Posted on 11/07/2012 6:39:20 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
Voters in Puerto Rico have supported a non-binding referendum to become a full US state.
The measure will require approval from the US Congress, but President Barack Obama has said he will respect the vote.
The island is currently a US territory, which uses the dollar and whose citizens travel on US passports.
But it does not return senators to the US Congress and is represented in Washington by a non-voting delegate.
Almost 80% of the island's electorate took part in the referendum, the fourth in the past 45 years.
With almost all the votes counted, almost 54% voted to change the island's relationship with the US.
And in reply to a second question on what future they favoured, nearly two-thirds wanted full statehood.
If Congress grants its approval, Puerto Ricans would have the right to vote in all US elections, but would also have to pay federal taxes, something at present they are excused from.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
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Please don't think that the reactions you see are based on ethnicity. Although I can only speak for myself, I believe that most conservatives, and indeed the absolutely overwhelming majority of white Americans have no anti-Hispanic bias. If people on this board thought that Puerto Rico would be a conservative state, and vote with conservatives, they would overwhelmingly be pushing for statehood. People are just scared about further liberal demographic shifts that basically make their own vote nationally irrelevant.
I propose that actual tax payers, free loaders not included, from the current 50 states vote on the status of Puerto Rico. I pretty confident independence would win in this scenario.
art ivSection. 3. New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.
The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State.
Puerto Rico is territory of the US. Therefore, Congress gets to decide what to do with it. The official head of state of Puerto Rico is the president of the US. Important to me is that since the US acquired Puerto Rico after the Spanish War, that Puerto Ricans were required to participate in the US draft in any war. They were, therefore, draftees in every draftee war starting with WWII.
There is no denying that they are a strategic piece of property in the Carribbean. Personally, I wish we'd kept Panama. Having spent some time in Puerto Rico during my military career, I think it is an awesome island. Having been to both Hawaii and Puerto Rico, I prefer PR. I've no doubt it's a valuable piece of real estate.
They have voted to be included into the US. I think it is the right thing to do to have them become our 51st state.
I also wish General Hull hadn't been such an incompetent in 1812, and that we hadn't given back any defeated North American land south of the border after we'd taken it.
In the annexation of Texas there was a provision that Texas could, when it wanted, separate into as many as 5 states. At least 4 of those would currently be conservative, and with a bit of Gerrymandering, Austin could be perhaps be coupled with enough regular people to balance it.
Of course it would be interesting if the re-admission of Texas after the War of the Rebellion would make that provision of the annexation of Texas null and void, or not.
I think East Texas, North Texas, West Texas, and South Texas would be good names, and perhaps Austin. Then there would be only two more to go....
Don’t worry, Even if noone ever says it, the news media will report it anyways.
Your heart is in the right place, but Texas’ location is a little problematic for the long term view. Move it a thousand miles north and I’m with you.
That’s much of the reason for the sweep.
Which is why it will happen.
Texas might just have 57 million new immigrants.
Just saying...
I was just thinking that.
GMTA
51 is divisible by 17 and 3, so I’d probably guess alternating rows of 8 and 9 stars.
In an "O".
In PR they have no vote for President, VP, or Senators, and a non voting delegate in the House, and they pay no Federal income tax. In Washington, DC they have a vote for President and VP, but no vote for Senators, and a non voting delegate in the House, and they pay 100% Federal income tax. Is that fair? They should only have to pay 2/5ths Federal income tax in DC until they have Statehood along with PR, or at least full voting status.
The Republican governor lost, but last time I looked about 2/3rds of the legislature was listed as Republican.
Two senators, five congressmen, seven electoral votes. And the GOP will be further branded as anti-Hispanic if they oppose it. You bet it’s going to happen.
The fully taxed but only partially represented people of Washington, DC would also like to become a state. With two stars, a flattened triangle with the 2 stars could be placed at the end of the blue field. I think that solution was done once before.
The Republicans are anti-Hispanic I don’t get it... just because they prefer to enforce the rule of law regarding illegal immigration? Hmm. I don’t see that as against Hispanic I just see it as them wanting ALL ethnicities to reside here LEGALLY. What is so hard to understand about that? Furthermore, George Bush was a Republican and he was VERY pro-Hispanic. I think the problem is that the Hispanics don’t just want fair and equal...they want to have “special” priviledges. Why? I don’t know. Because we are neighbors? Because they think they belong in this land, that whites stole parts of it from them? I abhor when a special interest group of people try to shut down a legitimate argument with that ol’ “well, you’re racist” or “You just don’t like (insert nationality).”
Are those “breathing vaginas” related to those rape seed rejecting vaginas? We did invade Puerto Rico and Cuba, but Cuba got away and for a long time PR tried also.
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