Metal Sludge Gossip Board

This one seems to be flying under the radar, but apparently the house is voting on a measure that will give the Puerto Rican people two votes. The first being if they want to keep the status quo (ie. commonwealth) or "change" their status. If they vote for a change (har har har) they then will vote between becoming the 51st state or independence.

I guess this is the first time Congress will really be asking for their voice in the matter. Naturally what they say means nothing but I assume Congress would seriously consider getting the ball rolling on adding another star to the flag.

Thoughts?

If you take out the conspiracy theory that says Obama is doing this for party gains, the reasons against it in this article are pretty well-founded:

http://beforeitsnews.com/news/37267/Opp ... _2499.html

Hell yeah! We wouldn't want this country to be infested with a bunch of poor ass Spanish speaking brown people.

Not sure about Puerto Rico, but there is no fucking reason in hell why DC shouldn't be given representation in congress.

Taxation without representation? Isn't that why those guys dumped a bunch of tea into that one harbor?

Why the fuck isn't the Tea Party supportive of this measure?

Heh, PR doesn't get taxed OR have representation.

Make DC and PR states, that'll be a nice even 52. Even though DC is awfully small.

JakeYonkel wrote:Heh, PR doesn't get taxed OR have representation.

Make DC and PR states, that'll be a nice even 52. Even though DC is awfully small.

No way they make D.C. a state....that's instantly more liberals in government...Republicans will never let it happen.

KneelandBobDylan wrote:

JakeYonkel wrote:Heh, PR doesn't get taxed OR have representation.

Make DC and PR states, that'll be a nice even 52. Even though DC is awfully small.

No way they make D.C. a state....that's instantly more liberals in government...Republicans will never let it happen.

Well, now would be the time, what with the control of both Houses that the left has.

The conspiracy theory that Obama is pushing this for political purposes makes me laugh. People don't realize that Puerto Ricans are generally conservative. It's an extremely Catholic group that generally opposes social liberal causes like gay marriage and abortion. Obama and the Democrats wouldn't be doing themselves any favors with this one.

JakeYonkel wrote:

KneelandBobDylan wrote:

JakeYonkel wrote:Heh, PR doesn't get taxed OR have representation.

Make DC and PR states, that'll be a nice even 52. Even though DC is awfully small.

No way they make D.C. a state....that's instantly more liberals in government...Republicans will never let it happen.

Well, now would be the time, what with the control of both Houses that the left has.

The conspiracy theory that Obama is pushing this for political purposes makes me laugh. People don't realize that Puerto Ricans are generally conservative. It's an extremely Catholic group that generally opposes social liberal causes like gay marriage and abortion. Obama and the Democrats wouldn't be doing themselves any favors with this one.

This also isn't the first time P.R. has had a vote on statehood......They've always voted to remain a commonwealth in the past.

JakeYonkel wrote:Heh, PR doesn't get taxed OR have representation.

Make DC and PR states, that'll be a nice even 52. Even though DC is awfully small.

I don't necessarily think DC needs to be made a state but they should get full representation in congress. They have tried to pass a bill to give DC one representative (and no senators) but this is one of the several bills that have been filibustered by the republicans (and got very little press). The original bill would have given Utah and extra representative making the number 437 in the House and evening out the two sides of the aisle.

BTW, Washington DC has more people in it than Wyoming.

KneelandBobDylan wrote:This also isn't the first time P.R. has had a vote on statehood......They've always voted to remain a commonwealth in the past.

By and large Puerto Ricans are content with the status quo. Some want full recognition as a state and a very small percentage (the independentistas) want full independence from the US.

However the Congress has never asked for an official word from the Puerto Rican people on the matter. Votes have been held in PR but it's never been at the request of the USA.

The wording is poor and manipulative in the vote, if it does come to pass as rumored. It's basically going to strongarm them into claiming they want to be a state.

PR should join the union and Vermont should secede so they don't have to change the flag. Fuck Washington DC. It's called a "district" and not a "state" for a reason, dammit!

Yep, secede and become part of Canada. Buh-bye, Obamacare, hello, awesome Canadian health-care system.

chickenona wrote:PR should join the union and Vermont should secede so they don't have to change the flag. Fuck Washington DC. It's called a "district" and not a "state" for a reason, dammit!

Yep, secede and become part of Canada. Buh-bye, Obamacare, hello, awesome Canadian health-care system.

