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Puerto Rico statehood referendum draws big support -- but small turnout

danarhea

danarhea

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(CNN)Puerto Rico on Sunday overwhelmingly voted for statehood. But Congress, the only body that can approve new states, will ultimately decide whether the status of the US commonwealth changes.
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Puerto Rico is ready to become the 51st state if Congress lets them. Since everybody born there are American citizens, they should have representation and ability to vote. Also, they would be paying Federal taxes, which they don't pay because they are a commonwealth, not a state.

IMHO, we should either grant them statehood or independence, and settle this issue once and for all.

NOTE: Only 17% of them voted for Trump in the primary last year, which they CAN vote in. The vast majority chose Rubio. Pretty smart cookies there, who know a REAL Republican when they see one. LOL.

Overwhelming support for Puerto Rico statehood referendum - CNN.com
 
danarhea said:
Puerto Rico is ready to become the 51st state if Congress lets them. Since everybody born there are American citizens, they should have representation and ability to vote. Also, they would be paying Federal taxes, which they don't pay because they are a commonwealth, not a state.

IMHO, we should either grant them statehood or independence, and settle this issue once and for all.

NOTE: Only 17% of them voted for Trump in the primary last year, which they CAN vote in. The vast majority chose Rubio. Pretty smart cookies there, who know a REAL Republican when they see one. LOL.

Overwhelming support for Puerto Rico statehood referendum - CNN.com
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I agree. letting them go would devastate them. bringing them in would surge a new country basically of dependents.
their poverty rate is 46%. the us was 14%.

that is a huge influx of poor people. that is a huge upsurge in social services that they would be able to receive.
 
danarhea said:
Puerto Rico is ready to become the 51st state if Congress lets them. Since everybody born there are American citizens, they should have representation and ability to vote. Also, they would be paying Federal taxes, which they don't pay because they are a commonwealth, not a state.

IMHO, we should either grant them statehood or independence, and settle this issue once and for all.

NOTE: Only 17% of them voted for Trump in the primary last year, which they CAN vote in. The vast majority chose Rubio. Pretty smart cookies there, who know a REAL Republican when they see one. LOL.

Overwhelming support for Puerto Rico statehood referendum - CNN.com
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Except 8 in 10 Puerto Ricans didn't vote at all for or against the referendum so it wasn't really "overwhelming support".
 
ludin said:
I agree. letting them go would devastate them. bringing them in would surge a new country basically of dependents.
their poverty rate is 46%. the us was 14%.

that is a huge influx of poor people. that is a huge upsurge in social services that they would be able to receive.
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As they move to the US in vast numbers, that is happening now.
 
Josie said:
Except 8 in 10 Puerto Ricans didn't vote at all for or against the referendum so it wasn't really "overwhelming support".
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So what? We voted in low numbers for president last year. Should we invalidate that? LOL.
 
Josie said:
Except 8 in 10 Puerto Ricans didn't vote at all for or against the referendum so it wasn't really "overwhelming support".
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I guess if its not legally binding people have few reasons to bother.
 
danarhea said:
So what? We voted in low numbers for president last year. Should we invalidate that? LOL.
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Um, no. I didn't say we should "invalidate" anything.
 
The Treaty of Paris marked the beginning of U.S. imperialism in the world. I doubt Congress would voluntarily give it up, nor would it let it become an official State because of reasons already mentioned here. It's poor enough that it would be costly to grant it full access to government services.
 
IMHO, the other current 50 States would be utter fools to accept Puerto Rico as the 51st State!

But it would give the Lefties more political power, which is why it is even being discussed.

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Kurmugeon said:
IMHO, the other current 50 States would be utter fools to accept Puerto Rico as the 51st State!

But it would give the Lefties more political power, which is why it is even being discussed.

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Or maybe the fact they are American citizens without representation and could benefit from state level power.
 
Carjosse said:
Or maybe the fact they are American citizens without representation and could benefit from state level power.
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No.

They would become the Richest state of the 51 states, by SELLING access to enter America as illegal immigrants, drug smugglers, or Terrorists with WMD.

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danarhea said:
Puerto Rico is ready to become the 51st state if Congress lets them. Since everybody born there are American citizens, they should have representation and ability to vote. Also, they would be paying Federal taxes, which they don't pay because they are a commonwealth, not a state.

IMHO, we should either grant them statehood or independence, and settle this issue once and for all.

NOTE: Only 17% of them voted for Trump in the primary last year, which they CAN vote in. The vast majority chose Rubio. Pretty smart cookies there, who know a REAL Republican when they see one. LOL.

Overwhelming support for Puerto Rico statehood referendum - CNN.com
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I lived down there for about half a year in the 90's and would be shocked if they voted for statehood. Things may have changed, but back then most folks were proud to be Puerto Rican and, while they didn't mind ties to the US, they preferred their independence by a significant margin.
 
