Puerto rico finnaly approved of being our 51 state does anyone have any objections?

Why do they see it as 'rigged'? Tell me there is something more there than some bad polling numbers.

 

Puerto Rico will be bailed out by the US anyway, might as well get another state for it.

 

Big whoppie do about wording or language of the questions. Then having only two choice or questions on the ballot, becoming a state or independence. Remaining as a territory wasn't originally on it. The DOJ had stepped in a few times and finally remaining as a territory was added. But there were still problems with the wording. Finally, with all this wrangling still going on, 75% of all PR'ans said to Hades with it, they wouldn't vote.

Hence the 23% voter turnout this time as compared to 77% the last time PR held an referendum. In the five previous referendums turn out was always around 80% give or take. There's a lot more to it, but that is the quick and dirty.

 

I'm guessing you're joking. Make them a state, repeal minimum wage laws, stir, and wham bam...Singapore? Who is Puerto Rico's Lee Kuan Yew in this scenario?

OK this must just be a joke that I'm not getting.

 

What would we get from their statehood rather than just making them independent.

 

They're not culturally linked to the U.S. and they're dirt poor. They would just be a dead weight financially and an automatic 7 electoral votes for the Dems every 4 years.

Give them independence.

 

Congress will never go for it while they are bankrupt

 

What in the world does Trump owning property in PR have to do with it? I know you absolutely hate him so you will use that argument wherever and however you can, but I think he was/is only slightly less useless than HRC, so using that argument to me is laughable at best.

Can you list the effort they have made then?

23% voted, that does not show effort

Have you been to PR? I have been over two dozen times, I have A LOT of experience dealing with people and business from there and I can tell you with certainty, no single person has ever brought up becoming an American State to me. I am definitely going to trust the people I know and the clients I do business with in PR over some random guy who just wants to attack Trump on a message board

 

Great, another new addition of far left person who simply want's to attack Trump and refuses to talk about the issues in debate.

Welcome to the forum...

The discussion is whether or not PR will become A STATE. By claiming "PR is already IN the USA" you are trying to paint a picture radically different than what is actually happening.

The fact of the matter is that the US has attempted to make PR a state several times and they flat out said no.

Then, all of the sudden RIGHT AFTER https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rican_government-debt_crisis boils over, they want to be a state.

IF they actually wanted to become a state, more people would care, they don't. This is a driven by a certain minority of people who understand the financial benefits of becoming a state are.

With that in mind, I don't want these people to become a state. Immigrants go WAY out of their way to become an American and are usually excited and proud to be so, PR is not that

 

Puerto Rico is very socially conservative. If it was not for the US Supreme Court gay marriage would still be illegal there. The liberals there tend to be more like moderate Republicans from the mainland. 80% support prayer in school, 80% want comprehensive immigration reform and about 70% want a secure boarder before that reform takes place. One thing that tends to stray from conservatives in the mainland is around 60% support of path to citizenship for illegal aliens already in the country.

Those I served with and personally know are conservatives. With only one not really giving a damn about gay marriage.

It is very likely Republicans would get 2 more votes in the Senate and get 2 more seats in the House currently held by California and Washington.

Puerto Rico has had very lopsided election victories for conservatives. Their legislature is overwhelming conservative. In other words when the choice is between a conservative and liberal the conservative gets more than 50% of the vote almost all the time.

Why would you think that if Puerto Rico becomes a state it would be blue and not red? The voting history there demonstrates they would be putting conservatives in office.

The people there are already US citizens so they are cultural linked to the US. Every unit I was in had more than one person from Puerto Rico serving along side me, they pay certain federal taxes, vast majority are Christians, they have a Constitution that they support and defend, believe in the rule of law.

The Puerto Ricans I know and have served with are culturally tied to the US. They share the same values that many Americans do. I guess you and others can make what you believe to be true become reality. Just continue to make assumptions that Puerto Ricans share nothing culturally with you and do not support the values in the US Constitution.

Here is the the preamble of from their Constitution ratified by Puerto Ricans:

We, the people of Puerto Rico, in order to organize ourselves politically on a fully democratic basis, to promote the general welfare, and to secure for ourselves and our posterity the complete enjoyment of human rights, placing our trust in Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the commonwealth which, in the exercise of our natural rights, we now create within our union with the United States of America.

In so doing, we declare:
The democratic system is fundamental to the life of the Puerto Rican community;
We understand that the democratic system of government is one in which the will of the people is the source of public power, the political order is subordinate to the rights of man, and the free participation of the citizen in collective decisions is assured;

 

Mostly not. It wouldn't be Singapore, but it would see double digit growth for some time.

