09 Nov 20
Both have indicated they want statehood; Puerto Rico has 2.8 million US citizens and voted in a referendum last week for statehood. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/puerto-rico-narrowly-votes-in-favor-of-statehood/ar-BB1aHoaw
DC has already voted overwhelmingly for statehood. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/11/09/501412360/d-c-votes-overwhelmingly-to-become-51st-state
So should these US citizens be deprived of any say in their federal government simply because a political party is afraid of how they might vote?
10 Nov 20
@vivify saidAs I mentioned in the other thread, both have much smaller populations than existing US States.
I agree that Puerto Rico should be a state.
But to play Devil's Advocate: should the other U.S. territories such as Guam and the U.S. Virgin Island also be allowed to be states? After all, their inhabitants are also considered U.S. citizens.
10 Nov 20
@no1marauder saidThey would be blue states and the Right does everything it can to disenfranchise left wingers so they would not permit it.
Both have indicated they want statehood; Puerto Rico has 2.8 million US citizens and voted in a referendum last week for statehood. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/puerto-rico-narrowly-votes-in-favor-of-statehood/ar-BB1aHoaw
DC has already voted overwhelmingly for statehood. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/11/09/501412360/d-c-votes-overwhelmingly-to-be ...[text shortened]... y say in their federal government simply because a political party is afraid of how they might vote?
10 Nov 20
@no1marauder saidSo, 2.8 million people would get 2 senators?
Both have indicated they want statehood; Puerto Rico has 2.8 million US citizens and voted in a referendum last week for statehood. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/puerto-rico-narrowly-votes-in-favor-of-statehood/ar-BB1aHoaw
DC has already voted overwhelmingly for statehood. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/11/09/501412360/d-c-votes-overwhelmingly-to-be ...[text shortened]... y say in their federal government simply because a political party is afraid of how they might vote?
Isn’t that largely one of the major problems with the senate? Over representation of minority groups?
This being said... it is the US... are the people in Peurto Rico paying taxes? If so... uh... isn’t that the whole American thing...
10 Nov 20
@cheesemaster saidI thought the residents of DC were mostly Black.
...I miss DC...I really do 😖
The best time of my life was there.
10 Nov 20
@shavixmir saidsenators can come from anywhere in a state. so a liberal state may still have a conserv senator. but washington dc is a metropolitan area (city) and is guaranteed to put out 2 liberal senators and 1-2 lib reps.
So, 2.8 million people would get 2 senators?
Isn’t that largely one of the major problems with the senate? Over representation of minority groups?
This being said... it is the US... are the people in Peurto Rico paying taxes? If so... uh... isn’t that the whole American thing...
no way cities should ever become states for voting purposes.
10 Nov 20
@no1marauder saidJust an observation, but DC has 3 electoral college votes, so they have a say in the government, meaning the executive, but aren't represented in Congress. I can see the problem. Puerto Rico seems to be a much clearer case. I assume they pay taxes there?
Both have indicated they want statehood; Puerto Rico has 2.8 million US citizens and voted in a referendum last week for statehood. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/puerto-rico-narrowly-votes-in-favor-of-statehood/ar-BB1aHoaw
DC has already voted overwhelmingly for statehood. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/11/09/501412360/d-c-votes-overwhelmingly-to-be ...[text shortened]... y say in their federal government simply because a political party is afraid of how they might vote?
10 Nov 20
@earl-of-trumps saidWhy exactly?
senators can come from anywhere in a state. so a liberal state may still have a conserv senator. but washington dc is a metropolitan area (city) and is guaranteed to put out 2 liberal senators and 1-2 lib reps.
no way cities should ever become states for voting purposes.
The Framers certainly never envisioned that the District that would "become the Seat of the Government of the United States," contain over 700,000 people. That these citizens are disenfranchised from representation is not consistent with the principles that they fought for.
Who they would probably vote for is irrelevant to those principles.
10 Nov 20
@deepthought said"Puerto Rico is a US territory and not a state, so its residents don’t pay federal income tax unless they work for the US government. Even so, workers there pay the majority of federal taxes that Americans on the mainland pay — payroll taxes, social security taxes, business taxes, gift taxes, estate taxes and so on."
Just an observation, but DC has 3 electoral college votes, so they have a say in the government, meaning the executive, but aren't represented in Congress. I can see the problem. Puerto Rico seems to be a much clearer case. I assume they pay taxes there?
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/4/16385658/puerto-rico-taxes-hurricane
10 Nov 20
All US citizens living in DC or in any US territory should have representation equal to anyone in any state, so we have to consider all these:
American Samoa
Guam
Northern Mariana Islands
Puerto Rico
United States Virgin Islands
Bajo Nuevo Bank
Baker Island
Howland Island
Jarvis Island
Johnston Atoll
Kingman Reef
Midway Islands
Navassa Island
Palmyra Atoll
Serranilla Bank
Wake Island
But yes, PR can be grouped with Caribbean territories and become a new state. Maybe include the Pacific islands with Hawaii. DC is trickier, but the people there need to be represented in the Senate somehow.
10 Nov 20
@spruce112358 saidHalf of the places on your list have a population of zero what were you smoking ?
All US citizens living in DC or in any US territory should have representation equal to anyone in any state, so we have to consider all these:
American Samoa
Guam
Northern Mariana Islands
Puerto Rico
United States Virgin Islands
Bajo Nuevo Bank
Baker Island
Howland Island
Jarvis Island
Johnston Atoll
Kingman Reef
Midway Islands
Navassa Island
Palmyra Atol ...[text shortened]... ands with Hawaii. DC is trickier, but the people there need to be represented in the Senate somehow.