Why isn't Puerto Rico a state? I've always wondered that.

[raccoon]

I have a suspicion, but I'd like to hear your thoughts.

[eShirl]

1. not enough Republicans, is my guess

[NYC Liberal]

2. They voted against it, no?

It was a non-binding vote but there you go.

Why, what's your suspicion?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

8. they did. And one of the big reasons was the US Navy.

[NYC Liberal]

15. I honestly have not read enough about Puerto Rico,

but I'm not in the least surprised by that.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

27. from a PR friend,

their new sonar was killing fish and mammal life,
and
they use an island for target practice, with REALLY REALLY big shells.

[SCantiGOP]

38. they've quit using the island for practice

they stopped a few years ago because of protests.
The main reason they vote to maintain their current status is that they receive much more in benefits than if they were a state. The pro-independence party has never gotten more than 10% in a referendum. Oddly, they are US residents, subject to federal income tax and the military draft if it exists, but they can only vote in primaries if they reside on the island. If they become residents of a US state they can then vote in regular elections.

[raccoon]

21. Because it's a different culture. nt

[maglatinavi]

45. vote

No, we didn't vote against it!!!
:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[SemiCharmedQuark]

3. They don't want to be a state?

[T Wolf]

4. Them peeple luk funny and don't speak English like good Merkins are sposed to.

Could it be anything else other than racism???

That is why DC also is without representation in Congress.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

10. Yeah...it could be that they voted against statehood.

And if the United States forced them into statehood anyway, I'm sure some DUers would allege that the Evil American Empire was stretching its fingers further across the globe

[T Wolf]

24. I was refering strictly to the political motivations behind the Congresscretins who would have

to be the ones introducing legislation.

The people themselves are divided, but you have to wonder whether that would change if open, honest information was given to them.

The fact that it is linked with DC statehood shows another weakness of our system - nothing happens on its own merits. Everything is a "deal" that benefits someone and hurts others.

[NeedleCast]

25. "Could it be anything else other than racism???"

Yes. It's because they voted not to be a state.

[paulsby]

30. spare me the racism crap

look at hawaii. people are plenty brown and "speak funny" (as a pidgin speaker myself, i can attest to this)

yes, it COULD be something else other than racism

as for DC?

DC was DESIGNED to be a district. at its inception. DC was not 75% black back when it was DESIGNED as a "non-state"

i suggest projection. people who see racism EVERYWHERE, even where it doesn't exist, need to look inwards

[RKP5637]

33. +1, n/t

[T Wolf]

41. Do you deny that pukes do not want DC to get a vote because they are scared that

the minority population would elect a Democrat? How is that not racism?

[paulsby]

43. i think there are all sorts of reasons that people don't want (and do want)

DC to get the vote or not get it

i suspect many racists on both sides of the fence think this way about DC.

but the ISSUE is this. DC was DESIGNED... and LONG before it was a majority (supermajority) black population, to NOT be a state


see: article one of the US constitution

remember, it wasn't until the 1960's, that DC residents could even vote for prez.

[old mark]

64. Actually, Puerto Ricans are made up of EVERY race there is -

they are very like the mainland US except they speak Spanish, have one hell of a beach and possibly the best cuisine in the world - absolutely wonderful food.

They have been treated horribly by the US throughout our mutual history, and do not want to change their present relationship with us.


(They also have Rosie Perez, even though she is NewYorRican...)


m

[Kahuna]

39. They don't look funny to me. They're some of the most beautiful people

on the planet. :smoke:

[maglatinavi]

46. pr

you, I think are ignorant and homophobic
:puke: :puke: :puke:
:tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat:

[Richardo]

5. A 3 x 17 matrix of stars not square enough to fit on the flag.

:patriot:

[namahage]

11. ...

[Caliman73]

6. I am way under informed on this subject but...

I thought it is because the voters in Puerto Rico have rejected every referendum on statehood put up for a vote.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

14. Yup. Non binding but still. I personally know very few people who voted yes and we vote in huge

numbers.

[maglatinavi]

51. numbers

you don't know anything. The New Progressive Party won the 2008 elections.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

54. WTF are you talking about? No shit they won Sherlock. I'm well aware of who won the

elections in my own country. It helps when your opponent is on trial for corruption. I'm talking about the non binding referendum we had in 98. Everyone who knows anything about PR knows that it doesn't matter which party wins. Status is determined by congress. If the PIP won in 2012 it wouldn't mean shit for the status. It wouldn't mean that all of a sudden we want independence. As many times as the PNP has won in previous decades it doesn't change the fact that people prefer the status quo and not statehood.

