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I thought there was talk back in the day that if Quebec ever did succeed in seceding from Canada, that the maritime Providences, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, which are some of the poorest Providences in Canada, and Newfoundland and Labrador would try and join the United States. Now that would have been interesting!
Just a bunch of slackers who want to live off government. The answer should be NO to those communists - If I were them, I would become a state (province) of Cuba.
Just a bunch of slackers who want to live off government. The answer should be NO to those communists - If I were them, I would become a state (province) of Cuba.
Just think of the number of U.S. citizens who use it as a Caribbean destination simply because they don't want the hassle of getting a passport. They would lose that.
Due entirely to republican governors, rule changes allowing investment bankers to gut the economy and sell off the best parts of the island.
You broke it, you bought it.
That makes no sense at all. Neither I nor the rest of the US didn't break anything, governors of Puerto Rico are elected by the residents of Puerto Rico, not by the taxpayers of the 50 states of the US (and I am not sure why you mention the politics of the governor, that is irrelevant).
"And given that this vote was boycotted by those opposed to statehood, "
OK, think about that for a minute. If they are so opposed to it why didn't they get off their butts and vote AGAINST it? Boycotters are lazy, mealy mouthed whiney chickens--ts, always were.
Really, they have the best of both worlds right now. Statehood would not be in their best interests. They need to fix up their education, promote business growth, entice investment from the mainland, and grow their tax revenue.
When PR is a rich territory that is contributing, that is a desirable low-cost place to live, and that is pro-business, then it will be more favorably viewed as a potential state.
If you've never been there, Puerto Ricans are nice people. Let's not trash them. It's just that their government is a bit of a basket case.
For the process, basically it would start by PR asking Congress to pass a resolution to admit them as a state (this is how most of the non-original-13 states were admitted) and then they either vote for or against admission. If it passes then that's when we officially get a new state (but the flag doesn't officially change until the next July 4). As has been said, realistically as long as Republicans control both houses and the Presidency the odds of that happening with Puerto Rico are slim given their race/language and that they'd most likely be sending Democrats to Congress.
The modern approach to admitting a state to the union is through passage of something called an "Enabling Act". Congress passes a law stating all the things it wants a particular territory to do as prerequisites to becoming a state. The President is empowered by this act to certify that these conditions have been met. Once, the conditions have been met, the President is authorized to issue a proclamation stating that the territory has met all the conditions in the Enabling Act and that as of "such and such date"__________is hereby admitted to union as a state.
I think that using the process properly could actually help Puerto Rico develop a more responsible government and make progress towards resolving its debts. For example, conditions could be placed in the Enabling Act that would require Puerto Rico to begin withholding income tax right now from paychecks. The legislation could require payment of 10% of the $73 billion in debt as a prerequisite to becoming a state. There might be required provisions that focus on financial management and independent auditing.
It would also give Puerto Rico a choice. If they don't want to meet the conditions in the Enabling Act than they would remain a US Territory for now.
I think most Puerto Ricans do want to become full fledged American citizens and part of the United States of America. If they want that, than the opportunity should be extended. If they can't or won't meet the conditions it may be time for a discussion about granting them independence.
My view is the same now as it's always been: let the people who live there decide. Unfortunately, I don't think there has ever been a vote that has seemed to be a clear and reliable vote in favor of one of the three options, so the default has been the status quo, which seems to me to be the worst possible option.
In answer to the anticipated question, yes, if a majority of Puerto Ricans vote to become a state I would support that. There are all kinds of reasons for people here to oppose that, but since the United States irrevocably altered their status, including all kinds of structural socioeconomic factors, by conquering the island I don't think we have the moral standing to refuse a request for statehood.
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