges.
They "boycotted" because they figured they would lose. So they could tell bs stories like you are.
The compact between the states united and the United States was to form a more perfect perpetual union to secure endowed rights of the people. The states admitted were to also guarantee a republican form to their people, as well.
The political and economic basketcase of P.R. is of little use as part of the Union of sovereign States, and perhaps would be better off given independence.
lies.....I was born and raised there. Most of the financial situation was a Puerto Rican government that grew the local government too big for decades, couldn't control spending and is very corrupt.
For every 3 employees you have in Puerto Rico, 1 is a government employee. that means 2 employees in the private sector has to pay the salary, benefits, and retirement of that 1 government employee. See the problem with that ratio in taxes and borrowing? The Puerto Rican government instead of cutting the size of government and cut spending they kept borrowing and raising taxes and passing the buck to the next administration.
I saw this in the '80s but they kept doing the same thing to win elections and stay in power.
1 out of 3 Puerto Ricans is a Government employee. Sounds like what the Democrat party here wants
They "boycotted" because they figured they would lose. So they could tell bs stories like you are.
maybe for people like you that flunked basic math can say that.......if 23% of the electorate voted for statehood and 77% didn't, explain how 23% is more than 77%?
by the way, the reason political parties in Puerto Rico boycott referendums that is non-binding (you need me to explain that for you also?) is that the political party in power sets the definitions of the options and the terms so instead of participating in the referendum, the political parties not in power and left out campaign to boycott the referendum by telling the voters NOT to vote.
It worked because usually 60% of the electorate votes in every election in Puerto Rico but for the 2017 statehood referendum only less than 23% voted, that is a drop of 37%......37% is more than 23%.
by the way, non-binding means having no legal power or binding force. That means those referendums are meaningless with either 23% of the electorate voted or 100%. It doesn't mater.
I'd need some detailed analysis before making a decision like this. Those answering based upon nothing but their feelings to this question are ignorant.
They are US citizens with limited rights. Don't keep them second class. It's not right. If your view is based on poverty or being a drain on the US - then I have a list of US states that should be kicked out.
Now that logic right there is exactly why this country is struggling.
If you already have a crushing burden why add to it? We have an estimated 600,000 homeless. 10% of whom are vets. WE need to take care of them before anyone else.
I am all for cutting Puerto Rico lose and let them be self determined, self governed and autonomous from the US completely.
We dont need them, they obviously dont want to be a state any way. Time to cut them loose completely.
Only if offset by the admission of a conservative state (Texas statehood act allows state to be split into 5 separate entities).
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