[WatchWhatISay]

7. I have no idea but I was recently surprised to find

That I could pay for my dogs registration (with Federacion Canofila de Peurto Rico) with a US check.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

9. I highly doubt that the US government wants to add a 51st state. Plus

the majority in the island don't want it. People feel that they have the "best of both worlds" right now.

[scheming daemons]

12. They simply don't want to be. They've voted over and over again against it

It's not racial. There's no conspiracy.


The citizens of the island simply vote it down every time the subject comes up.


I've visited Puerto Rico often and have talked to the people there. They like having the benefits of U.S. protection and the use of U.S. currency, without having to pay federal income taxes.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

18. People also feel English would become the official language. Even though

the US has no official language. Oh and the flag we loooove our flag I've always said we're the biggest flag waivers I've ever seen.

[maglatinavi]

48. pr

English was at a time the official language in PR. Now both English and Spanish are used officially.
:dunce: :dunce: :dunce: :dunce:

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

55. Since I was born and raised there your lame attempts to "educate" me are

quite laughable. When you ask people on the street. Which I've done many times including some of my own relatives who support statehood. They tell you they don't want to learn to speak English or for it to become the primary language in school. English is taught as a second language and the majority of people do not speak it fluently. I suggest you go back and do some homework. Before trying to sound clever.

[Ian David]

26. I think there are also people with bombs and guns fighting for complete separation as well. n/t

[Shaffer1907]

34. They'd vote Democrat

You mean if I move to Puerto Rico I won't have to pay income taxes? Wow. My first guess was that the reason they don't want Puerto Rico to be a state is cause they'd vote Democrat.

[zulchzulu]

13. Most people in Puerto Rico don't want to be a state

I've been there several times and talked about it. If you've ever been there, you'd notice that nearly all highway signs are in Spanish. There are lots of indications where if the US made Puerto Rico a state, a lot of regulations would pretty much turn the island into a variation of Miami or whatever.

Personally, I love Puerto Rico as it is. If it became a state, so much of the culture would disappear.

[maglatinavi]

52. zulchzulu

You are wrong...:crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy:

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

58. No, for the 10th time you are. Whichever party wins the elections has to do with local issues. Not

status, genius. The only reason Fortuño won is because Anibal Acevedo Vilá was being tried for corruption.

[sinkingfeeling]

16. They voted the idea down in 1998 for one. And then, they have a better deal with commonwealth status

They're US citizens that pay no federal income taxes.

http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/puertorico/say.htm

[raccoon]

50. Lucky them. I didn't realize that the PR's voted against statehood, which

you and other posters have pointed out.

I always figured it was a cultural thing, that many non-hispanic Americans would get really upset at the idea of a state where Spanish was the official language.

[NM_hemilover]

69. another fine moment in progress,

without bothering to research it at all, you just "figured" it was a cultural thing, nice. Racial bread and butter is always ignorance, because they are brown lets assume Americans hate them.

[raccoon]

70. Aren't you smug and superior? Get over yourself. nt

[NM_hemilover]

71. Arrogant ? yeah probably

Ass ? eh, been called worse and still sleep at night.

you don't even acknowledge the fact that your default assumption is racist,..... says enough.

Have a wonderfully racial day, take care

[nykym]

17. Why buy the cow

when you can get the milk for free!

[KamaAina]

19. The pro-statehood party is affiliated with the repukes

somehow or other, they, like CT, NJ, CA, etc., managed to elect a governor. :puke:

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

23. That's not exactly correct. Both parties are tight with the Democrats. PNPers behave like

repukes and all that. But I remember Gov. Roselló being close with Clinton and the Democrats.

[KamaAina]

40. He was apparently the exception

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Progressive_Party_of_Puerto_Rico

The majority of the PNP leaders are also members of the US Republican Party, with only two PNP governors, Carlos Romero Barceló, and Dr. Pedro Rosselló González, being registered as US Democrats. The current Governor, Luis G. Fortuño, caucused with the Republicans when he was in Congress and serves as Puerto Rico's Republican National Committeeman. The current House Speaker Jennifer González and the Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz are Republicans.

Meanwhile,

Following the 2008 general elections, it currently holds supermajorities in the Commonwealth's House of Representatives and Senate. The NPP also won the Puerto Rico's sole delegate to Congress seat and the Governor's office at La Fortaleza. Forty-eight of Puerto Rico's 78 mayoral seats are now also occupied by NPP.

