Posted on 07/29/2018 7:53:51 AM PDT by Kaslin
This week, Puerto Rico’s representative in Congress, Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez (R-PR), introduced a bill to make the territory a state no later than January 1, 2021. The Puerto Rico Admission Act of 2018 already has 37 co-sponsors, including Republicans and Democrats from various states. The bill comes after major events like Hurricanes Irma and Maria caused more than $90 billion worth in damages, making it the third costliest storm in U.S. history.
The move towards statehood would bring an unprecedented amount of positive change to an island that is in desperate need of transformation. Under its current status as a territory with limited autonomy, high levels of economic risk continue to limit investment and its overall progression. As a state, the island’s ability to contribute to its own development would significantly improve. The 2017 hurricane season highlighted how bad a position Puerto Rico is in, where the president was forced to approve waivers on unnecessarily restrictive shipping regulations so the 3.4 million American citizens living on the island could receive the immediate help needed in the aftermath of the hurricanes.
The reality is, there’s only one path forward to address Puerto Rico’s current status: Statehood. Statehood would allow the island’s struggling economy to grow past a decade-long recession by allowing the territory the ability to pay down its debts and liabilities. Additionally, statehood would give investors new confidence in the future of Puerto Rico, which in turn would help advance the island’s economy. Even under Puerto Rico’s recent conditions of high debt combined with a shrinking economy, the Government Accountability Office estimated that Puerto Rican corporate and individual taxpayers would contribute an additional $6 to $10 billion in taxes to the United States government.
America was built on the idea of self-determination, a principle expressed in our founding documents that our men and women in uniform – many of them Puerto Ricans – defend every day. Puerto Ricans have made their views clearer and clearer as new referendums are held. The latest and fifth referendum recently held in 2017, showed an astounding 97% of those who voted favored Puerto Rico becoming a state. We should move past partisan politics and simply do what is right to help our fellow American citizens in Puerto Rico have the tools they desperately need to grow their economy, repair infrastructure, and end their status as a colony.
Two new Senators from Puerto Rico. No thanks.
They dont even have power back on yet from an Obama era hurricain, because of corruption.
Short answer,
Hell NO !
No I like a 50 state flag
For some reason, the Democrats seem to be thrilled with all the PR hurricane refugees in Florida.
Independence for Puerto Rico.
It deserves the nationhood it has long sought.
Is there anyone left in Puerto Rico ? A smart business man could move in and make it a Paradise ,if it’s empty
I have a suggestion here...why not offer the option that Florida would absorb PR, and it’d just be three counties added onto the state? With three million in population added on....FL would get at least one to two more representatives, and that would be the only damage done.
More wisdom from the Hill...why not accelerate our destruction and give statehood to the District of Columbia too?
No! Cast it off into to sea, instead!
Good suggestion!
NO! Just NO! No more Democrat Congress critters or Senators!
The RECURRING referendum of enacting statehood for Puerto Rico has been voted DOWN BY THE FOLKS at least three times.
It is THE FOLKS that started the “Independence movement” of Puerto Rico, by telling the U.S. military to leave.
It is THE FOLKS that have continually voted for those corrupt politicians.
Now, should statehood become a reality, how many porch-sitters more will the rest of America have to burden themselves with?
Their politics and corruption doom them.
And Florida permanently flips Democrat.
They will just go Venezuela on our asses if we let them in.
The government of Puerto Rico has been running a Ponzi Scheme for years.
When the citizens of Puerto Rico find the gumption to jail their crooked politicians and recover the stolen Taxpayer dollars, then we can discuss statehood.
No. No. No.
Transition them to independence.
We don’t need them and they have shown they cannot function above a 3d world level.
yeah, no... cut it loose
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