I found Doug Mataconis’s post today at Outside the Beltway about the substantial support for Puerto Rican statehood concerning. Basically, two-thirds of Americans support statehood for Puerto Rico and seven-eights of Democrats.
I don’t think they’ve thought it through. Puerto Rico is a terrible candidate for statehood. The median family income there is less than half what it is in the present state with the lowest median family income (Mississippi). The per capita public debt in Puerto Rico is higher than all but three states (Alaska, Massachusetts, New York). I know of no territory with a violent independence movement that has ever been admitted to the Union. It is culturally more different from the mainland than any state previously admitted. Only 20% of the people there speak English well. The last time we admitted a state with such a big cultural difference was when Utah was admitted to the Union in 1896 and a concession was wrung from Utah as a condition for statehood that papered over the difference. More than 100 years later there’s still a struggle over it.
My preference would be independence for Puerto Rico, accompanied by a very large going away present, say, paying off the commonwealth’s debt.
Congress has the authority to admit new states to the Union without anybody else’s approval. Next time the Congress is controlled by Democrats don’t be surprised if, however bad an idea it is, we gain a 51st state.
From the Gallup poll: “In San Juan, the governor’s committed push for statehood may now be jeopardized by scandals within his administration, which have led to thousands of residents protesting outside the governor’s mansion, calling on him to resign. And if the mayor of San Juan defeats him in the 2020 gubernatorial election, her anti-statehood platform may put a stop to further statehood efforts.”
I have no idea about PR politics, and this seems strange, but sounds the issue of statehood is bundled within other divisions.
I don’t think Puerto-Ricans will get what they think they can get from statehood, and territorial status provides the optimal position. Personally, I would support PRExit, and support independence of any U.S. territories that are of sufficient size to be self-governing. I would also provide liberal trade agreements with those states and phased out financial support.
Me, too. It’s long past time to draw a close to the U. S.’s ill-conceived foray into being a colonial power.
The US is different from Canada or EU or UK in that there is no right to succession for the States.
It would be foolhardy indeed to incorporate Puerto Rico without it’s consent via a substantial majority of eligible voters in a referendum (the policy of Congress for the past 50 years). It would especially be foolhardy to do it for partisan reasons.
Contrary to Outside the Beltway post – I don’t see a majority for statehood among Puerto Rican’s. Statehood did not receive a majority in any referendum except the last one; and that one the turnout was 23%.
I seem to recall that there was an active boycott.
In a way; the protests can be taken in a positive sense. It shows Puerto Rican’s care about its governance. Apathy or resignation would be worse.