Posted on 05/28/2008 6:09:31 AM PDT by cll
Hmmm, sounds like you don't like commonwealth status, and you know it will go the way you like it if you remove one choice from the voting.
Because the Democrats want it that way.
Their house. Their rules.
Puerto Rico is not "stuck" anywhere.
The citizens of Puerto Rico, in multiple referendums, have freely voted to choose between the options of Independence, application for Statehood or to remain a Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth vote won every time, fair and square.
The thing is, Commonwelath status is what Puerto Rico has enjoyed for the past 60 years -- and they get full federal assistance benefits without paying any federal income taxes -- so that's defined as 'the best of both worlds'. They get to keep their nationhood, presence in international competitions and beauty pageants with full financial assistance from the United States. Now, tell me, do you think that's fair for us mainland U.S. citizens who must foot this bill?
Not since they kicked the Navy out. I don’t think we get anything in return from them. They don’t add to the national mix, at least I have yet to meet a PR person who identifies as “American.”
There are many Puerto Ricans who identify themselves as "American" just like there are Hispanics and Latinos from other countries that identify themselves as such and yet get to keep some of their own culture and background. I'm Puerto Rican, but I'm an American first, basically because I was born a U.S. citizen and the U.S. is my 'main parent'.
Puerto Rico will be a BIG dip in the cold water for barack curious george mcgovern. It will show that Hispanics will not support him. They have worked too hard to become the top minority in the nation to now turn around and elect a Black man whose views many Hispanics don’t approve of to begin with.
“Not since they kicked the Navy out. I don’t think we get anything in return from them. They don’t add to the national mix, at least I have yet to meet a PR person who identifies as “American.”
Yeah? Tell that to the families of these guys:
SrA Jonathan Vega Yelner, USAF, KIA April 29, 2008, Near Bagram AB, Afghanistan
CPT Ulises Burgos-Cruz, USA, KIA April 6, 2008, Balad, Iraq
SGT Ricardo X. Rodríguez, USA, KIA October 4, 2007, Bayji, Iraq
SSG Wilberto Suliveras, KIA July 29, 2007, Taji, Iraq
CPT Maria I. Ortiz, USA, KIA July 10, 2007, Baghdad, Iraq
CPT Anthony Palermo, USA, KIA April 6, 2007, Baghdad, Iraq
SGT David A. Mejías, USA, KIA April 1, 2007, Baghdad, Iraq
SPC Jason Nuñez, USA, KIA March 25, 2007, Baqubah, Iraq
SGT Eduardo Santini, USA, KIA March 17, 2007, Baghdad, Iraq
SSG Karl O. Soto-Pinedo, USA, KIA Feb. 27, 2007, Baghdad, Iraq
SSG Jesus M. Montalvo, USA, KIA Oct.18, 2006, Baghdad, Iraq
LCpl Yull Estrada Rodriguez, USMC, KIA Sept. 20, 2006, Al Anbar, Iraq
SSG Irving Hernandez, Jr., USA, KIA Jun. 12, 2006, Mosul, Iraq
SGT Jose M. Velez, USA, KIA June 9, 2006, Kirkuk, Iraq
1SG Robert Mendez, USA, KIA April 27, 2006, Baghdad, Iraq
SSG Luis M. Melendez, USAF, KIA Feb. 17, 2006, Gulf of Aden
LCpl Orville Gerena, USMC, KIA Feb. 6, 2006, Hit, Iraq
SGT Radhames Camilo-Matos, USA, KIA Jan. 7, 2006, Taji, Iraq
SGT Jason Lopez-Reyes, USA, KIA Jan. 5, 2006, Baghdad, Iraq
CWO Isaias Santos, USA, KIA Dec. 26, 2005, Baghdad, Iraq
SPC William Lopez-Feliciano, USA, KIA Dec. 22, 2005, Baghdad, Iraq
SSG Milton Rivera-Vargas, USA, KIA Dec. 8, 2005, Kirkuk, Iraq
SPC Javier A. Villanueva, USA, KIA Nov. 24, 2005, Hit, Iraq
SPC Alexis Roman-Cruz, USA, KIA Nov. 16, 2005, Balad, Iraq
PFC Antonio Mendez-Sanchez, USA, KIA Nov. 11, 2005, Kirkut, Iraq
SFC Ramon A. Acevedo, USA, KIA Oct. 26, 2005, Rustamiyah, Iraq
1LT Carlos J. Diaz, USA, KIA Aug. 23, 2005, Baqubah, Iraq
SPC Miguel Carrasquillo, USA, KIA Aug. 9, 2005, Baghdad, Iraq
PFC Emmanuel Hernandez, USA, KIA June 8, 2005, Shkin, Afghanistan
SGT Miguel A. Ramos, USA, KIA May 31, 2005, Baghdad, Iraq
MAJ Ricardo A. Crocker-Garcia, USA, KIA May 26, 2005, Haditah, Iraq
SGT Angelo Lozada, Jr., USA, KIA Apr. 16, 2005, Ramadi, Iraq
SPC Alenia Ramirez-Gonzalez, USA, KIA Apr. 15, 2005, Tikrit, Iraq
MSG Edwin Matos-Colon, USA, KIA Apr. 6, 2005, Afghanistan
CWO David Ayala-Rodriguez, USA, KIA Apr. 6 2005, Afghanistan
