OH WE MOST DEFINITELY PAY FEDERAL INCOME TAXES!!!!

Now, if we could get the Puerto Rico deal I would be HELLA happy! I say keep my delegate, give me my MONEY!!!!!

Bumping for VAgirl.

There are different, more opinionated people on the board now and I'd like to know what you think.

Note: I still won't care what you think, but I'd still like to know, particularly the opposition. ;)

ETA: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/...s-bill-wo.html

Puerto Rico
 

Although this is a DC post, no disrespect intended, I´ll throw in my 86 cents on Puerto Rico.

* Puerto Ricans are US Citizens since 1917 and have fought in all wars US has participated since.
* All Puerto Ricans in jobs somehow related to federal govt DO pay federal taxes.
* Yet, Puerto Ricans don´t even have voting rights for the President (as DC has since the 1961 Amendment).
* About 50% of the population DO want to be a state, but being the first non-incorporated territory of the US, since 1898, Puerto Rico has never had the right to aspire for it.
* The expression "Puerto belongs to, but it is not part of the USA" summarizes the US govt position regarding the island. Puerto Rico status, as per recent federal court decisions, is the same as Guantanamo Bay.
* There are 4,1 million Puerto Ricans stateside (which I won´t include for the count) and 4 million Puerto Ricans on island. If PR were to become a state, with a population larger than 23 states, it would have 7 congress delegates.

Will PR ever be a state? It seems not, although many people wish it. If it isn´t, the ball is on US court.

I say give PR voting rights for the President that rules over it. Give PR its delegates in Congress. Make PR a state.
OR
Give PR its independence. Give it back its money.

Let´s end the ambiguity!

Now, I am full aware that until DC´s situation is cleared, PR´s is not close to find a solution either.

¡Puerto Rican and proud citizen of the USA!

Actually I'm pretty sure Puerto Ricans have fought in almost every war the US has participated in period.
Yes but it is a payroll tax, not an income tax.
Huh?
Um you do realize that Puerto Rico has held plebistices over the years and statehood has never reached a majority.

I would love for Puerto Rico to be a state, but I don't want to force it on them. They should not be forced to be independent either.

As it stands, they are a protectorate of the United States. I feel they have the right to self-determination, to join the Union full-on, to become completely independent, or to remain as they are.

This means that when Puerto Rico was acquired by the US in 1898, its status was that of non-incorporated territory. Unlike Hawaii and Alaska, which were incorporated territories and went on to become states, that option was not in the table for Puerto Rico since day one. Non-incorporation is a territory not on path to statehood.

I didn´t say the majority. 48% of the people want to be a state. The other 49% of the people want a relationship with the US, that if not statehood, does include voting rights (with whatever responsibilities it includes). Only 3% wants independence, although this number is probably higher. All three groups want the current status to change.

Regardless of however democratic we would like the process to be, through referendums, etc., at the end of the day, it is Congress who has the final say. If nothing has changed, again, the ball is on US court.

I just say that if the US doesn´t want PR to be a state, it should at least give it its independence. Being ruled by a President and a Congress for which Puerto Ricans have no vote is as undemocratic as it goes.

What really gets me is that we have the Tea Party running around claiming that they are being taxed without representation, but they all get to vote for congressional delegates and the President. Yet, these are the same people who are the first to ignore the outcry of real taxation without representation from the citizenry of DC because it would be politically disadvantageous for them. I guess representation only matters if you pick the right repesentation.

AWESOME. Oh, wait. I forgot... tuition to some private schools in DC (i.e. St Alban's) run about $32k/year for elementary school. And does anyone else in DC remember when Michelle Rhee was brought in as Chief Superintendent, and they did stories about how the DC Public School System was doing? There were reports out there saying that there were 8th graders that couldn't fully read. Public Schools, and even some Charter Schools, are also infested with gangs that start recruiting children as young as age 8. Forgive me, but cheaper college tuition is not worth it to me. We're moving out of DC when we have kids.

I can bitch about taxes as much as anyone else, but the real issue now is the gun amendment and also the extra seat that would be added to Utah. Eleanor Holmes Norton says that she's not done with the fight, but it's not going to change while I'm here. DC is too much of a transient town and is just a stop for a lot of people on their way to somewhere else. I'm not sure if they'll get a population of stable homeowners that really care about the issue and will be willing to fight a long battle for a vote. Sad, but I think it's kinda true.

Do you think more people would be willing to stay if this were different? I know I was considering moving to DC recently before I got my job in Arizona. It was a very difficult decision to make whether or not to live in the district or in a suburb. For families, it's a no brainer. For my husband and I, we thought that for at least a short while, the benefits of being in the city made up for the lack of representation. For the long haul, however, I don't know how I'd feel.

Not quite. As I understand it, DC residents can apply for grants of up to $10,000 to cover the difference between in-state tuition and out-of-state tuition. A grant is not guaranteed, and only those enrolled in courses of study for a first bachelor's degree are eligible.

Wow.

Did I offend? I'm not lying. Watch on CNN- DC schools ranked last of all states in the US. Also, Michelle Rhee is on video, saying that 12% of DC 8th graders are proficient in reading, and 8% are proficient in math:

http://www.cnn.com/video/?JSONLINK=/...dc.schools.cnn

And regarding gang recruitment in MD and DC, "County State’s Attorney Glenn F. Ivey said gang recruitment is occurring in elementary and middle schools. Schreck agreed, stating that children as young as 7 are being targeted." See link:

http://www.gazette.net/stories/07270...44_31946.shtml

Yet everyone is fighting her tooth and nail to reform the school system.:rolleyes:

Since the topic is Statehood..... yeah, I'm going to leave it there rather than argue context, especially what "gangs" actually mean in DC.