Rep. Luis Gutierrez: Why the Rush on the Puerto Rico Statehood Bill?
H.R. 2499, the Puerto Rico statehood bill was brought to the House this week after a surprise announcement last Thursday. Debate on this bill has been severely limited by the way Democratic Leaders are managing the process. Democratic Puerto Rican Members of Congress are being shut out of the process and will be severely limited in their ability to debate the bill and offer amendments.
In my opinion, this bill is the political equivalent of a shady Goldman Sachs derivative: It’s secretive. It lacks transparency. It’s likely to blow up down the road and cause systemic risk to out democracy. And those who put this political derivative together don’t really tell you what this is really about and will play dumb when it explodes.
I get more time to debate renaming a Post Office than I will get to debate a bill that could make Puerto Rico the fifty-first state.
When a similar Puerto Rico bill came up under Speaker Newt Gingrich’s Republican controlled Congress a decade ago, it was the product of lengthy and thorough hearings and an open and fair process. Now, under Democratic Leadership, we get one hearing, no forewarning, no companion Senate bill, and a debate only a few seconds longer than a NASCAR pit-stop.
What’s the rush? Something is wrong with this picture. It just does not add up.
t is designed to craft an artificial majority for statehood where none exists now. Every time the people of Puerto Rico have been consulted on this issue through a plebiscite they’ve said NO to Statehood. NO to Statehood in 1967. NO to Statehood in 1993. NO to Statehood in 1998. This should be called the “Don’t you dare say NO to Statehood Bill”.
Why is it that the when the people of the District of Columbia repeatedly and overwhelmingly ask for Statehood, Congress ignores them, and when the people of Puerto Rico, who have never asked for statehood and who have actually said ‘no’ to statehood three times get this statehood bill pushed on them in a rush…with little or no debate?
For the first time I can remember, I am planning to vote against the rule crafted by my party to govern the floor debate of this bill (H.R. 2499). It is a vote I did not expect to have to cast and is a deep disappointment. But I’m left with no choice.
Congressman Darrell E. Issa is on Facebook
Gale Grinde Moroney Say NO on HR2499 - Puerto
Rico!!!!!!It’s all smoke & mirrors - a trick!
The past 3 times it was voted on (since 1963), they were asked a simple question:
Do You Want To Become A State? - and they voted no each time.
This time, they are passing it off to us as a ‘non-binding’ agreement.
When it’s put to the People of... PR, the question has been changed to:
Do You Want To Maintain The Current Status?
That is an entirely different question. If I was asked that, I’d say NO! Our current status sucks!
So - when all the unhappy people vote No & it passes, the next set
of Options will be:
—Do you want Statehood?
—Do you want Full Independence?
—Do you want Modified Commonwealth?
The only sensible option at that point is Statehood.
The others don’t get many votes & would cost them more.
They are being backed into a corner, like it or not, of becoming our 51st State.
Gale Grinde Moroney Please vote NO on HR2499 - Puerto Rico!!!!!!
Beth Eiess
Congressman, PLEASE don’t let the Puerto Rico House Bill pass.
Gale Grinde Moroney
WE DON’T NEED A 51st STATE!!!!!
Gale Grinde Moroney
What is your stand on this Puerto Rico thing?
Yesterday at 12:05pm · Comment · Like · Report
http://www.facebook.com/CongressmanIssa
I just don’t know what to make of it, but I see NOTHING TO LIKE ABOUT THIS “NON-BINDING” VOTE.
Furthermore, the Republican co-sponsors make me sick!