Puerto Rico’s status lies in the hands of Congress

The Hill ^ | 2/01/2006 | Oxford Analytica

[puroresu]

Good points. I hope you both are right.

[rrrod]

I have travelled in and out of PR for biz. Let the folks in PR make their own choice. But the status quo needs to be changed. Great place to visit BTW

[Betis70]

>>If I had to guess, I would say that 20 years after Puerto Rico is admitted as a state it will have 1 Republican and 1 Democrat Senator and 3 Republican and 3 Democrat Representatives.

So about the same as the rest of the country, in terms of close to an even split. Sounds better than where I live in California ...

[RWCon]

And two more dimo senators.

[cll]

"still live three miles from where i was born."

Ditto here. Although I have close friends and family in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Virginia...and none in New York, I think. I got to check that.

[wardaddy]

you have to be kidding.....a guaranteed blue state just handed right over.

better yet....grant them independence.

[kabar]

Under the Commonwealth formula, residents of Puerto Rico lack voting representation in Congress and do not participate in presidential elections. As U.S. citizens, Puerto Ricans are subject to military service and most federal laws. Residents of the Commonwealth pay no federal income tax on locally generated earnings, but Puerto Rico government income-tax rates are set at a level that closely parallels federal-plus-state levies on the mainland.

[Clemenza]

Good to see you again. See above for my posts with statistics.

Be easy on Cll though. He's a good guy who's just wrong on this issue.

[wardaddy]

Grant you guys independence.

[kabar]

Many individual states have adopted English as their official language:

Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming
Several states and territories are officially bilingual:

Louisiana (English and French),
New Mexico (English and Spanish),
Hawaii (Hawaiian English and Hawaiian),
Puerto Rico (Spanish and English),
Guam (Chamorro and English),
American Samoa (Samoan and English);
And one is officially trilingual:

Northern Mariana Islands (English, Chamorro, and Carolinian).

[cll]

Give that another thought. A state where the overwhelming majority of the people are either Catholic or Evangelical Christians a blue state? I don't think so.

[cll]

If you want another civil war, go ahead and propose that to your Congressman.

[cll]

No, wait. You're in Jamaica so you wouldn't have a Congressman.

[wardaddy]

Right.....Puerto Rico has huge legacy of Conservatism both there and in the US mainland.

No, I'm not in Jamaica. It was a joking subterfuge i forgot about . Clemenza knows i'm in Nashville

I lived in Manhattan for 8 years....all I saw were Puerto Rican Democrat party machine politics.

I visited the island for many years bunkering at Mayaguez. I saw conditions oh so ripe for the Democrats...much like the Rio Grande Valley.

I'm sure you're swell and mean right but odds are Puerto Rico would go Dem and stay there and the balance nationally is how too close right now to afford that indulgence.

I'm old. I don't play "what if" emotive reasoning politics. Most rural southern blacks are church going social conservatives too but they still vote Democrat so I see little to tell me PR even if religiously Catholic would be much different if their history is any indication. Which reminds me....I think this past election is the first time Catholics have gone Pubbie since Reagan 1984 anyhow....so that argument doesn't carry well.

The exception does not make the rule....an adage lost on many here.

when i was young and idealistic i was in favor of statehood too before i grasped realpolitk.

I pinged some other NYers for their view....which may indeed be different from mine.

I would have more faith in the politics of Cuban expats if we must have a Caribbean state...but it's a bit early for that.

[YankeeGirl]

Most are fiercely proud Americans. Their blood has been spilled along side their mainland brothers in Afganistan, Iraq, Vietnam, Korea, the Pacific, Europe.....

[wardaddy]

Puerto Ricans in Florida have already hurt the Cuban voting block for our side....along with Brasilians and Dominicans....Colombians tend to vote like Cubans.

Angelo Falcon, a senior policy analyst for the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund in New York, said the movement of Puerto Ricans, who tend to vote for Democrats, could "offset the Cuban vote," which almost uniformly has gone to conservatives who promise to continue isolating the communist government of Fidel Castro.

[YankeeGirl]

Most of my mom's cousins, born in PR or in NY, who moved here ("mainland") married non-Hispanics.

Three of my grandparents born in PR, one in Italy. Though my mom is totally bi-lingual, as are all her cousins in NY, none raised native spanish speaking kids :(

I had to study it in school to talk to my grandparents. So did my second cousins, the Hartleys, the Sullivans, the Riveras, the Anselmos....

And yes, Puerto Ricans are racially mixed; Spaniards, African slaves, natives, etc. I remember my grandmother talking about the rumors of HER grandfather's dalliances with his slaves and running into very dark-skinned puerto ricans in NY with the same last name and from the same towns. Doesn't sound a whole lot different than our southern heritage.

[Clemenza]

Most are fiercely proud Americans. Their blood has been spilled along side their mainland brothers in Afganistan, Iraq, Vietnam, Korea, the Pacific, Europe.....

Same can be said for Filipinos (see their courageous service in WWII under MacArthur), Samoans, and other current and former Colonials who have served honorably in our armed forces. We should be honored to have such folks serving our country.

Nevertheless, Puerto Ricans (those born and raised on the island) are not CULTURALLY American. They speak Spanish as a first language, watch Univision or Telemundo, play dominoes instead of poker, and actually enjoy dancing. I could go on and on.

The Puerto Ricans from San Ignacio Prep that I went to college with did not consider themselves to be Americans/gringos. That's the way it is.

[Jim Noble]

A major problem is, if statehood passes 51-49, but the 49% are unreconciled, then we have set ourselves up for 100 years of terrorism and war.

Let Congress pass the "PR accession act", specifying that statehood must win 75% of the votes before it will be granted.

[wtc911]

I have been spending time on the Island for nearly 40 years. I do business there with the film industry (all to the left of Howard Dean - and proudly so - but with few exceptions we get along). I own a parcel out in Rincon that has views of Desecheo where we plan to build next year. In other words, I have a long history with Puerto Rico and I obviously love the place.

My contacts with New Yoricans is nearly as long and covers the financial/class gamut from the projects in Alphabet City to upper-middle class entrepreneurs. I am happy to say that I number a few among my long-time friends.

That said, I offer my opinion, which is this.....Puerto Ricans (again, imo) are just like nearly every other American group that has been here since before the eighties. Their patriotism and willingness to fight for our Flag is beyond reproach. That however is not the issue.

The lower-income, urban segments are dems from cradle to grave. The middle to upper middle class are leaning our way. The movers and shakers are Conservative (with the exception of the self-described communists in the PR film biz). Since the larger percentage of the Island's population falls into the urban/poor category I agree with WD that all statehood would give us is two more socialist senators. For that reason I am against statehood.