:wtf: is going on down there?!

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

56. Basically they kiss up to whomever's in power in DC. But the PPD gets along with

Democrats better than pukes. It just so happened that we hadn't gotten a Democrat in the WH since Carter. So Roselló was just fine dealing with Clinton. He even emulated his campaign style a bit back in '92.

[NeedleCast]

20. Mostly because they don't want to be

I think there have been a few votes on this an popular vote has been no more than once.

[scheming daemons]

22. "I have my suspicions"

I'm sure your suspicions are because the people there are brown and speak spanish.... but your suspicions are wrong.

[BeyondGeography]

28. Mark Penn thought it was a state

[HopeHoops]

29. Because a 51st star would fuck up the flag.

[RKP5637]

35. LOL, I was thinking the same...

:rofl:

[AsahinaKimi]

37. Well that wouldn't be a problem

There are some people who want to replace those stars with a CROSS ..meh.

Kingdom of God Flag:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http://kingdomofgodflag.info/&usg=__JczRbXAwC6NfYrGWd_xmDJ4As5g=&h=331&w=523&sz=48&hl=en&start=13&sig2=d3NY6Wn43HjCnzwuLtUKPw&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=Ea17_oj7FLn3EM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=131&prev=/images%3Fq%3DChristian%2Bnation%2Bflag%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=qJzQS73FEaCGtAO9uqjYCQ

[Gidney N Cloyd]

44. Maybe we should combine 2 states into one to make room for PR.

Do we need two Dakotas? Two Carolinas? Two Virginias?
I know we don't need Indiana but I doubt any of the surrounding states would take it.

[tekisui]

57. Don't you dare put South Carolina with us in NC.

[HopeHoops]

68. We could just give Texas back to Mexico.

[conscious evolution]

53. Hawaii Five O sounds better

for a police state.

[GentryDixon]

31. Color of their skin?

[maglatinavi]

32. statehood for pr

The answer should be simple. For strange reasons there have been in PR three bands in relation to its political status. The basic reason presently however, is the comfortable position for some, of being under the American flag but not paying federal taxes and getting some benefits as american citizens, although not all benefits. Puerto Ricans have been involved in all wars and have shed their blood Jan all theaters of war defending the US. My great grandfather, a physician wrote to the President asking him to make PR a state ... before the Hispanic American war. When the US troops invaded Puerto Rico, in 1898, they were received with parades and parties. Later on the Republican party was formed with it's platform being to obtain statehood for PR. In 1968, members of the Democrat party that wanted statehood for PR united with Republicans that wanted a plebiscite for statehood formed a new group that eventually became a political party with statehood as its platform, the New Progressive Party. The party won the 1968 elections.
There is a very small group that wants independence for PR, they are very vocal, but very small, so much so that after general election the party has to be registered as new. The New Progressive Party has won elections including the 2008 elections.
:patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot:

[Name removed]

36. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[left coaster]

42. Because they didn't want to be one. nt

[twilo73]

47. They don't want to

I lived there in the 80's and as far as I know they don't want to be a state... they keep voting to either become independent or state how they are now.

[old mark]

49. They are afraid more people wil move there and they will tip over

like Guam...


m

[cutlassmama]

60. +1

:rofl:

[ProgressiveProfessor]

59. Better off for them not to be. Lower taxes, full US citizenship, major subsidies.

[harkadog]

61. Let's all become like them then!

[MyNameGoesHere]

62. I have a better question.

Why haven't they revolted and kicked their yanqui oppressors out? PR is like Cuba was before the revolution but without the mob influence, well unless you count the US government.

[librechik]

63. brown people again.

that's my suspicion.

[Uzybone]

65. Plenty of racism abounds, even in "liberal" circles

Lets not make up racism where there is none.

[tomm2thumbs]

66. I think they have not had an advocate

it takes someone high up, with a good message and purposeful reasoning to deliver that message

oh, and if you can make it somehow profitable for greedy people, that would be great. folks want to know there is something in it for them before they will even consider doing something that might take a lick of sense or effort outside the norm. the old 'what's in it for ME?' crowd needs payment...

[slampoet]

67. All states are added in pairs, one democratic and one republican. The reason that D.C., Guam,Puerto

Rico, and a whole lot of other US possessions are not full state is due to no corresponding GOP leaning territory to pair them with. All our current territories and possessions tend to vote left.