WHY SUPPORT PUERTO RICAN STATEHOOD…

The 3.8 million U.S. citizens who reside in the Island are denied the right to vote for U.S. President and Vice President, as well as adequate and proportional congressional representation. (*)Puerto Rico has only one delegate in the US House of Representatives who has voice but no vote. (*)Unfortunately, U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico are disenfranchised and restrained from equal participation in our democratic system. Even though Federal laws and regulations are unilaterally applicable in Puerto Rico, the U.S. citizens residing in the Island do not have any power in the decision making process.

The U.S. citizens residing in Puerto Rico are "second-class citizens." (*)This "second-class citizenship" status is against the most basic principles of fairness and equality based on the foundations of our democracy. (*)Puerto Rico has endured territorial status longer than any other American territory. (*)The United States is the beacon of freedom and democracy. Thus, it is unfair and undemocratic to maintain 3.8 million citizens completely disenfranchised from the political process. (*)If you believe that democracy should be preserved in ALL of the United States of America, then you believe that Puerto Rico should be the 51st state of the Nation.

In December of 1998, the Peurto Rican people voted on whether or not they wanted statehood and the movement only received 46.5%, while a vote for "none of the above" garnered 50.3%. It seems to me that the matter is not so clear to the people in Puerto Rico.

Here is the link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv.../statehood.htm

-Demosthenes

__________________
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

I'm no expert on Puerto Rico, but isn't it financially wise to stay a territory?

Right now, IIRC, the territory receives much, much more money from the mainlaind, than it would if it would become a state.

For a somewhat similar issue, we have the Åland Islands.

December of 1998 was the third time in history that the Puertorrican people voted for their political status.

This has been the historical voting results regarding Puerto Rico’s status:

1967:
Current status 60.4%
Statehood 39%
Independence 0.6%

1993:
Current Status 48.6%
Statehood 46.3%
Independence 4.4%

1998:
Current Status 0.1%
Statehood 46.5%
Independence 2.5%
None of the above option 50.3%

Why was a none of the above option? The US Senate refused to allow formal recognition of a Puerto Rican vote for its political status. Some political groups were opposed to celebrate a vote for the status without the approval of the US Congress which is the one that has the last word on the political future of Puerto Rico and that's why the None of the above won by 50.3% of the votes.

The current political status of Puerto Rico is a big problem because makes Puerto Rico a colony. That’s the reason of the 3 referendums for the Puertorrican Status. The republicans and democrats recognize this problem. President Bush has a Task Force on the Puertorrican Status which are looking for legal options for the future of Puerto Rico’s status.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/relea...0031205-6.html
Also, the republican party will include their support for the self determination to Puertorricans to select a final and non colonial status in their platform in the following weeks.


In the democrat side, John Kerry has the following comment about Puerto Rico:
“The United States acquired Puerto Rico through war in 1898, and has granted American citizenship to Puerto Ricans since 1917. Puerto Ricans have made great cultural and economic contributions to the nation. Many have served with distinction in our armed forces, protecting our country and securing democracy internationally.
Yet, Puerto Rico remains an unincorporated territory of the United States and its ultimate political status remains undetermined. Its 3.9 million residents do not have voting representation in the government that makes their national laws. And the Commonwealth’s status permits it to be treated differently than the States in federal programs, with the consequence being significant disparities for Puerto Ricans.”
http://www.johnkerry.com/communities...erto_rico.html

The 3.8 million US citizens of Puerto Rico has the right to be treated equal as any other US citizen living in any of the states. Statehood for Puerto Rico will be the end of a colonial status that the island has been involved for more than 511 years (408 years of colony with Spain and 106 years of colony with the US).

As a state Puerto Rico would have 2 senators and 6 representatives in the US congress. Right now Puerto Rico has no senator and 1 representative in the US House of representatives which has NO VOTE.

