Is Puerto Rico about to become the 51st state?
Although it has not received much play in the mainstream media, the U.S. House is voting today on a bill that could ultimately result in Puerto Rico becoming the fifty-first state. The notion of Puerto Rican statehood is nothing new. Residents of the commonwealth have voted three times on the question of whether Puerto Rico should become a state, most recently in 1996. Each time, residents voted to retain the island's extant status.
This time could be the "charm" for Democrats in Congress, who see a golden opportunity in winning Puerto Rican over as a state. Seating two more senators and as many as six Congressmen likely to align themselves with the Democrats would give the party in power even more control going forward.
Liberal Congressman Agrees With Glenn Beck on Toxicity of Stealth Puerto Rico Status Bill
By P.J. Gladnick
Shhh!
Don't tell anybody but Congress is scheduled to vote today on H.R. 2499, a bill that could end up paving the way to Puerto Rican statehood, that is being presented with such incredible stealth that it has been given almost no coverage in the mainstream media. In fact, about the only person in the media shining a light on this bill until recently has been Glenn Beck. Liberals can be expected to write off Beck's criticisms of H.R. 2499 as just another example of "right-wing kookery." Frances Martel of Mediaite has already mocked Beck for his opposition to this bill.
However, liberals will have a hard time writing off similar criticisms of the stealth Puerto Rico status bill being made by liberal Democrat Luis Gutierrez of Illinois who is of Puerto Rican descent. While reading Guiterrez slamming H.R. 249 in his Huffington Post blog, you sometimes have to slap yourself as a reminder that these criticisms are not coming from a conservative Republican...or Glenn Beck:
More at each of the linksH.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. Under the current Democratic Leadership, there will be less opportunity for Members and for the people of Puerto Rico to gain a better understanding of the bill.
Right Worked Up About Puerto Rican Statehood
With oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico, the debate over financial reform heating up and Congress castigating Goldman Sachs, news that a proposed House bill will give Puerto Ricans a chance to vote for statehood has been largely overlooked by the media. The exception is a small but vehement group of conservative pundits, who over the past week have repeatedly sounded the alarm on the familiar right-wing obsession.
- Answers Before Adding a State Doc Hastings, a House Republican for West Virginia, makes the case against the bill in a guest column for RedState. "If a Congressionally-sanctioned vote is going to be held, it must come with an open, thorough understanding of what independence or statehood would mean to Puerto Rico and the existing 50 states," he argues, citing a need for a full debate on the issue that addresses the effect Puerto Rican statehood would have on the rest of America. "The bottom line is that there are many questions that have not been answered, and there are a great many implications that aren’t being considered or even discussed."
- The Latest Progressive Conspiracy Never one to back away from a conspiracy theory, Glenn Beck labels the bill a progressive plot to use a 19th-century plan for statehood in Tennessee to make Puerto Rico a state and further "transform America." Beck details precisely how progressives will carry out their scheme:
Congressmen voting for HR 2499 are like sheep being led to slaughter. They'll say the people of Puerto Rico have a right to vote for themselves. They'll vote yes. The progressives will then present a false choice to the people. Instead of saying "do you want to be a state?"it's "Do you want the status quo?" If voters vote no, the next vote removes the status quo from the ballot, leaving statehood against two far less popular options. They'll vote yes for statehood. Then they'll elect their congressman and senators, they'll demand to be seated and a 51st star will be attached to the flag.
they will have to start paying INCOME TAXES if they do... i don't think they want to drop that free ride welfare ticket yet