Posted on 05/08/2010 1:49:12 PM PDT by Tiger555
Here's the 39 Republicans that voted for giving Puerto Rico Statehood (now the Puerto Ricans people get to vote on it - of course, we Americans didn't get to vote on it). Also, good column on the bill below.
Bartlett Biggert Blackburn Brown-Waite, Ginny Buchanan Burton (IN) Buyer Campbell Cantor Cao Castle Coffman (CO) Cole Crenshaw Dent Diaz-Balart, L. Diaz-Balart, M. Ehlers Flake Frelinghuysen Hensarling Issa King (NY) Kirk Kline (MN) Lungren, Daniel E. Mack McCarthy (CA) Mica Murphy, Tim Pence Posey Putnam Reichert Ros-Lehtinen Schock Thompson (PA) Walden Young (AK
Why Tea Partiers Say Throw the Bums Out May 7, 2010 by Phyllis Schlafly
Proof that the Tea Partiers and others are on target when they criticize both political parties was supplied by the behavior of the U.S. House on April 29. Demoting all major economic and corruption problems facing our country to the bottom of the agenda, the House devoted a long afternoon and 12 roll-call votes to passing a bill to force U.S. statehood on Puerto Rico.
Of course this ploy had to be Nancy Pelosi's doing, but she made it bipartisan by getting 39 Republicans to vote with her. They walked like lambs to the slaughter, led by (I'll tactfully omit the appropriate metaphor) Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA).
Puerto Ricans have voted against statehood in three referenda, most recently in 1998. Congress didn't get the message and plans to make them vote again.
However, the new vote prescribed in the mischievously named "Democracy" bill will set an all-time record for dishonest elections. The plan will require Puerto Rico to hold two new referenda that are rigged to enable some to claim that Puerto Rico voted to become a state.
The first referendum would require Puerto Ricans to vote on whether they want to retain their current Commonwealth status or change their "political status." Try asking any Republican whether he wants to change our current political status and you will see what a ridiculous question that is.
If "change" wins the first referendum, a second referendum will require Puerto Ricans to choose among four options: statehood, independence, "sovereignty in association with the United States" (an obviously vague choice), or retain the current Commonwealth status. With four choices on the ballot, the winner would receive only a plurality, not a majority.
The bill would allow persons who were born in Puerto Rico but now live and vote in the United States to vote in these Puerto Rican referenda. That means giving the vote to a group based on ethnicity rather than on residency, and should be held unconstitutional under the 15th Amendment.
If statehood is approved by a plurality, the game plan of the statehood lobbyists is immediately to elect persons designated as U.S. Senators and Representatives, put them on a plane, and send them to knock on the U.S. Capitol door demanding to be seated. Those who object to recognizing these Puerto Ricans as U.S. Senate and House members would be labeled racists.
One explanation for this dishonest scheme to create a new state is political pandering to the Hispanic vote, yet not only the Hispanics but even the Puerto Ricans are very divided on statehood. The most prominent Hispanic member of Congress, Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), and one of the most prominent Puerto Ricans in Congress, Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), voted No on the statehood bill.
The whole idea of allowing Puerto Rico to decide to become our 51st state is offensive to our constitutional government. We the people of the United States are the only ones to decide whether or not to accept a new state as one of our United States.
A major reason why the American people do not want to accept Puerto Rico as a state is that this would overnight make the United States a bilingual nation because Puerto Rico will not accept English as its official language. Many U.S. pro-English laws and customs make it is clear that the American people do not want to be a bilingual country.
Puerto Rican legislative and judicial proceedings are conducted entirely in Spanish, with English translations available only on request. It is asking for big trouble to admit a state when at least half of its people voted against becoming a state, and most of its residents won't accept English as their official language.
We need only look as far away as Canada to see what happens to a country trying to cope with two languages. In 1995, a proposal for French-speaking Quebec to secede from Canada failed on a referendum by only one-half of one percent with a 92 percent turnout.
Are you concerned about our current Congress spending too much money? Accepting Puerto Rico as a state would vastly increase federal spending for entitlements because 45 percent live below the poverty level and would immediately become eligible for Obama's "spread the wealth" policies of transferring money from U.S. taxpayers to non-taxpayers.
It made no sense at all for Republicans to vote for this Puerto Rican bill because statehood would mean adding two Senators and at least six House members, and they would all be Democrats. Puerto Rico would then have more members of Congress than 24 of our 50 states.
I guess this is what Barry meant about “57 states”. Six more to go.
It’s disgraceful that a brainiac like Eric Cantor can be played as a useful idiot on this issue. What dolts! Bob
Some Rep who voted for this claims in an article posted here that most of the elected officials are fellow Reps.
It makes sense to Nancy and the Dems because they believe that when they take the bait and become a State they will be Dem (Blue) and give her more power.
Can someone translate this for me, I am lost. Thanks
I so not see the Republicans listed and a count of 39. My apologies.
Marsha Blackburn
I don’t get it.
They've voted it down time and again.
So where do we get off forcing them to?
I know I’m gonna take some heat for this - but I think it’s high time that Puerto Rico is given a final opportunity to decide what they want.
Whether it’s statehood, territorial status or independence, a vote needs to be taken on this. And more importantly, this vote needs to be final.
No more screwing around in DC or in San Juan. We’re gonna give Puerto Rico a chance to decide their future. And one chance only - so they better make it count.
If they become a state, that’s unfortunate. There’s a strong chance they’ll be governed by Democrats. I hate that idea. But right now, the governor of Puerto Rico is Republican so there’s no guarantee that any congressional delegation sent to DC will be all Democrats.
But I dislike even more the idea that a territory be held in a kind of purgatory or netherworld. My state got the opportunity to decide upon statehood back in 1858. Everyone should get a shot at it.
“Puerto Rico doesn’t WANT statehood.
They’ve voted it down time and again.
So where do we get off forcing them to?”
Europeans didn’t want to join the European Union, either. The New World Order is throwing it’s ever-increasing weight (ugh) around.
Why is that?
What is the downside FOR the Puerto Ricans of statehood?
just wondering....
All about the Democrat plan for Puerto Rican statehood:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeE1bSWD4lA
Once again, you hear it 1st on Glenn Beck’s show.
They’ve voted it down time and again.
I’d like to hear an explanation from Mike Pence on this.
He’s often on Garrison’s radio show, I’ll try and call.
“They’ve voted it down time and again.”
Understood.
But what I’m saying that this is Puerto Rico’s final opportunity to decide. This issue needs to be put to bed - finally!
Essentially, they keep their low cost of living and down have to pay Federal taxes.
From here:
http://www.essortment.com/all/puertoricansta_rdla.htm
CONS OF STATEHOOD
There are several economic reasons that can be argued against Puerto Rico becoming a state. The first is that the cost of living will greatly rise. At last count, my friend, Jose and Noemi Mendoza said that the average monthly income is around $300 dollars. The average electric bill is around $12 a month and water and waste collection is around $5 to $7 dollars a month. When Puerto Rico becomes a state the prices will greatly rise.
The electric bill will go to $80 and the water and waste will go to $16 to 20 dollars. The average interest rate in Puerto Rico is only 5 to 6%, whereas the U.S. interest rate is somewhere between 8.5 to 12%. Currently a $40,000 house would cost about $253 a month, whereas with the U.S. rates it would cost around $411 a month.
There are several arguments against statehood on the social structure of Puerto Rico. The first is that Puerto will no longer have a representative in their Miss Universe Pageant, which they have won on three occasions. Also, they would not be recognized as an individual nation in the Olympic games. “These international representations would be curbed under Statehood, as Puerto Rico would be required to participate in the same manner as the other 50 states, and to compete to represent the United States collectively, and not Puerto Rico individually, in these international events .”
The statehood opponents believe that Statehood will infringe on their “sovereign” rights and threaten their international presence and image.
The last social issue against Puerto Rico becoming a state is a proposed bill in Congress. The bill proposes that English will become the official language of the United States. If this bill passes, and Puerto Rico is granted statehood, the inhabitants will have to abide this requirement. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga, said, “we must encourage everyone to speak English, but we must not discriminate against those that speak other languages. “
PROS OF COMMONWEALTH CONTINUENCE
One man in San Juan said, “I believe we should stay the way we are. It’s worked for about 50 years already. We get the best of both worlds. “ What is the best of both worlds? Currently, Puerto Rico receives the protection of the United States in time of war. They also receive the benefits of being U.S. citizens without having to pay taxes to the U.S. government. The citizens of Puerto Rico do pay Social Security and do have the benefits of Medicare.
.
Personally, I'd hope they vote for independence...
The word "Hispanic" has its root in the word "Spain." The group "Hispanics" is code for people from those nations in the Western hemisphere conquered and colonized by Spain, a European nation peopled with caucasians. Those conquerors' and colonizers' influence brought the Spanish language and much of its culture to pretty much everything south of the U.S. border.
"Hispanic" stands for the ranks of descendents of disgruntled conquered people in lands south of the border. I admire national heritage and pride. I can see being proud to be a Mexican, as was my great great grandfather from Mexico who had not a drop of Spanish blood in him. To be proud of your Mexican heritage is one thing, a fine thing. To be proud of your "hispanic" heritage is total crap unless you're talking about heritage from the caucasian European nation of Spain.
I swear, the "hispanic" and "Latino" labels are living lies.
The post of names didn’t come out well, they are right before the article. Here they are again:
Bartlett
Biggert
Blackburn
Brown-Waite, Ginny
Buchanan
Burton (IN)
Buyer
Campbell
Cantor
Cao
Castle
Coffman (CO)
Cole
Crenshaw
Dent
Diaz-Balart, L.
Diaz-Balart, M.
Ehlers
Flake
Frelinghuysen
Hensarling
Issa
King (NY)
Kirk
Kline (MN)
Lungren, Daniel E.
Mack
McCarthy (CA)
Mica
Murphy, Tim
Pence
Posey
Putnam
Reichert
Ros-Lehtinen
Schock
Thompson (PA)
Walden
Young (AK
Well, I won’t give you heat.
I am not surprised but quite saddened that people that portray themselves as conservatives are against allowing Puerto Rico to vote on their status.
Facts that cannot be denied:
1. Puerto Ricans are Americans who live in a territory.
2. They have been citizens since 1917
3. Thousands have served this country faithfully in the military.
4. In the last plebescite only .06% voted to remain a territory. 2.6% voted to be independent. 46% voted to be a state. 50% voted for non of the above which was sold in a number of ways to split the vote.
Funny about all the wailing and gnashing of teeth about a government that doesn’t represent the people; and then see these same people turn around and attempt to deny their fellow Americans the right to determine their status.
It isn’t along party lines either. Rep. Gutierrez who leads the way to legalize 10 million illegal Mexicans attempted to introduce the none of the above option to keep 4 million Americans from voting in the national election.
I want to know what person who “claims” to love the Constitution and this country thinks he has the right to deny his fellow American the chance to become an equal part in the process.
I’m more interested in the Congressmen who voted against this measure than for it. They are the ones that either need to think it through or get thrown out.
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