Puerto Rico: the next 51st state?

[Xno Kappa]

I know Puerto Rican's pay some kind of tax but are they entitled to the same tax breaks and incentives Americans do?

[Mellema]

combine the dakotas, no one would notice.

The Dakotas should have been split east and west anyway.

[Kuya]

Well, these articles basically repeat some of my points, but this confirms to me that the plebiscite is going nowhere.

Congress is likely to respond to Puerto Rico's vote in favor of statehood with stony silence, and is not expected to undertake any effort to make Puerto Rico the 51st state.

Puerto Rico's vote to seek statehood with the United States seems historic on its face, since the island territory had never formally approved such a referendum. But congressional staffers said the numbers behind the vote, plus the related political circumstances under which it occurred, mean few in Congress are expected to see any pressing need to pass legislation related to the island's status.

Republican and Democratic staffers in the House told The Hill this week that they are fully aware of these details, which is why the vote is not being seen in Congress as reason to start considering legislation for Puerto Rico's statehood. One House aide said the 61 percent vote in favor of statehood is seem by some in Congress as a "statistical fiction."

The political circumstances surrounding the vote are also being seen as real hurdles to making the island a U.S. state. Most importantly, Puerto Rican voters also decided to oust Republican Gov. Luis Fortuno, a strong supporter of statehood.

Fortuno was beaten by Alejandro Garcia Padilla, who wants Puerto Rico to remain a U.S. territory. This means that while Puerto Rico's non-voting Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi (D) will continue to push for statehood in the U.S. Congress, the effort is unlikely to go anywhere.

"The new government doesn't support statehood," one House aide said flatly, speaking of the new governor.

Another House aide said some in Congress see the mandate for statehood as being significantly weakened because some believe it was only raised in an effort by Fortuno to draw more voters into the voting booths to help save his own reelection. This aide said that perception hurts Puerto Rico's case, since it makes the vote look like an attempt to engineer the outcome of the governor's race, rather than a sincere attempt to seek statehood.

"As a strategy, it failed miserably," this aide added, given that Fortuno lost his race anyway.

Puerto Rico faces other hurdles within the United States. Statehood for the island is an issue that Republicans tend to oppose, which makes it highly unlikely that House Republicans would advance the issue even if Puerto Rico were making a genuine push for this change.

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-actio...statehood-vote

[Kuya]

KUYA HOW DID YOU VOTE?

I voted statehood, although my real preference is free association.

I know Puerto Rican's pay some kind of tax but are they entitled to the same tax breaks and incentives Americans do?

Puerto Ricans pay payroll taxes, except those puerto ricans who work close or for the federal government. I don't know which tax breaks or incentives we receive from the fed.

As an aside, i suggest reading this two page article, since it fills in a few details i didn't mention that somebody might want to know.

http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/...9#.UJxZCId9I1c

[Tyrath]

So tl;dr, it's unlikely to happen anytime soon?

[BWYuko]

I was wondering when someone would notice they opted for statehood this time. Now Congress has to vote on it like they last did in the 50s for Alaska and Hawaii. Clinton and both Bushes were very much for PR's statehood over the last 20 years, and both candidates in this election offered their full support. Both parties expressed their support for PR statehood as part of their 2012 running platform as well. I assume Republican opposition will block the decision in the House.

There is a 51-star flag design with 6 fat rows ( 9 + 8 + 9 + 8 + 9 + 8 ), but I'd like to see a push to add the District of Columbia as a 52nd state. DC already has 3 electoral college votes and a population approaching 650,000 (more than Wyoming). Both states would need full new cabinets (governors [PR has just chosen a new one who ironically does NOT support statehood], AGs, senators/reps, etc.) and to ratify new constitutions and so forth. I furthermore have doubts the flag design will be changed again at all, as the 50-star flag has become so prevalent over the last half century that it would be a tremendous expense/total pain in everyone's ass to replace the millions upon millions of official gov't flags.

So yeah, I'm sure the Senate will give PR access; depends on whether the House wants to let them in.

[Kuya]

So tl;dr, it's unlikely to happen anytime soon?

As far as i can see. I had hoped that Congress might at least consider going over the results in a public way, but it seems like they're going to ignore it. I don't blame them though,since this plebiscite was blatant manipulation by the statehood party in order to make it seem the general population overwhelmingly supported statehood.

Of course, I could be wrong. I am going to see if Obama is going to say anything about it in the next few months. If he doesn't put his weight behind it, then it's probably dead in the water.

[Plow]

was there a prior 51st state I didn't hear about?

[Plow]

ooh ooh is it israel?

[Kyte]

51 sounds shitty, do not want

[Plow]

I'll make you a deal Kuya

Get rid of Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Alaska, Arizona, Oklahoma, the west half of Texas, and Missouri...

Then you guys could be 42.

I'll allow it.

[Plow]

Actually you can pretty much make that like the northwest 90% of Texas -Dallas, but whatever.

[Seanr]

We already have a New Mexico

lol

Don't really care either way. Though it'll be weird getting used to a possible new flag design.

either

which I actually like

but this is already proposed apparently too
http://images.worthpoint.com/files/9...daf617f008.png

[arus2001]

I don't like either, and the second has my OCD wanting the stripes to line up with the star rows. x.x

[Shenrien]

I like this better

[Plow]

how about

[Vendog]

Puerto Ricans born on the Island can vote for president if they are registered to vote on the mainland.

[Kurokikaze]

how about

Much better.

[ronin sparthos]

What exactly is the advantage of PR becoming an independent nation?

[arus2001]

Duh, we can then go to war and conquer it!