Context: Donald Trump spewing bullshit about annexing Canada and Greenland. Meanwhile, Congress has been dragging their feet for YEARS on resolving Puerto Rico’s territorial status.
Citizens living in US territories do not receive equal representation in congress. For instance, PR has one “delegate” to the House (not an official voting member) and no senators. Taxation without representation.
Although, at this point I wouldn’t blame PR if they changed their minds about wanting to become the 51st state.
If the US gives away Puerto Rico, a ton of technology companies will be in trouble due to citizen requirements. Like my company off shores a lot of engineering and IT work to PR.
Canadians are white. Case closed.
Pretty sure by 51st state he means Puerta Rico like status. If the entirety of Canada was considered 1 state it may as well be.
There’s no way he’d annex Canada then give them the right to vote. It would be 2 more Democratic Senators, a massive leftward shift in the House, and would have more electoral college votes than any other state - all going to the Dems.
Give PR the independence
Does PR want to be independent?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Puerto_Rican_status_referendum
60℅ wants statehood.
Just heads up, pointing this out makes his cult happier, they fully want him to snub a Hispanic territory for a country that says ‘speak white’ to other European languages also originating from white people.
That’s cool, I didn’t think Puerto Ricans had expressed a clear preference, but 56% is pretty good. What are we waiting for? Let’s define a path, let’s start walking it. Let’s chat about whether it’s the path they want.
After a quick read on the issue, the biggest argument against was that Hispanics vote Democrat. But now that Trump broke that trend, maybe now’s the time to get Republicans on board.
Both mainland us and PR have a lot to offer each other. PR can benefit from more investment in their economy, healthcare, infrastructure, etc, we can benefit from both a slight change in perspective, additional business and tourism opportunities, etc.
Healthcare???
Believe it or not.
I don’t know much about the state of healthcare there and nothing about how health coverage or insurance works, but from stories after the hurricane, it appears hospitals are much less equipped or accessible. A significant investment in technology and medical offices seems beneficial.
I’m certainly willing to be called wrong by anyone with first hand or more complete knowledge
From what I’ve always heard, most people there weren’t interested in being an actual state.
Like I said, that was my impression as well, but it appears the last referendum had 56% in favor. I don’t know if that’s enough for a significant change in government but it’s clearly enough to take seriously. It’s enough that I hope there is a clear process and clear thresholds to progress in whatever direction the people want, and most of all I wish the US wasn’t an obstruction to whichever direction they want to go.
Agreed, same with other territories.
Hmm but if the big stumbling block before was that one of the only 2 parties you have to choose from didn’t want PR to become a state on the basis of its population generally voting the other party, and now that’s changed and they prefer the party that previously opposed their integration in to the union, wouldn’t the party that formerly supported them now simply become opposed?
It’s all theater while we turn ourselves into Cuba
“You’ll never have to vote again” was, I believe, the quote, so… Not to minimize this very real problem, but I think we all need to be worried about equal representation, right? 🤣😂😅😢
Oh I believe if you had a referendum right now, PR would go for independence. Tying yourself up to this ship would be bad news. Trump wouldn’t just bring back bombing Vieques, he’d turn the main island into a firing range.
I wonder if he’d deport me since I have a PR birth certificate.
I wonder if he’d deport me since I have a PR birth certificate.
Easy way to tell:
I’m not so sure. Climate change had doomed PR. Increasing storms, sea level rise, and location make it an increasingly unviable place to live. If they go out on their own they have nowhere to go.
As it they can move to a state and vote without needing any government approval or immigration. They are US citizens. I live in Florida and have a fair number of friends who are from PR. All of their families are planning on moving here.
Moving is the only part that makes sense, until the trumpets convince the Supremes that birthright citizenship isn’t anymore.
You can be sure PR citizens will be high on the list to be deported back to the island, and with fema and the rest of the doge shut downs, they’ll be fucked by the next hurricane anyway.
It would take more than removing birthright citizenship. Congress granted U.S. citizenship to Puerto Rico citizens in 1917.
But who’s gonna toss them paper towels when there’s a tsunami?
*a paper towel
The former paper towel budget has been slashed to half a sheet.
Maybe the independence votes will grow, but since there is also still the large Puerto Rican diaspora in the US keeping close ties to the island, it would be difficult to separate from that with an independence movement. And a lot of Puerto Rican communities in the US who are eligible to vote for the president saw an uptick in support for the Republicans anyways, despite the “trash island” comment during Trump’s campaign.
At least as of a few months ago, the symbolic vote on the island was still overwhelmingly in favor of statehood, with independence being the least supported option.
Puerto Rico should join Canada.
It’s amazing to me that Hawaii has around half the population of Puerto Rico and still they aren’t a state.
It’s sad.
Something something… DEI?
He keeps saying he wants to make Canada a state but we all know he means “territory” or at least that’s what the ultimate outcome would be. The people around him are not dumb enough to create a new massive state with like 50 EC votes that would 100% vote Democrat.
Very optimistic of you to think that there will be any more honest voting
Very optimistic of you to think that previous voting was completely honest.
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I’ll take the compliment but I’m not clairvoyant, I’m just paying attention.
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Please don’t be so condescending.
We are trying to have better conversations here, and mocking someone really doesn’t help.
(Edited because person replying had a very solid point.)
Disagree or not, let’s not turn “reddit refugee” into some kind of insult. Damn near everyone on this site is a reddit refugee. Lemmy is a great alternative to reddit because it feels welcoming around here, and comments like that really fuck up the whole ethos.
That’s fair. I’m just tired of that kind of aggressive commenting. It doesn’t lead to conversation or growth.
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Come on, guys, we all know Israel is already our 51st state if not seat of power.
They’re USA’s “Vatican city”. The US is a theocracy that takes direct orders from its religious authority (Netanyahu).
Which is funny because he doesn’t wear the male religious hat (kippah) and he only ever goes to Shul (synagogue) when a camera is pointed at him.
No we’re their 2nd state…
*7th district (not counting their west bank district)
Puerto Rico is majority white
I had no idea how bad it is there now: https://youtu.be/6sPRFvWOBwo ☹️
Thank you for posting this, crozilla. Really disturbing. It should be “required watching” for every human being. Please don’t be too busy to watch. Turn up the volume, prep and cook dinner, fold laundry, anything. At least listen! And, at this time in history, Canadians: TAKE NOTE! Do not be complacent in our elections. This is serious shit. The U.S.A. has no soul.
Puerto Rico in reality “good now everyone can stop asking us to be the 51st”
Too many “kot-tam limbrals” there in PR! The Cons would never allow statehood anyway. We’d need a Dem majority in the house, senate AND a Dem POTUS/SCOTUS.
American Samoa, US Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, & Guam: “Maybe they’ll forget we exist…”