SPC Francisco G. Martinez, USA, KIA March 20, 2005, Tamin, Iraq
SPC Lizbeth Robles, USA, KIA March 1, 2005, Bayji, Iraq
SGT Julio E. Negron, USA, KIA Feb. 28, 2005, Bayji, Iraq
SGT Carlos J. Gil, USA, KIA Feb. 18, 2005, Humaniyah, Iraq
SFC Pedro A. Muñoz, USA, KIA Jan. 2, 2005, Shindand, Afghanistan
SPC Jose Rivera-Serrano, USA, KIA Dec. 27, 2004, Baghdad, Iraq
SSG Henry E. Irizarry, USA, KIA Dec. 3, 2004, Taji, Iraq
SGT Carlos Camacho-Rivera, USA, KIA Nov. 5, 2004, Fallujah, Iraq
LCpl Ramon Mateo, USMC, KIA Sept. 24, 2004, Al Anbar, Iraq
SPC Michael A. Martinez, USA, KIA Sept. 8, 2004, Baqubah, Iraq
SSG Gary A. Vaillant, USA, KIA Sept. 5, 2004, Khalidiya, Iraq
SPC Jacob D. Martir, USA, KIA Aug. 18, 2004, Iraq
SGT Melvin Mora-Lopez, USA, KIA June 6, 2004, Camp Cooke, Iraq
PO3 Fernando Mendez-Aceves, USN, KIA Apr. 6, 2004, Al Anbar, Iraq
SFC Jose A. Rivera, USA, KIA Nov. 5, 2003, Mahmudiyah, Iraq
SGT Francisco Martinez, USA, Nov. 4, 2003, Baghdad, Iraq
SGT Joel Perez, USA, KIA Nov. 2, 2003, Fallujah, Iraq
SPC Frances M. Vega, USA, KIA Nov. 2, 2003, Fallujah, Iraq
SGT Juan M. Serrano, USA, KIA July 24, 2003, Baghdad, Iraq
SPC Ramon Reyes-Torres, USA, KIA July 16, 2003, Baghdad, Iraq
SPC Kelvin Feliciano-Gutierrez, USA, KIA June 28, 2003, Bagram AB, Afghanistan
SPC Richard P. Orengo, USA, KIA June 26, 2003, Najaf, Iraq
SPC Gil Mercado, USA, KIA April 13, 2003, Iraq
SGT Orlando Morales, USA, KIA March 29, 2003, Helmaud, Afghanistan
LCpl Robert M. Rodriguez, USMC, KIA March 27, 2003, Al Nasiriyah, Iraq
You speak the truth.
I suppose that if I dig up a list of Mexicans who died fighting for us too you’d say we see if they want us to make them a (more) subsidized commonwealth also?
The difference is that Puerto Ricans are natural born citizens of the United States of America - Americans, not foreigners.
You stated: “I don’t think we get anything in return from them. They don’t add to the national mix”.
I gave you but a small sample that answers your query.
Don’t make the mistake of comparing Puerto Ricans to Mexicans again. Ever.
Neither Norway or Venus are a U.S. commonwealth. Puerto Rico is.
You really need to tell that to the Puerto Ricans that I seem to always encounter. I have never actually met the kind who sign up for service in the US Armed Forces. I seem to always meet the ones who explain to me how imperialistic we are and how we need to be nicer to illegal Mexican immigrants and how we need to leave Cuba alone.
The nasty little secret is that there is clear path for Puerto Rico to be accorded the same voting rights as other states, namely vote to become a state. The BIG problem with this? The half that don't want statehood don't want it because they would have to pay Federal Income Tax. In other words, you pay to play -- only most want to 'play' without paying.
Now I know what kind of “Puerto Rican” you’re talking about. I don’t like those either. And I am an actual Puerto Rican from Puerto Rico itself.
There are jerks in every group and we’re not exempt.
And that’s the problem with generalizations.
Cheers.
I'm Puerto Rican and of course, I love Puerto Ricans (it's who I am), but sometimes there are a few who 'stray away' from the real issue on hand.
Do you mind if I ask, where do you meet these Puerto Ricans? In the mainland U.S.? Do they live in a city or town near you? Do they actually have an alarm clock that goes off every morning so that they can go to a job that will take away half the pay in federal taxes? If the U.S. is so "imperialistic", according to them, then what the hell are they doing here?
In grad school. They were from the island and I think most of them moved to NY when they finished.
I’m surprised.... if they were in grad school, they must have had some level of intelligence. Then again, stupidity comes in many levels and social classes.... for example, I’ve found that, when talking to people in low-income societies, that they have more common sense and smartness about issues that even a someone with numerous degrees.
I worked with lawyers here in D.C. for many many years (and my father is one also) — and I tell ya, not a lot of common sense there! ;-)
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