[Red in Blue PA]

Why don't WE get to vote on this?????

[Dead Corpse]

Do you live in PR? Our vote comes from voting for OUR Reps in our States.

If those Reps aren't doing what the Constitutional Contract says... Soap Box, Ballot Box, Jury Box, Cartridge Box. Check one.

[MsLady]

That’s what I was wondering about. Seeing we are the ones who will be paying for this.

[no dems]

Back when the U.S. started moving west and territories became States, the procedure was as such: All the territory had to do was produce a State Constitution to the U. S. Congress and then Congress voted on whether or not to allow them Statehood. The people do not vote on this; sad to say.

IF PUERTO RICO BECOMES A STATE, DEMOCRATS WILL RULE FROM NOW UNTIL THE END OF TIME.

[jerry557]

We don’t get to vote.

The Constitution is a bit hazy on how a state is to be added to the union. All it really requires is an up or down Congressional vote.

The founders likely didnt envision this being such a big deal back then because the federal government then was never intended to be as powerful as it is today where adding a state would be such a massive drain on the rest of the nation. Social security and medicare didnt exist in 1790. Neither did federal income taxes.

[AuH2ORepublican]

The Constitution vests Congress with the sole authority to admit new states into the Union. Irrespective of the results of the plebiscite in Puerto Rico, Congress will have the final word. And, no, the bill approved by the House does not purport to be a “pre-approval” of statehood, and even if the bill said that it was a pre-approval it wouldn’t diminish Congress’s authority to approve or reject a new state one iota.

So you do get a vote—to elect members of Congress who will have the last word on whether Puerto Rico is admitted as the 51st state.