Posted on 04/28/2008 11:00:35 AM PDT by Ebenezer
If they could only decide...
Well, if you always offer Puerto Ricans Commonwealth status as a choice in a plebiscite, expect no mature decision (i.e., either statehood or independence).
Hey, that Google translator works pretty good!
No, sorry I still don’t agree with you. The Puerto Rican vote should be limited to people living in Puerto Rico.
Those are the people who will be effected. American’s of Puerto Rican background living in NY will not be effected, except for, as you say travel being harder or something. As a PR living in NY you already have both American and New York citizenship, that’s enough.
For the USA to institute weird racial voting categories (or birthright voting categories) is a huge step backwards. In fact the Supreme Court threw out just such an (existing) plan in Hawaii a few years ago.
To do anything else is simply bizarre. I was born in Michigan. Do I get to vote in Michigan elections, even very important ones? NO!! Why, because I changed my state citizenship to Michigan.
As far as the other states go, people in the entire USA will be effected by making PR a state. Therefore we should (and DO!) get a say in it. It’s not simply a case of rubber stamping PR as a state.
My suggestion is that we should all start getting to vote on this issue. Many of us feel that PR should not be a state. There are too many language, cultural and historical differences. I would certainly vote against PR statehood in a referendum. Of course usually such referendums are non-binding.
The last autonomous Island nation seeking statehood was Hawaii. It took them 110 years of trying to achieve it. The story is told here: “http://www.angelfire.com/hi2/hawaiiansovereignty/statehoodpetition1954.html".
Now, many disagree with the decision and there is a movement to undo it. I suspectd that the same would occur with PR given another 30 years.
The American Empire was always a bad idea. It is coming to an end. As a true small government conservative I’d favor letting go as many foreign possessions as possible, perhaps even including Hawaii it a large marjority there agree.
I certainly view divesting ourselves of Puerto Rico as a priority.
I believe many other Americans would actively lobby Congress to vote “no” on the bill to grant statehood. Such a bill is required by Article IV, section 3 of the US Constitution, and has taken place for all states joining since the original 13.
RE Hawaii: After some debate, the Senate bill passed on March 11 by a vote of 76 to 15. The House bill reached the floor on the same day and the House substituted the Senate version for it and passed it on March 12 by a vote of 323 to 89.
This was the fifth attempt in 50 years. Hopefully we can put the PR statehood off that long, too, at which point I think it will be a dead issue. Starting now to pass citizen resolutions in states calling for “NO STATEHOOD FOR PR” in the most promising states (Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and other core Red states that understand the language and culture issues involved in statehood) would also do a lot to cool of the desire for statehood by even strong PR Statehood proponents, I imagine.
So you want Hispanics kicked out of the United States? Even US citizens? Charming! I have friends in Texas and New Mexico, people whose families have lived inside the United States for 3 or 400 years, since long before the United States existed. You want them to go "home?" To where?
The American ownership or control or federation or whatever is a legacy of Theo. Roosevelt and his absurd Spanish American war. It was a real low point in American history and it is LONG PAST time that we undo it.
What about conquering South Texas, California, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada in 1846? BTW, William McKinley, not Roosevelt, was responsible for the Spanish Americna War.
Why do Puerto Rican's get to vote and the rest of us don't?
Actually, non-Puerto Ricans get a lot more say than Puerto Ricans do, since any status change has to be made by Congress and Puerto Rico has no vote in Congress.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.