Posted on 03/04/2021 6:42:52 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Fifty is a nice, round number. It looks good: “The 50 States of the United States.” I can vaguely remember when it was the “good ole’ 48” states. And then Alaska and Hawaii entered the union and 48 became 50. Back then, we all looked around and didn’t see any more room for a state. The U.S. was full up and we posted a “no vacancy” sign.
But “50” is not set in stone. There was always that holdover from the American imperial era, Puerto Rico. Following the end of the Spanish-American War, the U.S. military basically just stayed there, eventually giving the people the rights of a territory. At the time, there were other territorial governments in addition to Hawaii and Alaska in New Mexico and Arizona.
At first, the Puerto Rican people wanted independence. The first vote in 1914 was overwhelmingly in favor of the territory declaring itself an independent state. But Congress nixed the plan and that’s where the matter has rested until today.
There have been five referendums since 1967 asking Puerto Ricans if they want to be a state, declare independence, or remain a territory. The question of independence has also been debated several times in the last few decades, most recently in 2017.
Statehood has usually won these referendums but by narrow margins. The vote in 2020 for statehood or remaining a territory was 53-48, which has precipitated a movement by Democrats in Congress to vote on the island’s status.
The issue of statehood has been given a sense of urgency as the island continues to struggle in recovering from Hurricane Maria in 2017. Many residents believe that statehood would have gotten them more aid sooner. That’s debatable, but it’s clear that the island could use the extra financial help statehood would bestow.
(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
Wouldn’t making PR a state be the height of colonialism? I thought Leftists were against that.
Let those people be free and independent.....of us!
If there is any lesson to learn from what has happened over the last six weeks, it’s that the Democrats can, have and WILL do anything they want.
With SCOTUS turning a blind eye to all they have done, they are able to execute there plans with an “in your face” attitude.
Yeah, they’ll get statehood for DC, Puerto Rico, Guam and others. That’ll get them two senators and one congressman for each new state.
And, of course, because the country is now larger, we’ll need to have a few more SCOTUS justices to help handle the load. Four or six new justices just might do the trick . . .
If they do it, I may just buy property there.
The Puerto Rican people better watch out you’re about to be Screwed Big Time by the Democrats
Thank You for the ping!
Naw! There has to be overwhelming support within Puerto Rico to make it a state. Since opinion is nearly evenly divided then statehood is now not likely.
Good luck passing a constitutional amendment for D.C. statehood.
I think in most referenda, except the most recent one, the commonwealth option slightly outpolled the statehood option (neither having 50%), and the last referendum had the options manipulated to favor statehood.
I’d be fine with that as I’d suggest that they must adopt English if they were to become a state. With independence, we’d have to give Puerto Ricans in US continued citizenship and those in Puerto Rico would lose it.
Actually Puerto Rico had a very strong economy, due to very favorable corporate tax treatments. Clothing, pharmaceuticals, and light manufacturers did very well. Unfortunately the Clinton Administration cancelled the tax breaks and then closed the naval base at Roosevelt Roads which messed up the economic base.
How about Saipan? It is a US territory, too.
Good luck getting 2/3 of the states to approve...not going to happen.
bump
Torpedoed by Pearl Harbor.
Statehood should have at least one condition—fiscal responsibility exemplified by a federal balanced budget for the past 10 years.
Making for more D votes.
RE: Making for more D votes
*THAT* has always been the plan.
While that would certainly be a consideration of those solidly in the PR middle and upper class, I would be interested to know what percentage of the population would have an actual federal tax liability. Wages are lower in PR. I bet a great deal of PR fall below the income line where they would actually have a federal income tax liability.
Keep in mind, they already pay FICA and are eligble for (most) Social Security benefits. If they became a state, the Medicare/Medicaid funding would be greatly increased giving them additional incentive.
How about making Joe Biden’s State of Mind the 53rd state?
Could technically be called the State of Confusion, but Massachusetts is a “commonwealth” and Texas is a “republic.”
So go for broke, Dems./s
P.S. After Biden is, sadly, through natural causes, no longer with us, his remains in an urn or as a mummy like Lenin (forgot he’s a phony “Catholic” charlatan, sorry!) could rest in the Capitol rotunda as the capital of that new Biden state within the new State of DC. Pelosi types could bend their knee in idolatry to black BLM heroes and then bend their knee to Biden who ushered in the Age of Communism in America.
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