House Approves Puerto Rico Statehood Measure

[Jeanfromfillmore]

House Approves Puerto Rico Statehood Measure
The House voted Thursday to allow Puerto Ricans to decide their own political future and relationship with the United States.
The House voted Thursday to allow Puerto Ricans to decide their own political future and relationship with the United States.
The bill passed 223-169 and now must be taken up by the Senate.
The bill introduced a two-step ballot measure for Puerto Rico to decide if its residents want to change their current relationship with the United States. If they vote to change their status, they can then choose to become a state, pursue independence, or seek some other "political association between sovereign nations." ‬‪ ‬‪
Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory at the end of the Spanish-American War. Those born on the island were granted U.S. citizenship in 1917 and Puerto Rico gained commonwealth status in 1952.
Today, Puerto Ricans serve in the military but can't vote in presidential elections. They do not pay federal income tax on income earned on the island.
Proponents say the measure gives citizens of the island the right to self-determination.‬‪ ‬‪Critics say the measure is a device to impose statehood on a population that doesn't want it.‬‪ ‬‪Thursday's action was nonbinding, and if Puerto Ricans eventually select statehood, Congress would still have to vote to admit the island to the union as the 51st state.‬‪ ‬‪
The issue divided Democrats and Republicans alike as liberal Democrats with ties to Puerto Rico teamed with conservative Republicans to oppose the measure.
The divides were particularly stark among members of the House Republican leadership team. House Minority Leader John Boehner,R-Ohio, voted against the legislation. Meantime, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va., and Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence, R-Ind., voted in favor.
Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuno (R) cobbled together more than 50 Republican sponsors in favor of the package.
But there was drama as the majority Democrats narrowly avoided an upset on the House floor.
Republicans attempted to add provisions to the legislation that would have made English the official language of a potential Puerto Rican state.
Republicans also tried to modify the bill by banning any infringement of the Second Amendment in Puerto Rico.
The Democratic majority defeated the GOP effort, 198-194.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010...ehood-measure/

[PochoPatriot]

So the people of Puerto Rico will have a say in how they are governed? How...democratic. Bravo to the House.

[Twoller]

We don't want Puerto Rico as a state and if they vote to become a state, we should tell them to go shove it.

[rs232c]

I don't know of any US territory that would ever legally be barred from incorporating into a state that met the constitutional requirements to do so.

That's not at issue.

What is at issue, explained by Glenn Beck, is that the progressives there want to force people to unwittingly vote to incorporate in a two stage process and the progressives in Washington want to fight over their votes they could gain.

The two stage process is slick. Ordinary voter folk are not asked if they want to be a state but in effect if they want Puerto Rico not to become anything else other than what it is by keeping the polictical status quo and not addressing it's political problems or allowing any solutions to be explored for them. Who would vote to keep their problems the same? No one so anyone with an idea in the future for Puerto Rico would say no.

The second stage is even slicker. If they vote yes then a spokesperson is elected to vote in the second stage for an area, undoubtedly more progressives, who will have the final vote of statehood for Puerto Rico.

Mainland progressives don't believe they can lose this way but gain more voters and to oppose this means your a racist and against freedom.

Whether they realize it or not they will become a state and loyal progressives in the process and what they really want is not at issue or what anyone involved cares about.

[Twoller]

The last authority on who should become a state is not the prospective territory, it is the other states. Territories need to be invited in, it isn't just something that any territory can volunteer to.

We don't want Puerto Rico as a state. For one thing, Puerto Rico is not an English speaking territory. All the other territories that became states had the candidacy based on being English speaking, else how could the occupants consider what they were signing on to?

[rs232c]

It's funny to me I never thought of Congress as the 'other states' but it appears to be the same thing.

The idea that the people of a territory must decide if they want to be a state and not be invited first before they apply comes from this train of thought I thought to be true:

If you are talking about the process of a territory becoming a state, then I can help you. I'm working on it right now myself.

1.) A petition needs to be sent to the congress from the people of the territory that wants to be admitted.

2.) If the Congress honors the petition it passes an Enabling act. This authorizes the people of the territory to draw up a state constitution.

3.) This document, after it has been framed, and ratified at the polls by the people of the territory, is then submitted to congress.

4.) If Congress finds everything in order, statehood legislation is passed and signed by the President. Formal admission is signaled by presidential proclamation.

Congress has been generous in granting full statehood to the home territories, in some cases even before they had acquired large populations.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Territory_to_state

[Twoller]

We have been too permissive in admitting states. We never should have admitted slave holding states into the original union.

Think of all the states that have made statehood. All of them spoke English. But Puerto Rico does not speak English. Nobody in Puerto Rico speaks English and what government exists there is not conducted in English.

NO! to Puerto Rican statehood. Absolutely not. And this would be a good time to cut loose our "territories" and especially Puerto Rico. US "territories" are not a part of any legitimate US government. It is more corrosion on the US constitution.

[rs232c]

I stand with you on making English our national language. The problem is that it isn't and the house GOP got voted down on including that in the bill. I don't know how far you or I would get with demanding they adopt English first when we haven't yet ourselves but I am all over it.

I explained what was going on to a friend of mine tonight who is Puerto Rican and has relatives and talks to them in PR. He's about 30 and when he told me they weren't even Americans I couldn't believe it. Then after explaining it to him (why I had too I don't know) he feels it's a good thing if they become a state because we'll benefit from their tax dollars. I of course pointed out to him that it was just a drop in a bucket don't hold your breath and probably would get more tax dollars than they give.

But really, if they don't consider themselves Americans then they should move towards independence, and I would back them up for it. Of course that opens a real can of worms also. First, doesn't the constitution state that no one may sell or give away American land? Next, what if Georgia or New Mexico felt the same way. I would have to argue they couldn't secede as per the civil war, but Puerto Rico was never a state so they could never seceed.

Can a US territory use self determiniation to become an independent nation? My history isn't that great, but I don't think it's happened before. Is a US territory exempt from the law that says no lands may be sold or given away? Again, I've not heard of it happening.

As I understand it the system is geared towards statehood but would appreciate being wrong.

Thanks

[Twoller]

If you want to come into this country, legally, and become a citizen, you must demonstrate fluency in English. It is an important qualification for citizenship. If you cannot speak English, you cannot become a US citizen.

But now Puerto Rico is suggested for statehood and nobody in the country speaks English. If you speak English in Puerto Rico, what do you do? You get the heck out and move to the US where you don't even have to try to become a citizen because of some perversion of our constitution that allows Puerto Ricans to be considered citizens.

That's just nuts. And it further points up the absurdity of territory-hood in the US. We don't need or want our US "territories". Puerto Rico can take care of itself.