Posted on 01/18/2021 10:51:27 AM PST by Anti-Bubba182
Many journalists and political commentators have been pessimistic about the possibility of statehood for the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. This seems to be primarily because, despite the recent Democratic victories in Georgia, moderate senators like Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), Diane Feinstein (D-Calif), and Angus King (I-Maine) continue to support the legislative filibuster. It is impossible to imagine Republican senators voting to give Democratic-leaning areas full representation, so the issue must be dead on arrival in the upper chamber. But in a recent CNN interview, Manchin himself provided evidence for why this thinking is all wrong......."
(Excerpt) Read more at theweek.com ...
Thanks, and I also wonder if the question of whether 60 votes, or a simple majority was required in the Senate to approve Alaska and Hawaii. As I recall, most everyone was agreeable to those two and there was little controversy.
I know PR has in the past enjoyed special tax incentives for pharmaceutical companies to locate there, and would probably lose those if it became a state. And they have state or independent referendums periodically and chose to remain independent.
And it looks like a constitutional amendment should be required to make DC a state.
Quite the contrary. The last three times it’s been asked Puerto Rico has voted for statehood. And the current governor is for it.
About dealing with the IRS, as we say here, that’s another $20.
DC is set by the constitution, thus requiring a constitutional amendment. PR is technically a sovereign state and will require a vote of its people to become a state, subject to all the reg’s and taxes of the feds.
I was only responding to to the headline that refers to 50 votes to pass.
Try reading the Constitution.
Article I, Section 8, Clause 17
The Constitution established the district. How do you amend the Constitution?
Actually, a new seat of government would have to be established as well if DC were made State. The district of the seat of government is separate from the States as noted above.
Which State do you believe would sell ten square miles of their land?
You good?
“Needs 67 votes, plus 3/4ths of the state legislatures.”
That’s what I thought. But civics class was so long ago cars had running boards. (Okay, some cars still operating had running boards.)
I assume a statehood referendum in PR would pass overwhelmingly since it’s a poor demographic (median household income ~ $20k compared to say Mississippi ~ $45k)and everybody would be on SNAP, SSI, EIC, etc.
Some of those programs exist in PR today but they are funded at much lower levels than in the US.
DC used to be part of Maryland. The argument should be to just rejoin DC to Maryland.
That would give us four conservative Senators and over thirty mostly conservative Representatives.
And he could stick it to Communist China at the same time.
No way would Hong Kong vote for having US tax rates, and it will only get worse under President Kamalamadingdong Devi Gopalan-Harris.
No way the American people would vote for them either.
But who listens to what the American people want anymore?
I will clean up the list. I was trying to identify the ones in which a governor could fill the vacancy immediately without a special election.
There are about 7 elderly (68 or higher) in states with GOP Governors. 1 in new Hampshire, 2 in Vermont, 2 in Massachusetts, 1 in West Virginia, 1 in Ohio.
Okay, the latest referendum favored statehood by 52% to 48%. Hardly an overwhelming margin that should be needed. I'm sure the citizens of the territories of Alaska and Hawaii favored statehood by much LARGER margins when they were given statehood.
There is that pesky 23rd amendment which grants DC special status that would need to be repealed. Not that the constitution matters anymore . . .
Where in there does it say that you can’t make a state out of it? Even though I know they shouldn’t.. The Democrats don’t believe in the Constitution and have no reason to follow it even if it did say you need 67 votes or what ever to make a new state. They will not follow it..
We take the whole state. We don’t need to excise blue counties or cities from red ones.
Give DC back to Maryland. Virginia already got their contribution.
I thought Puerto Rico had to vote to become a state itself and they don’t do it because they would have to pay federal taxes instead of just take money from the US government?
Won’t happen. Puerto Rico will be reliably blue. Anyone saying otherwise is a silly person or a lying Democrat.
Puerto Ricans vote blue the moment they get on the mainland at rates just like all other Latino groups (except Cubans). All the arguments in favor of Puerto Rican statehood on the grounds that it will favor Republicans can be used on any number of Latin countries, Latin countries that are “conservative” on social issues (except Argentina I think, or one of those countries, which recently legalized abortion finally), but who vote for absolute corrupt trash every election cycle.
The real problem is the ethnocentrism of these people. Yes, ethnocentrism. A racist adherence to their own people to the expense (if necessary) of all others.
Puerto Ricans will always be Puerto Ricans first, it being their culture and nature, which is why they vote just like any other Hispanic group that moves to the United States.
I think that governors of every state can appoint a temporary senator, although in some cases they must call a special election fairly quickly (instead of gaving the appointment last one or two years, until the next scheduled federal statewide election).
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