HR2499 - Should Puerto Rico be the 51st state?

[devil21]

This was brought to my attention today. HR2499 was introduced last year and is somewhat quietly making its way through Congress. It is a bill to place a popular vote in PR on the future "political status" of the territory. Im assuming statehood will be the eventual result of the vote.

http://puertoricoadvancement.org/default.aspx


After over 100 years of political uncertainty, Congressman Pierluisi of Puerto Rico has introduced HR 2499, The Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009, to resolve effectively the status uncertainty of Puerto Rico. HR 2499 effectively gives the people of

Puerto Rico the right to vote on two plebiscites that will decide the island’s future association with the United States. links to bill and more info at link

This is a tough one. On one hand PR residents are technically US citizens and should be considered for the same rights to vote as every other US citizen. On the other hand it reeks (imho) of another step to bring previously unaccounted people voters into the mix, surely predominantly Democrats, just like the illegal immigration legalization. Why aren't our other "territories" like Guam and the Philippines included?

Thoughts?

[Danke]

How would that affect Trust fund #62?

[Brian4Liberty]

How about giving them full independence?

[devil21]

How would that affect Trust fund #62?

What's that?

[Brooklyn Red Leg]

How about giving them full independence?

That would be far more preferable than making them a state. As it is, the more States that enter the Union, the greater likelihood of a Constitutional Convention being called, which would screw us all.

[MelissaWV]

These bills come up for vote quite often. It's a bit of a rock and a hard place, imo, but no, it shouldn't be the 51st state. The immigration problems on the island should also be addressed via checks at employment, welfare/benefits, and crime. It's the immigration backdoor to the USA.

[virgil47]

Either give them independence or make them states so they can pay their fair share of taxes. By the way Guam and P.R. are territories but the Phillipines are not.

[South Park Fan]

Give them independence.

[nate895]

Independence will be an option on the ballot. If I can recall correctly, there are four options on the ballot: statehood, remain a territory, independence, and NOTA. Last election NOTA won, so the status quo remained. Statehood was close behind, with independence in a distant third (2.5%), and retain commonwealth status was at less than 1%. Previous elections it was commonwealth beating statehood by various margins. The trend is definitely in favor of statehood, however.

[Noob]

Statehood!!

[heavenlyboy34]

free Puerto Rico! Independence today!

[AlexMerced]

I'm not really up to date with the Puerto Rican economy to be on either side... although I think statehood would in time be something puerto ricans will regret, since half my family is from PR, the other being from Guatemala

[mczerone]

Free State Project: Puerto Rico?

20,000 liberty minded people settling there could probably really work in ridding the area of institutionalized aggression.