Posted on 10/18/2020 8:42:57 AM PDT by Kaslin
Puerto Rico statehood has made national headlines in recent weeks as Democrats threaten granting statehood to both Puerto Rico and D.C. in retaliation for President Trump nominating Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacancy left by the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. In response, several Republicans have come out against statehood for the island, with the implication that the territory would only support Democrat federal elected officials. While Puerto Rico is more valuable to our nation than as a political football, these fears are unfounded. With Puerto Ricans voting on a statehood referendum on November 3rd, known as a plebiscite, statehood is becoming even more of a real possibility - and, unlike D.C. statehood, would be the correct and constitutionally congruent decision for the U.S. and Puerto Rico alike.
Politically, fears a Puerto Rican state would mean Republicans “never get the Senate back” are unfounded. For evidence, one can simply look at the Island’s current elected representatives. Not only is Puerto Rico’s current congressional representative a Republican, Jenniffer González, the current Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced is also a Republican. Puerto Rico’s House and Senate are both led by Republicans as well.
In addition, the values of many Puerto Ricans on the island also closely mirror those of traditional Republicans, with a strong emphasis on family values and the Puerto Rican legislature has been known to pass conservative legislation.
Historically, the national Republican Party has been in support of Puerto Rico statehood. Since 1940, Republicans have favored statehood for the island. Past Republican presidents, including Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush have all issued their support for statehood.
A letter from President Reagan from June 22, 1989, read:
“My beliefs toward Puerto Rico statehood remain as they were while I was in office. I feel that Puerto Rican statehood would benefit both the people of Puerto Rico and their fellow American citizens in the 50 states...Puerto Ricans have fought beside us for decades and worked beside us for generations. Should the people of Puerto Rico choose statehood in a free and democratic election, we would work together to devise a union of promise and opportunity in our Federal union of sovereign States.”
Even when I served as chairman of the Young Republican National Federation our national committee - representing tens of thousands of members - overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution supporting Puerto Rico statehood.
Puerto Rico is currently in the process of choosing statehood in a free and democratic election in less than a month. This will be the third time that Puerto Ricans have gone to the polls to vote on the status of their island, but this one is the most significant, because it asks simply: “Should Puerto Rico be admitted immediately into the Union as a State?”
If those on the Island vote for statehood November 3rd, it is incumbent upon Congress to act. As it stands, Puerto Ricans, although they are American citizens, are not granted the full rights of every other citizen. They don't get full voting representation in Congress. And although Puerto Rico residents are required to pay federal and social security taxes, in addition to other taxes, they do not qualify for all the same benefits as other Americans. This should be unacceptable to all Americans.
Not only is honoring the statehood vote of the Puerto Rican people the morally right thing to do, it may prove to be a major political asset for Republicans at every level of government.
Only that uninhabited land absolutely necessary for government (the Capitol, etc. - with no one actually residing there) should be left behind.
Regards,
I have nothing against the people of Florida, but I don't like the state.
St Augustin is the exception. Its my most favorite city.
“Are we going to gives them all our military bases too?”
No, just the antifa military base. Pendleton, we move to the Mississippi coast
The Federal government should remake the Federal District of Columbia as a Federal district within the borders of the state of Maryland, and the full time residents of the city of D.C. as citizens of Maryland, with D.C. as one federal voting district - one representative in the House, and a state voting district - one representative in the Maryland legislature. D.C. residents would be allowed to vote for all statewide offices in Maryland.
Maryland already has its two federal Senators.
The problem is that the tax haven status isn’t benefitting PR in general.
Now, when it was a Navy base...that was truly a benefit to the people and businesses of PR. But the separatists drove the base out. Remember, this was around the time of the FALN movement - and the bombing of Fraunces Tavern in NY.
Here’s a link, because a lot of people don’t know about it. I believe Obama pardoned one of the people involved. Cut and paste because I don’t have time to do the HTML.
https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/faln-bomb-kills-4-fraunces-tavern-article-1.1008711
Then perhaps all those states which are currently net "takers" of federal largesse - who, by your definition, can "support themselves" - should be expelled.
Regards,
The entire reason DC was made was so the nation’s capital would not be part of a State. If they want to be a part of a state, the territory should be incorporated back into one of the surrounding states - probably Maryland.
no....statehood for PR will mean statehood for DC.....
No to PR and no to California! The latter should be returned to territorial status.
Yeah, I have heard ‘fundamentally conservative values’ stuff before. But I have never seen it reflected in voting patterns.
PR will give us two more Democrat Senators for decades, at least.
the cesspool that is DC should never be a state...it was left as it is for very sound reasons.....you can’t have the people that work and get paid by the govt having TWO SENATORS.
Maybe we can sell Alaska back to the Russians, at least it would get rid of Murkowski.
A lot of Hispanics have conservative religious and cultural values but vote Democrat.
Caused by Dem policies. Was it Clinton that imposed regulations that destroyed their thriving manufacturing base?
Puerto Ricans like things just as they are, no responsibility and never ending largesse from Uncle Sugar.
Just to throw this into the mix - President Trump at a recent rally/talk did say he wanted to revitalize Puerto Rico as a major Pharmaceutical manufacturing base again. I think he was serious and will do such. I wonder how that will lift the island’s poverty level among other things.
Not necessarily. That said, there’s no way DC should become a state, because the original reason for making it a capital district was to keep it out of state politics.
As it is now, the crazy mayor and the Dem party have control of the city because of changes enacted in 1973. Theoretically, Congress has the ultimate voice, but to my knowledge, they’ve never exercised it.
It should never even have been given city status and I think recent events and the crazy mayor have proven that.
The outcome of statehood, or unto themselves, for Puerto Rico, is not a matter of constitutionality.
Washington, District of Columbia, is.
Puerto Rico occasionally has plebiscites to determine the will of the people. They always vote the same. They heavily prefer the current status with Statehood second. Being independent is favored by only a few. When I lived there in the sixties those favoring independence were only one percent.
“How about Puerto Rican independence?”
Exactly. We don’t need our own Quebec! Spanish would become an official language, more “joys” of diversity and multiculturalism, more grievance groups to milk our system...
Give them their independence.
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