The Briefing Room
General Category => Editorial/Opinion/Blogs => Topic started by: 240B on July 06, 2017, 12:35:10 pm
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Constitution
By Gary DeMar
July 6, 2017
On June 11, the residents of Puerto Rico voted to become a state, although the turnout was very low. This is a bad idea. It would mean we would have to add an additional star to our flag. How do you configure 51 stars?
Here are two real reasons Puerto Rico should not become a state. First, its economy is a mess with $70 billion of public debt. The United States would end up bailing out the country. It would be another wealth redistribution program that would never end. We are already paying $22 billion each year. That should stop now.
Here’s the second reason, and it’s a big one:
“With over 4 million people, Puerto Rico can have an impressive 9 electoral votes in elections and would have 7 house representatives and 2 senators representing them on current issues, causing a large shift in political control.”
(more)
http://constitution.com/will-puerto-rico-51/
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I hope not. I can't see the argument for how that benefits the rest of the citizens of the United States -- the place is a net drain. If the Puerto Ricans believe that to be unfair, then they always have the option of independence.
Puerto Rico itself is the perfect laboratory to examine the voting acumen of Puerto Rican voters, and based on how their elected representatives have been running that place, there's no way in hell we should let those people vote for our leaders as well.
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I'm for Puerto Rican independence.
Then, they can apply for foreign aid!
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And those 7 new representatives and 2 new senators will be democrats for the foreseeable future. That is even a more compelling reason than their debt to say no to statehood. Let them clean up their mess (if they can) then revisit the issue. Of course the reliable dem votes will be the main reason half our current legislators will be all over admitting them.