Under the present relationship, Puerto Rico had 50% the per capita income of the poorest state in 1952, as well as a third the national per capita income. Fifty two years later, we remain dead in our tracks, with exactly the same per capita indices. The per capita gap that has existed for over 50 years between Puerto Rico and the poorest state, between Puerto Rico and the nation as a whole, will begin to close only when we can significantly increase our rate of growth beyond the national growth rate.

How will statehood make that happen?
First of all, after 44 years since the last admission, people seem to have forgotten the enormous impact that such an event has on the nation. Every Star-Spangled-Banner on every flag post in front of every school, post office and public building in America must be replaced. The headlines that admission into the Union generates an unimaginable amount of free, positive publicity for the new member of the family. In 1984, for example, Gov. George Ariyoshi estimated that admission had generated over $1 billion in free publicity for Hawaii during the first 25 years of statehood. That’s the equivalent of all the blockbuster Super Bowl ads, several years in a row!

The arrival of that new child into the family generates an enormous curiosity to meet and know that new family member. In Hawaii, that meant an 800% increase in hotel rooms during the first 25 years of statehood, at a time when non-state Puerto Rico saw its hotel room inventory grow by only 60%.

Suddenly, as a territory is admitted, it ceases to be treated as “foreign”. Major corporations begin to treat it as part of its domestic market and are willing to invest in it as if it finally were part of the United States.

Rather than seek trade agreement negotiation authority, under statehood we could have two US Trade Representatives carrying out language in international trade agreements to boost local industry.

With statehood, Presidential candidates would have to visit Puerto Rico, campaign among us, and make specific promises. Upon election, they would have to visit Puerto Rico, something that essentially has not happened in 42 years, and fulfill their campaign commitments.

Puerto Rico has been fasting on a bacon-free diet for over 104 years and Puerto Rico’s economy has suffered accordingly. But way beyond what Puerto Rico can get is what Puerto Rico could give. Full Medicare reimbursements and full Medicaid funding would turn Puerto Rico into the Medical Center of the Caribbean, attracting tens of thousand of Latin American patients seeking US-quality healthcare in their own language.
The additional Federal funding that Puerto Rico’s institutions of higher learning, especially the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) which is an equivalent to the "state university" and the others private universities, would receive, would attract thousands of well to- do Latin American college students interested in a truly bilingual, bicultural, US-accredited college education. As these graduates return to assume prominent roles in the public and private sectors of their countries, Puerto Rico’s influence as a bridge between United States businesses and government with Latin America’s public and private sector would grow.

The increased perception that Puerto Rico is a permanent part of the US would certainly help local financial institutions capture a larger share of Latin business as economic ties between north and south grow under the free trade agreements.

Calm down, I agree with you fully. Puerto Rico should be able to determine their own status. If they choose to become a state, I do not have a problem with that. I would welcome them. The in-limbo status of the people is BS. We should either bring them into the Union or become a Sovereign nation. We went to Iraq on the notion that they should choose their own destiny, shouldn't it apply to everyone? I posted that article b/c it was my understanding that the majority of Puerto Ricans were not interested in statehood. If you say that is incorrrect, then I will bow to your better knowledge on this issue.

-Demosthenes

__________________
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

becoming a state?

I really think that if they wanted to be a state, we would let them join. Still, it should be the right of the people of Puerto Rico to decide what happens through a vote.

If anyone has any evidence to the contrary regarding restrictions on Puerto Rico becoming a state, then I hope you will share.

I think I remember that Puerto Rico put statehood on a ballot a year or two ago and the people voted against it.

I don't see them becoming a state any time soon...plus how would we redesign our flag

__________________
Proudly a "South Park Republican"

"Under the Commonwealth formula, residents of Puerto Rico lack voting representation in Congress and do not participate in presidential elections. As U.S. citizens, Puerto Ricans are subject to military service and most federal laws. Residents of the Commonwealth pay no federal income tax on locally generated earnings, but Puerto Rico government income-tax rates are set at a level that closely parallels federal-plus-state levies on the mainland."

from http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0113949.html

If they want representation federally then they will have to accept taxation on a federal level, just like every other state.

Sounds fair to me.

-Demosthenes

__________________
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower