Peurto Rico - 51st State? Congress to move fast on this one.

The Radio Patriot ^ | April 28, 2010 | Andrea Shea King

[patriotgal1787]

Last night on his TV show, Glenn Beck dropped another bombshell -- on Thursday, Congress will take up a bill to make Peurto Rico a state. Why is our Congress doing this now? Secretly? Quickly? If it hadn't been for one of Beck's "Refounders" (a Congressional insider), would we even know about this? Wy is this important to you and me?

Well, the word is out, and my local 9-12/Tea party organization sent this out this morning. First thing to hit my mailbox, in fact...

There is a bill to make Puerto Rico a state. Again, they are trying to pull one over on us and on Puerto Ricans, who have consistently said they do not want to become a state. Read below for more information (from Eagle Forum). This was also discussed by Rep Tom Price on a conference call yesterday.

Please consider this:

* The U.S. would transform, overnight, into a bilingual nation. At least half of Puerto Ricans do not speak English, the language of our U.S. Constitution and founding documents. The Washington Times article, "Puerto Rican statehood," analyzes all the implications of adding a foreign language-speaking state to the Union.

* It would bring immediate demands for massive federal spending. The average income of Puerto Ricans is less than half that of our poorest state, and infrastructure and the environment are far below American standards. Puerto Rico has a population with a median national income of $17,741, nearly a third below that for the U.S.

* Puerto Rico is already a democracy. Despite the bill's deceptive title, Puerto Rico already has an elected government and exists as a self-governed commonwealth of the U.S.

* Statehood would give Puerto Rico more congressional representation than 25 of our 50 states! It would inevitably give Democrats two additional U.S. Senators and 6 to 8 additional Members of the House.

H.R. 2499 is stealth legislation designed to lead to the admission of Spanish-speaking Puerto Rico as the 51st state, thereby making us a de facto bilingual nation, like Canada. The U.S. Congress should not be forcing Puerto Ricans to vote on statehood, especially since the Puerto Rican people have rejected statehood three times since 1991!

No Member of Congress who describes himself as a limited government, fiscal conservative should be casting a YEA vote for H.R. 2499, as Puerto Rican statehood would cause an immediate increase in federal expenditures, particularly for taxpayer-funded welfare state services.

Sponsored by Puerto Rican delegate Pedro Pierluisi (D), the Puerto Rico Democracy Act (H.R. 2499) - which has reared its ugly head a number of times over the past few congresses but has yet to have any success - would require Puerto Ricans to hold a national referendum to decide if they want Puerto Rico to remain a self-governing U.S. commonwealth, or become the 51st state.

The referendum would be set up as two plebiscites which would effectively deceive Puerto Ricans into voting for statehood. In the first round of votes, the Puerto Rican people would be given the choice between remaining a U.S. territory and "pursuing a different political status." If the majority votes to maintain the status quo, this bill would require that Puerto Rico vote on this same issue every eight years.

If the majority votes for "different status," a second round of votes would be held where Puerto Ricans would choose either statehood or independence-the status quo of "U.S. territory" would not even be an option! In other words, the two ballots would be rigged to favor the outcome of statehood, overriding the wishes of Americans and Puerto Ricans who want to maintain the current commonwealth status.

* Contact your US congressmen AND * Take quick action here: http://www.capwiz.com/eagleforum/issues/alert/?alertid=14966151&type=CO

[Rodamala]

Perhaps, come 2012, every solid Red State needs to split in at least 2 and the "new" states be voted into the Union as "new states"... and we can seat even more Anti-Progressives?

Hahahahahahha!

[elc]

Here’s a link to the bill: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c111:1:./temp/~c111BWD8gE::

It allows for (another) vote in PR (and for all US Citizens born in PR) - they will be given 3 options:

1) Idependence
2) Sovereignty with Association (??)
3) Statehood

[Andonius_99]

Anyone asked the Puerto Ricans if they want to be a state?

Doesn't matter...what 'Bammy and the Dems want, 'Bammy and the Dems get. Don't you know how this works by now? /s

[TexasCajun]

-Thanks-

[TexasCajun]

The web-page has been pulled?

[Bigh4u2]

Why would the Congressional seats automatically go to the Dems?

I’m a bit confused here....
:(

[Rightly Biased]

that’ll screw up the flag

[rmlew]

The 2 Senators wouldn’t be theft. The 4 House seats would be.
If more than 20% of the people want to be independent and less than an overwhelming majority of any territory want to join, they should not.
PR is worse since it has significantly different culture. What percentage speak and read English fluently? How many state supporters in PR are doing so for welfare?

[calex59]

I don’t think the law allows them to make Puerto Rico a state without a Vote of the people. That would be like taking over a country and forcing them to become a state. Talk about your “nation building” BS. I am sure this is illegal and it needs to be stopped now. The only hope that I can see now is if Puerto Rico declares their independence in the manner that the Philippines did.

[calex59]

Congress cannot just make Puerto Rico a state. That is why your congress critter told you that. The US government cannot unilaterally make PR a state. The People of PR must vote on it.

[Verginius Rufus]

When Alaska and Hawaii became states, each received one seat in the House of Representatives, so the total in the House temporarily was raised to 437. After the 1960 census realignment of seats, it went back to 435.

In 1952 the total number of electoral votes was 531. Subtract 96 for 48 states times 2 and there are 435 votes corresponding to the number of House members. In 1960 the total number of electoral votes was 537 (303 + 219 + 15)--100 corresponding to the 100 senators and 437 corresponding to the House members.

So if PR were made a state right now, its Congressional delegation would be added to the total, but after 2012 there would be just 435 House seats again.

[elc]

Hmm. something might have happened to the link when I pasted it.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR2499:/

[Clemenza]

The Third Worldization of America continues. PR probably would've have been turned loose earlier, had it not been for the Cold War. Uncle Sugar then decided to make PR a showcase of "capitalism" by shoveling billions of dollars to our Third World colony via "Operation Bootstrap." What we now have in PR is a Potemkin village that would collapse if Uncle Sugar ever closed its military bases, ended its subsidies (including "tax credits), and pulled out entirely.

I don't see how folks who complain about the US becoming a Third World country would, at the same time, support statehood for PR. It would be the poorest state in the union, with a majority of its population continuing to use the WIC card to buy groceries as is the case now.

We have some very nice Freepers on here from PR who are always nice enough to post interesting articles on the island. Nevertheless, for those of use concerned about the continued demographic Third Worldization of America, along with the increase of so called "Americans" on the dole, PR statehood would be as ridiculous as making Nigeria a state. PR has a radically different racial/cultural/political identity (to say nothing of a different legal system), as well as a culture of corruption somewhere between Zimbabwe and El Salvador, than mainstream America.

If you are truly of the Right, there is NO reason for you to support statehood for PR. To those Freepers from PR, I will say that if you want the benefits of statehood, a flight to Orlando is very cheap from San Juan.

[weef]

How about after TX leaves they just become the new 50th state. Then there’s no need for everyone to buy new flags.

[Clemenza]

Former Resident Commissioner Romero Barcelo wrote a book 15 years ago called "Statehood is for the Poor." The statehooders have been arguing for years that the impoverished people of PR would receive more bennies from Uncle Sugar when statehood is passed.

Any Republican who supports PR statehood deserves a slap to the head to come to their senses. If that doesn't work, then they should be thrown out in the primary for supporting such an asinine measure, which will put us further on the road to cultural and civilizational suicide.

[Clemenza]

And the PRs who live on the mainland, a disproportionate amount of whom are either employed by states/cities or on the dole, tend to support statehood, just as they overwhelmingly vote Democrat, whether in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or Florida.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

“Puerto Ricans dont want to be a state.”

That is correct.

[GailA]

· Statehood would give Puerto Rico more congressional representation than 25 of our 50 states! It would inevitably give Democrats two additional U.S. Senators and 6 to 8 additional Members of the House.

[GailA]

Here’s the one I posted, it has the TN Eagle Forum’s alert on it in the post.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2501771/posts

[Reeses]

Why shouldn't they? It gives them almost every advantage of U.S. Citizenship without forcing them to pay Federal income taxes.

What about the $5,028 Earned Income Tax Credit welfare check most would get every year? Likely 90% of their households would owe no federal tax.