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The 51st State: Puerto Rico

Are you OK with Puerto Rico becoming the 51st state of the United States?


  • Total voters
    48

Jucon

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Are you OK with Puerto Rico becoming the 51st state of the United States?

Why or why not?
 
Nope, it will make the flag uneven.
 
No problem at all. They have it pretty good as they are though.
 
.... No. I refuse to have a 58th or 59th state.
 
I'm not really sure. I need to hear more about the pros and cons of it before I can decide.
 
We already HAVE a 51st state! All thanks to tony Blair!
 
Yes, and so should DC.

After all, there are more Americans living in either of those two places than in Wyoming (for instance). They deserve to be represented properly.
 
No. 50 is a perfect number, half of 100. The flag is just right now, adding a state now would upset the balance of the universe.
 
I have no other reason for voting yes, except that I don't see why not.

Oh and it would be easy to have 51 stars. Just change the pattern.
us-51sta.gif
 
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This would be super epic if puerto rico became a state. However, that would kinda screw with Senate seating.
 
OK, then let's combine the Carolinas and the Dakotas. :2razz:

There's a thought. But then again, California really needs to be two states.
 
There's a thought. But then again, California really needs to be two states.

Yep. But we really could combine a lot of the mountain and midwest states since most of them don't have that many people.
 
New York needs to be subdivided as well...
 
They are already a protectorate of the U.S. and have most of the perks of U.S. citizenship without the tax liabilities. So if they choose to file for statehood I don't see a problem.
 
They are already a protectorate of the U.S. and have most of the perks of U.S. citizenship without the tax liabilities. So if they choose to file for statehood I don't see a problem.

They way I'm seeing it is that someone is pushing a bill to give them representation, even though they have already voted several times to not become a state.

Smells fishy to me.
 
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The issue with PR becoming a state has to do with immigration bills in Congress.

We need more debate on this before HR 2499 is made law.

I just emailed this message to my Congressman:

Please vote no on H.R. 2499 because an issue as important as statehood for Puerto Rico deserves a national debate first, instead of this sneaky attempt to add a new state to America. Americans deserve to know more about this before you vote on it so please Vote NO on HR 2499 and vote NO on statehood for Puerto Rico.
 
They way I'm seeing it is that someone is pushing a bill to give them representation, even though they have already voted several times to not become a state.

Smells fishy to me.
That would be a major problem, if they aren't a state then they shouldn't have a vote on U.S. federal or state legal matters, that would be a very sneaky way of trying to pad the house a bit and I would have a major problem with it.
 
That would be a major problem, if they aren't a state then they shouldn't have a vote on U.S. federal or state legal matters, that would be a very sneaky way of trying to pad the house a bit and I would have a major problem with it.

Reading more about it, the bill requires PR to hold a referendum on sovereignty and statehood like they have in the past.

They have a pretty sweet deal, so I don't know why they would vote to become a state.
They would lose some very nice bennies because of it.

They don't pay federal income taxes.
They do pay SS and Medicare taxes.
 
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Reading more about it, the bill requires PR to hold a referendum on sovereignty and statehood like they have in the past.

They have a pretty sweet deal, so I don't know why they would vote to become a state.
They would lose some very nice bennies because of it.
I figured that's what it was but will have to study it further, this issue actually comes up every couple of years or so between the US and Puerto Rico, it's assumed they'll eventually become a state but if it's the normal course I don't see an issue. I personally don't see why they'd want to be a state, they trade off a representative vote for no federal taxes, they'd have to be nuts to become a state right now.
 
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