Gallo, how do you feel about Puerto Rican Statehood?

[panic giraffe]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/29/congress-debates-puerto-r_n_557230.html

for or against?

discuss.

I'm for it. Then again the only reason i would be against is how it would throw the flag off center. can we admit iraq at the same time? just to have an even number of course....

[Winehole23]

Seems to me Puerto Rico should get the first and last say on this. When was the last referendum on statehood there?

[boutons_deux]

Wash DC should get a vote and rep before PR gets statehood.

[coyotes_geek]

Seems to me Puerto Rico should get the first and last say on this. When was the last referendum on statehood there?

I thought they passed a referendum saying they wanted to be a state but the U.S. said nope. Could be wrong though, and I'm feeling too lazy to google it at the moment.

[word]

They're crazy if they want it, we're crazy if we let 'em have it.

[Winehole23]

In the last referendum, "none of the above" garnered 50 percent of the vote, topping the other options including statehood at 46.5 percent and independence at 2.5 percent.

[panic giraffe]

'98 i believe and "none of the above won"

i say congress votes to let them decide, but not leave "remain a commonwealth" off the platter. it should be all or nothing. don't get me wrong, even though i'm chicano, i love puerto ricans (especially the ladies, amirite?), during my first year in the army i thought i was in the wrong country because every drill sgt or instructor i had was puerto rican(not new yorican, but the real damn thing) so i appreciate their service to this country.

i might be wrong but the way i understand it, they get US citizenship, get our tax money(don't pay fed income tax, just local), and protection/aid. in exchange, they have no say in congress or on the president, serve our armed forces (in huge numbers i might add once again, but also if i've heard right unless you got money there's really no other way off the island). but 112 years is a long time, espeically if we really have no strategic reason (like we do in guam or the american samoa). to me it seems like we're just pouring dollars in and not getting anything back besides beautiful women and bodies for the war efforts, plus it's not fair that they have no say on what happens on the federal level.

but i might be wrong....