Posted on 03/14/2012 1:47:45 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
The Puerto Rico primary is on Sunday and Rick Santorum made a quick campaign stop to the island.
While there, he told Puerto Ricans that if they want to pursue statehood, they should make English their primary language, Reuters reports.
Nevermind the fact that both English and Spanish are already the official languages of the territory. In an interview with El Vocero newspaper, Santorum said he does not support a state where English is not the primary language.
"Like any other state, there has to be compliance with this and any other federal law," Santorum said. "And that is that English has to be the principal language. There are other states with more than one language such as Hawaii but to be a state of the United States, English has to be the principal language."
The only problem with Romney's plan is that no part in the U.S. constitution stipulates that English must be the primary language of a territory before it becomes a state.
The U.S. Census Bureau did report in 2010 that 80 percent of Puerto Ricans self-reported that thee speak English less than "very well."
Twenty delegates are up for grabs in Puerto Rico.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Sounds like a dumb thing to say to a Spanish-speaking island, especially if you want their votes. My husband has family there. They all speak English. The governor is conservative.
Why the hell do any of the non-American territories receive delegates to help crown OUR nominee? Just shows you that BOTH parties have swallowed “progressivism” whole. Bob
I don’t live in Puerto Rico. I remembered that, the last time Puerto Rico voted on this issue, statehood lost narrowly to status quo and that independence got very few votes. I was off by a few percentage points, so I corrected my post. Glad you find that funny.
SOMEONE had better start speaking the friggin’ truth, b/c Balkanization destroys nations everywhere it’s been tried. Bob
Puerto Rico is the least of our problems if you want to talk Balkinization.
Please Rick, don’t make me have to hold my breath like Americans must with Biden—in hopes that you won’t inexplicably blurt out something bizarre in public. Please don’t be that guy.
PR might not like what he said (I’m not sure they have a problem with it either) but it’ll play well with the base here in the states.
“On second thought, what’s still keeping Puerto Rico from declaring independence?”
Because they are a parasite with the US being its host. More ‘unemployment’ are filed in PR than any other state. Can you smell fraud? Obummer would love to have them as a state.
Besides, I like someone who gives plain unscripted answers, don't you?
That just plain ignorant. Get your slurs right.
I will tell you what is on the radar. It is a Newt problem. He is an illegal alien panderer and everyone knows it. He and Little Texas Ricky know how to lose an election.
No.
Puerto Rico IS NOT a state, merely an unincorporated territory where the U.S.Constitution does not apply. Congress can change the status of Puerto Rico. You have citizesnhip granted per Congress. See: http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/86756.pdf
Natural born citizens are born in the United States to citizen parents, period (per the holding in Minor vs. Happersett (1874) - see note below.
Americans aren’t stupid; we aren’t going to give this status to an unincorporated territory, such as Puerto Rico, which has repeatedly refused to join the United States union!
Yes, you pay taxes; U.S. business interests get tax breaks.
NOTE: MINOR v. HAPPERSETT the only time the US Supreme Court ever did define the class of persons who were POTUS eligible under Article 2 Section 1, clause 5 (U.S.Constitution) was in Minor v. Happersett, 88 U.S. 162 (1874), wherein it was held:
“The Constitution does not, in words, say who shall be natural-born citizens. Resort must be had elsewhere to ascertain that. At common-law, with the nomenclature of which the framers of the Constitution were familiar, it was never doubted that all children born in a country of parents who were its citizens became themselves, upon their birth, citizens also. These were natives, or natural-born citizens, as distinguished from aliens or foreigners.” Minor v. Happersett, 88 U.S. 162, 168.
There it is, it really exists. And it tells you exactly who are natural-born citizens; those born in the country of parents who are citizens. The words are plain-spoken and self-evident. There are two classes of persons discussed in the above quotation. Those born in the country of citizen parents were labeled by the Court as “natives or natural-born citizens”, but these were also further identified as being “distinguished from aliens or foreigners”. The distinction is crucial.
And how's that working out in the land of La Raza these days?
Yes, I agree, skeeter. And "blurted" is too strong given that he was answering a question.
But I do feel that his answer/stance was about the worst possible toward an already conservative, spanish-speaking island. They do also speak English...and Puerto Rico isn't exactly in the mainland heartland.
I'm sure the interviewer had that in mind when he/she asked the question.
But I'm not sure thats true. After all, he simply said english should be the official langauge if the territory decides it wants statehood. Not exactly a controversial position historically. In today's political environment perhaps, but today's environment is insane. I won't hold that against Santorum.
Even more poverty and starvation.
They speak English but check their official voter guides and public documents and tell me if they are printed in English? Do they conduct their courts in English? Their legislative debates? Are their main news broadcasts in English?
"The great proto-state of Puerto Rico, which would be the Mexico of the Eastern Carribean if we were any larger, pledges all 20 delegates to Mitt"
Apparently you are unaware of the commie rat plot to trick them into voting for Statehood. Try and keep up.
It would guarantee two Commie rat Dem Senators and a congressmen, probably nullify and RINO gains in Senate.
Go for the capillaries.
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