Puerto Rico was once an industrializing territory, but unfortunately all federal regulations were applied to them, despite significantly different economic scenarios.

 

Well you don't escape federal regulations by becoming a state. If they really have the potential to be the Singapore of the Caribbean, that can only be achieved through independence.

 

I am really ignorant about PR, but I know Latinos like you they are really conservative at heart..hey being a Patriot as I am I welcome them if they want to be our 51st state, just like I would welcome Mexico to be our 52 state, just like I would welcome Iraq to be our 53 state..



.

 

That's certainly true.

Looks like we kinda ****ed 'em, eh?

Not in their current financial situation.

 

Well then it can't be done.

 

Sure it could. Get rid of minimum wage and other federal regulations, clear their debt.

Great, now we have an industrial hub.

Why should Mexico and China get all the love?

 

Haven't they destroyed their economy with high taxes and social spending? That sounds like Obama, Pelosi, and Reid to me.

Poor minorities invariably vote left wing.

 

It would be so much easier to put a Wall up on the border of our 53 third state Mexico with Guatemala then it is with Mexico and the USA.

.

 

IMO they don't have enough land to pull it off.

 

How much land does Singapore have?

Great thing about industrialization is that land really isn't important. Little, crowded countries like the UK, Japan, Germany, and Singapore have been industrial giants. Concentrated populations and access to the coast is all you need.

They were pulling it off. Then we started increasing minimum wage and tightening environmental regulations.

 

Considering conservatives were running the Puerto Rico why do you think that it sounds like Obama, Pelosi and Reid?

How about look at a US state where conservatives got exactly what they wanted? Take a look at Kansas.

Puerto Rico had a lot of help destroying their economy from the US.

The Jones Act forces them to only buy products delivered by a US ship. Cost there are generally 20% higher than what you would spend. They have to get the products delivered by a US ship with a US crew. Even products made there have to be shipped to the US then back. They have little power to change that Jones Act. They can not vote in Federal elections only in the primaries if they live in Puerto Rico. They have no votes in Congress or Electoral College votes. As matter of fact one of the best thing they could do to help Puerto Rico is move to the mainland and vote. Something you seem would be opposed to.

The Jones Act also makes it very difficult for a manufacturer to compete with others around the world. They are forced to use certain shipping companies, those companies know it and charge accordingly. So this means manufacturing jobs are non-existent there. Not that an island nation as small as theirs would have that many.

They had very little self determination regarding their agricultural since they have been territory of the US. No focus went into producing food for Puerto Rico. It was driven by US interest and companies to export all that was grown there. For most of its history being a US territory sugar was the main agricultural export. Puerto Rico has been dependent on imports to feed the population. Currently it needs to import about 80% of its food.

Another problem is disappearing tax advantages Puerto Rico had no control over. Companies operated in US territories got huge tax advantages. This was changed and Puerto Rico's elected representatives had no say in the matter or vote. They then had 10 years to figure out what they could do to encourage businesses to stay and get new ones to move there. They slashed corporate tax rates. In 2013 and 14 they had a corporate tax rate 9% lower than in the in the States. They did not generate enough tax revenue and issued bonds than normal to cover the deficit.

The increase and pushing of selling the bonds is a bit interesting. UBS put a lot of pressure on brokers to sell the bonds. A lot of brokers were reluctant to push them. They were threatened by UBS to sell them or find other jobs. They told to brokers to push that there is no local, state or federal taxes on the interest. Long story short on stuff like this. The guys at the top make money and walk away richer. The middle class loses money and hopefully walks away wiser.

Then of course when the companies started leaving so did the people. They are US citizens and could move to anywhere within the US. That is just what any with enough money and will did. So now Puerto Rico was and is dealing with a shrinking population. Which leads to more loses for local businesses and smaller pool to tax.

The Puerto Rican economy was artificially held up in a bubble because of the large tax breaks given. There really is no natural resources except land for agricultural. They have to abide by US laws that they have no real control of. They have no vote in federal laws they have to abide by. It stands to reason their interest were not represented or even thought of. Some laws were harmful to Puerto Rico and beneficial to US corporate interest.

I do not think it is a good time to make them a state. We also can not ignore we denied them the chance for self determination or real representation in government. The US government has some blame in the finical crisis along with the Puerto Rican government.

 

It sounds like they've been shackled the the Americans. They need independence.

 

When it comes down to spending more than we're making, we've both already jumped off that cliff. And considering that PR has been a US territory or possession, whichever, we jumped off together.

 

Sorry, I am neither Donkey nor Elephant. I had not considered statehood in that light.

 

I'm saying it's not important. Two bankrupt governments together won't be any worse than two bankrupt governments separately.