Northern Light said:
The Treaty of Paris marked the beginning of U.S. imperialism in the world. I doubt Congress would voluntarily give it up, nor would it let it become an official State because of reasons already mentioned here. It's poor enough that it would be costly to grant it full access to government services.
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There are a number of places that were 'voluntarily given up': Philippines and Cuba come to mind.

So what government services are Puerto Rican's not granted 'full access'?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Northern Light said:
The Treaty of Paris marked the beginning of U.S. imperialism in the world. I doubt Congress would voluntarily give it up
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:roll:

Such stupendous, ahistorical drivel.
 
ludin said:
I agree. letting them go would devastate them. bringing them in would surge a new country basically of dependents.
their poverty rate is 46%. the us was 14%.

that is a huge influx of poor people. that is a huge upsurge in social services that they would be able to receive.
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Are you proud that the worlds largest economy has a poverty rate of 14 %??? That is 1 in 7.14%. And that makes you proud. Shameful.
Those numbers will go up significantly with Trumps cuts.
Perhaps check the poverty rate in the G7 or the OECD.
 
Kurmugeon said:
No.

They would become the Richest state of the 51 states, by SELLING access to enter America as illegal immigrants, drug smugglers, or Terrorists with WMD.

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Proof pls or is this just plain old ranting without any basis in fact?
 
Kurmugeon said:
No.

They would become the Richest state of the 51 states, by SELLING access to enter America as illegal immigrants, drug smugglers, or Terrorists with WMD.

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You do know Puerto Rico is currently part of the US and Puerto Ricans are US citizens right?
 
Carjosse said:
You do know Puerto Rico is currently part of the US and Puerto Ricans are US citizens right?
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I've spent a great deal of time in Peurto Rico, working for the U.S. Government, attempting to track and stem drug smuggling, Government Corruption, and Radical Islamic Infiltration and Terrorism.

Of the various Island-Nations, Only the Phillipines has a worse problem with Islamic Terrorist Infiltration.

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danarhea said:
IMHO, we should either grant them statehood or independence, and settle this issue once and for all.
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probably this. they're in this weird limbo where they kind of have taxation without representation, but kind of don't. we'll have to bail them out if they become a state, but we'll also probably have to bail them out even if they don't. perhaps we can skip the next war and do that instead, along with other positive things. as for making them a state, it looks like this issue will split along party lines like every other issue. an article i read today said that PR would be a blue state, so they have no more chance at statehood in the current political climate than a new southern Republican state would have under a Democratic majority.
 
Helix said:
probably this. they're in this weird limbo where they kind of have taxation without representation, but kind of don't. we'll have to bail them out if they become a state, but we'll also probably have to bail them out even if they don't. perhaps we can skip the next war and do that instead, along with other positive things. as for making them a state, it looks like this issue will split along party lines like every other issue. an article i read today said that PR would be a blue state, so they have no more chance at statehood in the current political climate than a new southern Republican state would have under a Democratic majority.
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Politics SHOULD be an art and exercise in bi-partisan comprimise. (Not Antifa violence) Where an agreement can be reached, because both sides gain something of value.

One of the big problems of giving PR statehood, is that its extremely small population, would suddenly have the voting clout of 2 Senators!

One solution to the PR problem I've heard proposed, is that California, which has a political imbalance of way to many House of Rep Seats and votes, be broken into Northern and Southern California, and SoCal has PuetoRica thown into its designated Territory.

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Kurmugeon said:
No.

They would become the Richest state of the 51 states, by SELLING access to enter America as illegal immigrants, drug smugglers, or Terrorists with WMD.

-
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That's a neat little conspiracy theory ya got there. Too bad it's completely divorced from reality.
 
danarhea said:
Puerto Rico is ready to become the 51st state if Congress lets them. Since everybody born there are American citizens, they should have representation and ability to vote. Also, they would be paying Federal taxes, which they don't pay because they are a commonwealth, not a state.

IMHO, we should either grant them statehood or independence, and settle this issue once and for all.

NOTE: Only 17% of them voted for Trump in the primary last year, which they CAN vote in. The vast majority chose Rubio. Pretty smart cookies there, who know a REAL Republican when they see one. LOL.

Overwhelming support for Puerto Rico statehood referendum - CNN.com
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If they want independence then let them go but they liked where they were at until they screwed themselves over and now need statehood to save them.
 
For the record, the Republican Party platform supported statehood for Puerto Rico and the Democratic one pretty much supported the status quo.
 
Kurmugeon said:
No.

They would become the Richest state of the 51 states, by SELLING access to enter America as illegal immigrants, drug smugglers, or Terrorists with WMD.

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Immigration would be unchanged, you have to clear US CBP to enter PR from abroad and flights to the US from PR are domestic, none of that would change
 
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