BG45 Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Yesterday, Puerto Ricans [url="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/puerto-rico-votes-on-whether-to-change-relationship-with-us-elects-governor-and-legislators/2012/11/06/d87278ae-288b-11e2-aaa5-ac786110c486_story.html"]voted to take the first step towards moving from a Territory to a full fledged 51st state as part of the United States.[/url] (Assuming Congress, and their new Governor, don't muck it up.) [b] [/b] [quote] [b] By Associated Press,[/b] SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A slim majority of Puerto Ricans sought to change their ties with the United States and become the 51st U.S. state in a non-binding referendum that would require final approval from Congress. The two-part referendum asked whether the island wanted to change its 114-year relationship with the United States. Nearly 54 percent, or 922,374 people, sought to change it, while 46 percent, or 786,749 people, favored the status quo. Ninety-six percent of 1,643 precincts were reporting as of early Wednesday. The second question asked voters to choose from three options, with statehood by far the favorite, garnering 61 percent. Sovereign free association, which would have allowed for more autonomy, received 33 percent, while independence got 5 percent. President Barack Obama earlier expressed support for the referendum and pledged to respect the will of the people in the event of a clear majority. It is unclear whether U.S. Congress will debate the referendum results or if Obama will consider the results to be a clear enough majority. Puerto Rico’s resident commissioner Pedro Pierluisi, who has championed statehood, did not return calls for comment. He received 48 percent or 874,914 votes, while his opponent, Rafael Cox Alomar, received 47 percent or 855,732 votes with 96 percent of precincts reporting. The island is currently a U.S. territory whose inhabitants are U.S. citizens but are prohibited from voting in presidential elections. Its resident commissioner in the U.S. House also has limited voting powers. The future of the island’s political status, however, also is dependent on who governs the island. According to partial election results, pro-statehood Gov. Luis Fortuno was ousted by a razor thin margin by an opponent who supports the island’s current political status. With 96 percent of precincts reporting, challenger Alejandro Garcia Padilla with the Popular Democratic Party received 48 percent or 870,005 votes. Fortuno, a Republican and leader of the New Progressive Party, received 47 percent or 855,325 votes. Fortuno has not issued comment, while Garcia celebrated what he called a victory. “I can assure you we have rescued Puerto Rico,†Garcia said. “This is a lesson to those who think that the well-being of Puerto Ricans should be subjected to ideologies.†Election results also pointed to a major upset for Jorge Santini, who has been mayor of the capital of San Juan for 12 years. His opponent, Carmen Yulin Cruz, received 71,736 votes compared with Santini’s 66,945 votes with 96 percent of precincts reporting. The island’s elections commission said it would resume counting votes late Wednesday morning. [/quote] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aloysius Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 are we going to have to make new flags??? that seems like a pain. I think we should make them agree to waive their right to have a star on the flag, then I'm all for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aloysius Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 (edited) lol I love how that's the first thing we both thought. hmmm I might be crazy but I thought I saw a MissScripture post say "How are they going to fit the 51st star on the flag", which is what I responded to, but it appears to have disappeared... Edited November 7, 2012 by Aloysius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschoolmom Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Or we could just boot out Rhodes Island. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissScripture Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 [quote name='Aloysius' timestamp='1352301176' post='2505731'] lol I love how that's the first thing we both thought. hmmm I might be crazy but I thought I saw a MissScripture post say "How are they going to fit the 51st star on the flag", which is what I responded to, but it appears to have disappeared... [/quote] No, you're not crazy. I deleted it when I saw your post, though, because I thought your post was better. But back when I was in elementary school, I remember talking about Puerto Rico becoming a state, and that was always my concern then, too. [quote name='homeschoolmom' timestamp='1352301280' post='2505734'] Or we could just boot out Rhodes Island. [/quote] Or those people who talk about secession for Texas could actually follow through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschoolmom Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 [quote name='MissScripture' timestamp='1352301443' post='2505735'] No, you're not crazy. I deleted it when I saw your post, though, because I thought your post was better. But back when I was in elementary school, I remember talking about Puerto Rico becoming a state, and that was always my concern then, too. Or those people who talk about secession for Texas could actually follow through. [/quote] But I like Texas. Maybe we could just merge RI and CT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrestia Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 (edited) Maybe Virginia & West Virginia could reunite. Reunited and it feels so good. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26J0uDIGErM Edited November 7, 2012 by Adrestia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG45 Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 [quote name='Adrestia' timestamp='1352301850' post='2505740'] Maybe Virginia & West Virginia could reunite. [/quote] Yeah...not gonna happen, there's a lot of bad blood still over that Civil War. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrestia Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Maryland could absorb Delaware... except for that whole sales tax and business incorporation thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschoolmom Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 [quote name='Adrestia' timestamp='1352302131' post='2505744'] Maryland could absorb Delaware... except for that whole sales tax and business incorporation thing. [/quote] We should just "unstate" Hawaii and keep it as a playground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ardillacid Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 This is idiodic. Will post later when I'm at a real keyboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aloysius Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Yeah, they had the option of a "Sovereign Free Association" and only gave that 33% while statehood got 61%. If I had the choice to make Pennsylvania a "Sovereign Free Association" with the US, I think I'd probably take it But what is really interesting is that this should mean they get 2 senators, right? It looks like they're likely to be a democratic state; I doubt their population would give them too many seats in the house, but 2 senators is a pretty big deal. It looks like the article actually says this is a "non-binding" resolution, though, but then it also seems to say the only thing left is for Congress to approve it. I guess the "non-binding" part means that the Puerto Rican officials could still back out if they wanted to, but since it already won the referendum I think they could just go all-in if congress approved since they already have the people's support. I wonder if this will come up at the lame-duck session in between all the crazy croutons they're trying to shove through... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG45 Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 [quote name='Aloysius' timestamp='1352304357' post='2505762'] I wonder if this will come up at the lame-duck session in between all the crazy croutons they're trying to shove through... [/quote] "Why is there a rider on the Puerto Rico statehood bill making English the official language of the United States?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Maybe we should encourage Guam to go for it and get a two-fer on adding states.... Or perhaps just add a strip down the edge..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhuturePriest Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I was thinking the same as Aloysius. This is going to flop up our flag! Let's just not add another star or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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