What Canada are you referring to ?

MadmanShepherd wrote: The original bill would have given Utah and extra representative making the number 437 in the House and evening out the two sides of the aisle.

Now that is one horrible idea. The less influence Utah has over national politics, the better off we're all going to be.

NickasInSaltLick wrote:

MadmanShepherd wrote: The original bill would have given Utah and extra representative making the number 437 in the House and evening out the two sides of the aisle.

Now that is one horrible idea. The less influence Utah has over national politics, the better off we're all going to be.

Well the idea was that it would be more bipartisan. The first bill came up in 2007, passed the house easily, and stalled in the senate. It would have called for new districts after the 2010 census anyway.

chickenona wrote:PR should join the union and Vermont should secede so they don't have to change the flag. Fuck Washington DC. It's called a "district" and not a "state" for a reason, dammit!

Yep, secede and become part of Canada. Buh-bye, Obamacare, hello, awesome Canadian health-care system.

But would you become a part of Quebec or Ontario? Obviously you are closest to Quebec but I don't think they'd want a bunch of non-french speaking greasy americans.

They talk a good game about how inferior we are - they stop just short of going full Muslim and calling us "infidels" - but they sure love our money. You must've noticed that when you were up there last time.

JakeYonkel wrote:

KneelandBobDylan wrote:This also isn't the first time P.R. has had a vote on statehood......They've always voted to remain a commonwealth in the past.

By and large Puerto Ricans are content with the status quo. Some want full recognition as a state and a very small percentage (the independentistas) want full independence from the US.

However the Congress has never asked for an official word from the Puerto Rican people on the matter. Votes have been held in PR but it's never been at the request of the USA.

The wording is poor and manipulative in the vote, if it does come to pass as rumored. It's basically going to strongarm them into claiming they want to be a state.

Puerto Rico has the military and economic protection of the USA, a few less rights and a lot less responsibility, just as it is. Why become independent so they can be the target of invasion by Cuba, the Dominican Republic, or another smaltime aggressor? And why become a state and have to shoulder equal taxation load?

They have the best of both worlds.

Fuck no, to PR becoming a state. They will take out more from the system than they put in, and we have enough people here we should be looking after.

And fuck DC. It should just be absorbed into either Virginia or Maryland. Washington should just be a city within a state. No need for this "district" bullshit.

MickeyG wrote:Fuck no, to PR becoming a state. They will take out more from the system than they put in, and we have enough people here we should be looking after.

They already do and they're already here.
http://welcome.topuertorico.org/index.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rico

MickeyG wrote:And fuck DC. It should just be absorbed into either Virginia or Maryland. Washington should just be a city within a state. No need for this "district" bullshit.

Good luck rewriting the Constitution.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C.
http://www.dc.gov/index.asp

MickeyG wrote:Fuck no, to PR becoming a state. They will take out more from the system than they put in, and we have enough people here we should be looking after.

Yeah, they actually benefit from us without paying taxes, so as a citizen of the 50 states, you really wouldn't see or feel a difference.

On the island however it's really no benefit to them for full statehood. I saw some dumbass on a CNN comment thread claiming that since they join the US military the least we should do is let them be a state.

That kind of ignorance makes me speechless.

You don't think that if they became a state they wouldn't milk the continental US for even more coin? You don't think US costs would go up, with jack shit in return?

Actually, reading that wiki on DC, it makes some sense. Being the center of federal government it should have no voting power of it's own, it's just supposed to be a central place for the states to convene. So I guess it's tough luck, it's a federal district so no votes. Maybe if government hadn't gotten so big there wouldn't be all those people with no representation.

MickeyG wrote:You don't think that if they became a state they wouldn't milk the continental US for even more coin? You don't think US costs would go up, with jack shit in return?

Actually, reading that wiki on DC, it makes some sense. Being the center of federal government it should have no voting power of it's own, it's just supposed to be a central place for the states to convene. So I guess it's tough luck, it's a federal district so no votes. Maybe if government hadn't gotten so big there wouldn't be all those people with no representation.

They migtht get more but they would also be paying in more which they don't have to do now. As is now, they always have their options open for the future and no pressing need to make a decision now - so why change? Things might change in future to make one option or the other more viable, so reserve the changes until a real need presents itself. But I can't see what appeal independence would be as a small, weak Caribbean nation.