Posted on 11/07/2012 6:39:20 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
Voters in Puerto Rico have supported a non-binding referendum to become a full US state.
The measure will require approval from the US Congress, but President Barack Obama has said he will respect the vote.
The island is currently a US territory, which uses the dollar and whose citizens travel on US passports.
But it does not return senators to the US Congress and is represented in Washington by a non-voting delegate.
Almost 80% of the island's electorate took part in the referendum, the fourth in the past 45 years.
With almost all the votes counted, almost 54% voted to change the island's relationship with the US.
And in reply to a second question on what future they favoured, nearly two-thirds wanted full statehood.
If Congress grants its approval, Puerto Ricans would have the right to vote in all US elections, but would also have to pay federal taxes, something at present they are excused from.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
Great! Then we’ll just need six more!!
Why? They have all the benefits of citizenship but do not have to pay the income tax.
They will trade voting for dimocRATS for taxes.
Who care what THEY want, don’t we here in the lower 48, Alaska and Hawaii get to say about this? I vote NO.
At least you spelled “Puerto” right.
Puerto Rico has a Republican gov. The one thing I dislike about FR is the constant bashing of Hispanics. There are many of us who are Conservatives, and many more who have served this country honorably in the military.
NO.
Obama won. Elections have consequences.
They just voted out a Governor in Luis Fortuno who completely turned around their economy. He did a Scott Walker and then some, has almost eliminated a $3.3 billion deficit, unbelievable economic growth and investment, bond rating up from junk status. Opponent portryed him as a greedy, out of touch, rich, businessman and beat him. Sound familiar? Pass on statehood.
Write your Congressman. He'll have a vote on the matter; you won't.
Can we make Israel a state?.... with 120 electoral votes?
HAD. HAD a Republican governor. He lost yesterday. People are stupid now.
......Oh, wait,....
It’s not about votes.. It’s about 0bama getting the excuse he needs to CHANGE OUR FLAG. I’m thinking the color ‘yellow’ is top on his list. Bye bye old glory. Phase II of the grand Socialist transformation. Will probably have his ‘O’ or his picture on it, too.
Great! As a state, their people will pay federal income tax.
That will fix them!
I think statehood is a bad idea. It certainly isn't something to be rushed into on the basis of a slight majority in a nonbinding resolution. The Puerto Ricans are products of a different cultural tradition--Spanish-speaking and Catholic. The colonies which later formed the United States were English-speaking and 99% Protestant (seeing Spain as the enemy and generally holding anti-Catholic attitudes). A lot of Puerto Ricans may have moved to the mainland, but few if any non-Hispanic Americans have gone to Puerto Rico to live.
Statehood is irrevocable, or at least the outcome of the War between the States seems to have established that. What if PR became a state and twenty years later everyone thought independence was better? If they were allowed to leave, 600,000 lives were wasted to establish the principle that secession is not allowed.
That's in addition to a Puerto Rican state being a guaranteed two Democrat senators and five Democrat congressmen--and 7 electoral votes for the Democrat nominee for President.
As for the flag, we could either keep it at 50 stars and require Vermont to become a province of Canada, or add a star. 51 is 3 times 17--so could have a set of three rows of stars 8 across and a set of stars 9 across, alternating rows--might not look too bad. I remember when Hawaii became a state and my father thought there would be a problem with a 5 by 10 arrangement. They worked out something different.
More socialists? Is that what we want?
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