Puerto Rico has voted to become the 51st State

June 12, 2017, 12:23 AM

46and2

More US Beaches, more Taxes? We already have Miami. It's barely more American.

Take it, tax it, clean it up, and run it like a big resort. Our own Cancun, Hawaii SouthEast.

Or cut it loose.

Anything else is foolish and I'm not even sure about option one. ^

June 12, 2017, 01:36 AM

synthplayer

quote:
Originally posted by 46and2:
More US Beaches, more Taxes? We already have Miami. It's barely more American.

Take it, tax it, clean it up, and run it like a big resort. Our own Cancun, Hawaii SouthEast.

Or cut it loose.

Anything else is foolish and I'm not even sure about option one. ^

Yes you are, 46&2. There's a commie/liberal/cancer upon our land, and it has already metastasized in PR. Clearly, cut 'em loose.

June 12, 2017, 02:54 AM

grumpy1

Two more liberal democrat senators? No thanks.

June 12, 2017, 03:02 AM

LS1 GTO

That should be up to the people (voters) of the US.

And a vote by PR which results in someone "demanding" wed let them be a state? Nope.

June 12, 2017, 05:19 AM

TigerDore

quote:
Originally posted by V-Tail:
I loved the climate, the people, and most things about the island, but it was also frustrating as hell at times.

I'm sure that things have changed...

Nope. Still a beautiful place with wonderful, warm people, but still frustrating in some ways.

.

June 12, 2017, 05:35 AM

joel9507

quote:
Originally posted by BBMW:
The day that vote gets taken, watch the entire population of the island empty into the CONUS.

Just so you know, they can come here at will already. There are no illegal PRs.

I was down there in the late '70s and wound up liking the people, the geography and the climate. They had some very odd economic incentive laws that resulted in companies putting some at-the-time high tech component plants and pharmaceutical pill operations down there. And they had squatters and shanty towns, folks living under blown-over billboards, etc. It was a weird mix of Hawaii, Silicon Valley and Spanish Harlem.

For military strategy perspective, if for no other reason, I would rather have them as a state than independent, although not at the cost of imbalancing the Senate. Perhaps we let them in at the same time CA spins the sane bits out into a free state?

June 12, 2017, 05:36 AM

Balzé Halzé

quote:
Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
That should be up to the people (voters) of the US.

And a vote by PR which results in someone "demanding" wed let them be a state? Nope.

But it is up to us, isn't? Or at least our representatives. If it comes to that, call your congressman and tell him or her that PR ain't allowed into our house until they shower and put on fresh new clothes. Otherwise, take a hike.

June 12, 2017, 06:26 AM

roberth

NO!! Cut them loose.

June 12, 2017, 06:30 AM

Some of you guys forgot your social studies classes back in school.

We can't tell PR to screw. We own it. We've owned it for a long time.
PR residents are US citizens.
US taxpayers are already covering SS, Medicare, Medicaid, etc for PR.
Over 90% of the vote was for statehood but only 25% voted.
25% turnout is not a referendum.
Congress ultimately makes the final decision.
Congress fucked PR when they ended Section 936.
Congress fucked PR when they closed the base.
Wall St fucked PR when they continued to lend money they knew could never get repaid.
Even though PR can't file Congress will be forced to act because there is too much money involved.
The PR debt problem effects people who have no idea their retirement accounts have exposure to PR bonds.

June 12, 2017, 06:53 AM

parabellum

Not interested, not in the least. Just go away.

June 12, 2017, 07:26 AM

jljones

Puerto Rico is a gold digging woman, looking for a sugar daddy......

June 12, 2017, 07:35 AM

MikeinNC

PR is just another third world shithole....

Would you want any of them as another state?

nope.

But the problem is that we ALREADY own PR...

Best thing the US could do would to sign the deed to the island back over to them; and walk away.

"Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor.” Robert A. Heinlein

“You may beat me, but you will never win.” sigmonkey-2020

“A single round of buckshot to the torso almost always results in an immediate change of behavior.” Chris Baker

June 12, 2017, 07:42 AM

FRANKT

quote:
Originally posted by V-Tail:
They can have all the referenda (is that the plural of referendum?) that they want. They can vote all that they want. None of that will make Puerto Rico a state. There's a lot more to the process than just a vote.

As to DF's question about vacationing, I have no current knowledge, but I did spend a bit over five years in Puerto Rico: two years in the Navy, at Roosevelt Roads Naval Air Station in the late 1950s, and then another three years or so from early 1966 to late 1968, working for International Tel & Tel. I loved the climate, the people, and most things about the island, but it was also frustrating as hell at times.

I'm sure that things have changed, big time, but I sure would like to get back there for a vacation visit. Not sure if I'd want to go back there to live.

Rosie Roads is a textbook example of how we need to handle the rest of the place.

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"And it's time that particularly, some of our corporations learned, that when you get in bed with government, you're going to get more than a good night's sleep."
- Ronald Reagan

June 12, 2017, 07:51 AM

pbslinger

This reminds me of Borat trying to marry Pam Anderson. The difference is he actually was in lust with her.

June 12, 2017, 08:02 AM

V-Tail

quote:
Originally posted by sigmonkey:
57 states are enough.

When you reach my age you'll find that your memory is the second thing that you lose (I forgot what the first one was), but I seem to recall that our esteemed presidential candidate said something like "We have already visited fifty-seven states. I think we have one more to go."

Do you think that the "one more to go" was Puerto Rico, maybe?

June 12, 2017, 08:06 AM

jehzsa

Oh, hell, no.

June 12, 2017, 09:39 AM

Patrick-SP2022

From the linked story...

quote:
"The United States of America will have to obey the will of our people!" Rossello yelled to a crowd clutching U.S. flags and dancing to a tropical jingle that promoted statehood.

That's a swell way to start a negotiation.

June 12, 2017, 09:57 AM

BBMW

Which is the point. I don't really know what the legal procedure would be for granting independence to what has been a territory full of US citizens. But if it was attempted, you can be sure that, before the door is closed, a lot of those citizens, who, as you correctly stated can freely move anywhere in the US, will bail out of the territory and into the US proper.

quote:
Originally posted by joel9507:
quote:
Originally posted by BBMW:
The day that vote gets taken, watch the entire population of the island empty into the CONUS.

Just so you know, they can come here at will already. There are no illegal PRs.

I was down there in the late '70s and wound up liking the people, the geography and the climate. They had some very odd economic incentive laws that resulted in companies putting some at-the-time high tech component plants and pharmaceutical pill operations down there. And they had squatters and shanty towns, folks living under blown-over billboards, etc. It was a weird mix of Hawaii, Silicon Valley and Spanish Harlem.

For military strategy perspective, if for no other reason, I would rather have them as a state than independent, although not at the cost of imbalancing the Senate. Perhaps we let them in at the same time CA spins the sane bits out into a free state?