Posted on 06/11/2017 3:58:08 PM PDT by SkyPilot
Puerto Rico's governor announced that the U.S. territory has overwhelmingly chosen statehood in a nonbinding referendum Sunday held amid a deep economic crisis that has sparked an exodus of islanders to the U.S. mainland.
Nearly half a million votes were cast for statehood, more than 7,600 for free association/independence and nearly 6,700 for the current territorial status, according to preliminary results. The participation rate was just 23 percent with roughly 2.26 million registered voters, leading opponents to question the validity of a vote that several parties had boycotted.
Gov. Ricardo Rossello shows his ballot at the San Jose Academy during the fifth referendum in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sunday, June 11, 2017. Puerto Ricans are getting the chance to tell U.S. Congress on Sunday which political status they believe best benefits the U.S. territory as it remains mired in a deep economic crisis that has triggered an exodus of islanders to the U.S mainland. Congress ultimately has to approve the outcome of Sunday's referendum that offers voters three choices: statehood, free association/independence or current territorial status.
"From today going forward, the federal government will no longer be able to ignore the voice of the majority of the American citizens in Puerto Rico," Gov. Ricardo Rossello said, announcing the victory. "It would be highly contradictory for Washington to demand democracy in other parts of the world, and not respond to the legitimate right to self-determination that was exercised today in the American territory of Puerto Rico."
U.S. Congress, however, has final say in any changes to the island's political status.
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Well, well, well.
Now they they are in an economic crisis due to debt, and want the free handouts to continue, they vote for statehood.
In the last few years, Puerto Rico told the US military to take a flying leap off a short pier.
Loyalty is a two way street.
Get lost Puerto Rico.
That’s just what we need two more permanent Democrat senators. Unfortunately there are just enough idiots in the GOP to put the vote in favour of Statehood.
cut these leeches lose forever...
Puerto Rico, with its MASSIVE debt and its citizens’ sense of entitlement should NEVER be made a state. Let them be independent before that’ the sooner the better.
PR, get your house in order then try again. Beggars cannot be choosers.
There was a time when the idea of statehood made us feel good about ourselves-inclusion and all that. Dealmaker Don knows when there’s nothing in it for him or us. Congress will now feel free to buckle under the charge of racism.
Grrrrrrr. Do we get to vote for giving them food stamps plus more votes in the senate? Of course not. Pfffttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt!!!!
Can we get a Missouri compromise and split a conservative state in two to balance it out
No statehood for PR. No one invited them. I like PRs. My nieces are half PR. But I am not ready to give two leftist senators to an island that bankrupts itself on a regular basis.
why can’t we just dump them. It is not like many of them would rather speak English, they fly their own flag over here?
The island are a drain on this country/.
Nothing to benefit the nation. Only thing the US tax payers will get is all of PR’s debt. Screw that. Just a democrat-run version of Cuba.
Years and years of corrupt government, prolific spending, and economic policies that sucked the life out any business or company that set up shop there.
With a huge lazy, fat population that sucks off welfare and handouts.
Leeches is right.
Wonder if the Commurats will support this? /sar
This is crap tactic used in a lot of countries. Boycott a referendum you know you're going to lose, then say it doesn't count because the turnout wasn't [insert arbitrary percentage here].
Total B.S., it’s called voting for a bailout from the US taxpayers!! NO WAY!!!!
If we weren’t burdened with RINOscum the proper course for the US Congress to take would be to ensure that Puerto Rico becomes an independent nation asap, so it could take responsibility for itself and not leach off the US taxpayers as much as PR does already. Of course, I know that with Demoncraps + RINOs there is exactly zero chance that PR will be forced to take the independence route, but they must not be allowed to become a state!!
We shouldn’t give them statehood. We should eject them from American sovereignty.
We don’t need a Caribbean California, no thanks.
Let PR join the EU.
Surely our good congress will vote to buy an insolvent company and acquire their debt.
Isn’t that what businesses do?
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