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We need to have a national vote on what to do with PR.
LMAO!!!!! Did we had a National Vote to accept the Mormons in the Territory of Utah (my state) in the Union in 1896?
Did we ever had a National vote to accept 37 territories in the Union?
so why you want the standards change for Puerto Rico? ....come on man , since when Congress does a National Vote on anything they do from Wars, making New Territories, admitting Territories as States, Taxes and pacts with other countries?
Next time congress declares war, we should have a national vote.....lol
Can you imagine when the Empire of Japan attacked us in Pearl Harbor. I can see the President asking Congress for a declaration of War and Congress telling the President :" HUH! SORRY we need a national vote, that will take about 6 months to set up".....and then Congress telling the President "sorry Mr. President, we could only get 49% in the National Vote, lets try again next year"......meanwhile we lost the war.....lol
If that's how we did things we wouldent have any states beyond the original thirteen. How does Mississippi or Utah benefit the United States?
Or is it that the only reason your asking this question is because Guam is 90% minority?
Hey, thanks for playing the race card, great job!
Other states were accepted into the Union because they offered the country things such as agricultural land, natural resources, expansion room, strategic positioning, etc. Regardless of Guam's demographic makeup, my question remains: how does Guamanian statehood benefit the United States?
Other states were accepted into the Union because they offered the country things such as agricultural land, natural resources, expansion room, strategic positioning, etc. Regardless of Guam's demographic makeup, my question remains: how does Guamanian statehood benefit the United States?
Ok fine:
1) Guam offers strategic value ahead of the inevitable clash with China. Like Hawaii it is home to a substantial US military presence.
2) Guamanians are Americans and any US territory has a fundamental right to become a state if it's inhabitants choose so.
1) Guam offers strategic value ahead of the inevitable clash with China. Like Hawaii it is home to a substantial US military presence.
2) Guamanians are Americans and any US territory has a fundamental right to become a state if it's inhabitants choose so.
What does the United States get from Mississippi?
The more appropriate question would be what did the United States gain at the time they added MS as a state.
(Note I general agree with your premise on the issue).
any real estate United States have is good for them. Have you ever read that the U.S. government given back real estate away voluntarily??? NO!
Owning real estate in the Caribbean and Pacific is always a good strategic advantage especially when the U.S. is a SUPER POWER in the world economically and military. They control routes, air , sea, land and have a presence in the region especially when the region is unstable and changing constantly.
Don't know why some here can't comprehend how the U.S. government operates and how they play the chess game against the world........the U.S. didn't become the most powerful country on earth by accident or overnight. Its all planning and strategy like a chess game and they are not going to give real estate away or give the title of Super Power away.
Not saying its bad or good...its just the way it is!
1) Guam offers strategic value ahead of the inevitable clash with China. Like Hawaii it is home to a substantial US military presence.
2) Guamanians are Americans and any US territory has a fundamental right to become a state if it's inhabitants choose so.
What does the United States get from Mississippi?
1) I'll grant this one.
2) After a territory petitions to become a state, and after it has created a republican (small "r") form of government (assuming it hasn't already), then both houses of Congress must agree (by simple majority vote), and the President must sign off on it. So no, a territory does not have a fundamental right to become a state, absent the other criteria being met.
3) You'll have to ask someone from Mississippi. But offhand, I would say it would have something to do with agricultural resources (e.g. cotton), territorial contiguity (so as to avoid having a big hole in our country between Alabama and Louisiana), and (probably most important) control of the Mississippi River.
Guam has 160,000 residents. Too small to become a state. Giving them 2 Senators with equal vote to the other 50 states with far bigger population is absurd.
Puerto Rico has 4 million residents....there is a difference.
Combined with the CNMI (which would be necessary if it were to become a state) the population is over 200,000. Nevada's population was less than that until 1960, and it had been a state since the 1860's.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bus man
What is the primary language of Guam? In what ways is its culture similar to that of the rest of the country? What can it contribute to the rest of the country in terms of economics, national defense, etc.?
I would want to know the answers to these questions, and a whole lot more, before entertaining the idea of Guam becoming a state.
The primary language is English. The culture, in my opinion, is similar to the culture in poor rural areas across the US. Family is important, church (primarily Catholic) is important, food and fishing is important. Just like poor areas in the mainland, there is a good ol boys network and a lot of nepotism. The economy is primarily based on the military (Navy and Air Force Bases) and tourism. Similar to rural areas in the mainland, the people are relatively poor compared to urban and suburban Americans. Military service is also a tradition in Guam and the CNMI, and per capita, they provide many more military personel than any state. Guam and the CNMI suffer over twice as many military deaths per capita than the highest US state, and 7 times as many military deaths as the average US state.
Federal laws, with a few exemptions, apply in US territories, so the issue is whether the US, as a representative democracy, can pass laws impacting people's lives when those people have no representation in the creation of the law. The question, still, is whether US territories want to become states. While I believe the residents of Guam pay federal income tax, in the CNMI they only pay local income tax, where the rate maxes out at around 10%. Also, there are discriminatory housing ownership laws in the CNMI and I believe American Samoa, so would those places be willing to pay taxes and give up discriminatory laws in order to have a voting voice in the federal govt? A referendum would be the only way to find out.
Guam has 160,000 residents. Too small to become a state. Giving them 2 Senators with equal vote to the other 50 states with far bigger population is absurd.
Puerto Rico has 4 million residents....there is a difference.
Wyoming has a population today of 563,767. So it’s only about four times more populated then Guam. It had about 62,000 when it became a state. I believe that quite a few states were under 100,000 when they were admitted. So as long as they have enough population to elect 2 Senators and 1 Representative, they should be good to go for statehood.
As far as Guam getting 2 senators, that would be no more absurd then Wyoming getting the same number of Senators as California with 50 x more population. The Senate wasn’t designed to be an equal vote. So deal with it. It’s not a good reason to prohibit Guam from becoming a state.
I wouldn't have an issue with either one becoming states with full club membership benefits but so that we don't have to re-do all of our flags we should kick out one or two of the existing states at the same time.
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, since when Congress does a National Vote on anything they do from Wars, making New Territories, admitting Territories as States, Taxes and pacts with other countries?
