Allow me to divert from the exact topic at hand and portent the following:
Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, etc. are not states. Hawaii and Alaska are states, but not Americans must cannot drive there and tghey do not share common borders with other states.
The Lower Forty-Eight, are, as far as I am concerned, the real United States of America.
Therefore, I would propose that we sell off Alaska to Canada, sell off Hawaii to any country that wants it (who would miss that liberal Mecca), turn Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, etc. over to whatever inhabitants are currently residing there and call it a day.
Preserve & protect The Lower Forty-Eight: that’s the true United states, the rest are either a result of Colonial style interests or unwarrated purchases.
In other words: the USA should have a fire sale of all non-Lower Forty-Eight interests/states. Could pay off the National Debt in doing so.
Not so fast with Alaska, Nick. The Russians will lay claim to it and thus start bickering with Canada over its oil reserves.... I see the Ruskies and the Canucks both drilling the hell out of Alaska, something our eco-friendly and politically correct leftists here in the USA will not let us do....
Boo hoo the Caribou!
In the meantime, I filled up the gas tank on my Camry today for $72.00!!!