Puerto Rico's Governor submits political status proposal

[Vanoi]

http://news.yahoo.com/puerto-rico-go...215835099.html

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The governor of Puerto Rico submitted legislation Wednesday that calls for creating a two-part referendum to decide whether the U.S. territory should seek to change its political status.
It was unclear when legislators would start debating the 24-page proposal, which was introduced by 38 members of the territorial House of Representatives.
Gov. Luis Fortuno's pro-statehood New Progressive Party has an overwhelming majority in both the territory's House and Senate. The opposition Popular Democratic Party, which supports the current commonwealth status, said it would oppose holding a referendum.
Puerto Rico has long debated its political status, with no majority for any particular status emerging in referendums held in 1967, 1993 and 1998. Any change would require approval by the U.S. Congress and president.
The proposal that Fortuno announced Tuesday calls for a referendum to be held Aug. 12, 2012, asking voters if they want a change in status or prefer to remain a U.S. commonwealth.
If a majority approved seeking a change, a second referendum would be held during the November 2012 general elections. Voters would then choose from three options: statehood, independence or sovereign free association.
The proposal states that the island's Electoral Commission would use a lottery system to decide the order of the questions for both referendums.
Fortuno said he would set aside $3.5 million for the referendum process, with $750,000 slated for education campaigns.
A poll of 1,000 adults conducted by the Ipsos firm and local TV station WAPA said 39 percent of Puerto Ricans would vote to keep the current commonwealth status, followed by 34 percent supporting statehood. A margin of error was not provided when WAPA aired the results Wednesday, but a survey of that size often has an error margin of plus or minus three percentage points.

I know this isn't really major political news, but this is important for the island. The last vote they had on their poltical status was in 1998. I know voting patterns may have not changed too much, but i am very curious to know how they would vote. Personally i hope they either vote for independence or statehood.

The political status in Puerto Rico has long been debated. Maybe this time they will actually vote in the majority of something. Of course this would still have to go through Congress and the President for approval.

[Phier]

If it were to become a state it would be major news for the democrats.

[JP226]

I don't want the god forsaken third world country becoming a state. Look how trashy they made their tropical island. Keep it as is.

[Armenum]

So the nice, whole number of 50 would be changed to 51? I can imagine the frustration with having to change all those flags in order to add the additional star...

[Captain Blackadder]

So the nice, whole number of 50 would be changed to 51? I can imagine the frustration with having to change all those flags in order to add the additional star...

Add Washington DC whilst you are at it get 52 then think of the memorabilia you can have with American states playing cards Puerto Rico,Rhode Island, Washington DC and Alabama can be the two's then the kings are New York California, Texas and Illinois

[irontaino]

I think the same thing will happen that has already happened every time a referendum has come along, it'll be a near tie between status quo and statehood.

[Border Patrol]

The Dakotas can just get over their feud already. How many years has it been now guys? Move back in with each other so we won't have to change all those flags.

[brandbll]

I don't want the god forsaken third world country becoming a state. Look how trashy they made their tropical island. Keep it as is.

Agreed. Besides, we should give Canada first dibs on that 51st state spot...

[Imperial]

Agreed. Besides, we should give Canada first dibs on that 51st state spot...

Our neighbors to the north must be freed! Liberation!

[Metz]

Add Washington DC whilst you are at it get 52 then think of the memorabilia you can have with American states playing cards Puerto Rico,Rhode Island, Washington DC and Alabama can be the two's then the kings are New York California, Texas and Illinois

The Joker cards can be Guam and the Marshall Islands.

[Acco]

I think the same thing will happen that has already happened every time a referendum has come along, it'll be a near tie between status quo and statehood.

As you are Puerto Rican, what do you think?

[Tangaxuan]

I don't want the god forsaken third world country becoming a state. Look how trashy they made their tropical island. Keep it as is.

With that argument, we should kick out the Deep South for having third world country conditions. The Republicans wouldn't like the idea of a predominantly Spanish-speaking island becoming the 51st state anyways given the xenophobia of their voting base.

It's a shame. A lot of Hispanics would vote Republican if they weren't being alienated by them.

[JNS]

Another pathetic attempt to gain statehood by the PNP party of Luis "Milhouse" Fortuno. Every single time we have had a referendum its been a tie or close to a tie for statehood and the so called commonwealth. Although I think that even if Puertoricans vote 100% for statehood, it's still up to congress to decide what to do, and as a collective they have shown nothing but contempt for the matters of the most populous non-incorporated US territory (4 million citizens, not counting those living on the mainland US in NY, Chicago and Orlando)

Some interests would not enjoy a principally catholic, latino, poor, and welfare dependent state into the union.

[Dr Zoidberg]

Why statehood? Why not go for the full independence?

[Vanoi]

Why statehood? Why not go for the full independence?

Well from the past plebiscites they have had, i don't think the percentage of people who wanted independence ever went above 5%.

[Col. Tartleton]

Let them in says I. Shake and bake. It will sort itself out. Im sick of those water mexican bastards not paying taxes but getting funds.

I say water Mexican bastards lovingly.

[Marechal Ney]

DC needs to get a couple legislators, but not statehood. There is a specific reason why DC was never made a state, and instead a strange "Federal District": If it were a state, the Capitol would be under the control of the state's Governor, as opposed to the Federal government.

As for Puerto Rico: We should either give it independence or give it US statehood. This whole non-state territory craziness, for a territory of millions of people, is rather absurd. Unfortunately, 51 is not a very good number; how about this: We let Texas secede, and instead accept Puerto Rico! Unfortunately, Alabama and Mississippi would want to go with Texas; since I think the US should not only allow, but encourage those states to secede, we'd have to find two new states. Maybe break California into two...or three...or maybe just accept 48.

[(s)AINT]

Just let them have statehood...

[Vanoi]

Just let them have statehood...

They don't want it. Many people in Puerto Rico do want statehood, but its not a majority.

[JNS]

Why statehood? Why not go for the full independence?

That's easy. The governor belongs to the pro-statehood party. Of course he does not want independence. He, like many Puertoricans, wants to receive the (perceived) benefits of being part of the union. Puertoricans fear independence for multiple reasons, one being that we will end up a banana republic (although we really have the banana part, not the republic), that we will fall to comunsim like cuba (which is illogical), or that hey they might actually have to work for the first time in their lives (over the past 2 decades puerto rico has went from the model of how to industrialize small island countries, to a society that depends on federal handouts). Ironically the very republican fortuno, continued the policy of just handing out welfare, even more than his predecessors. Also the lack of jobs has led to the country being consisted pretty much of these welfare recipients, as anyone with an education or a career decided to flee the sinking ship as soon as they had the opportunity(i'm one of those, i'm a grad student in the US).