Not from their perspective.

lol, maybe. But they'd have to convince the newly growing states to join them. The rust belt + California isn't a majority.

I'm sure Wyoming wouldn't mind sending 5 guys instead of one. It really needs to grow by that large a jump. Districts are pushing a million people in them.

A pipe dream, though...

Puerto Rico is an exploited colony and strategic base for US imperialism in the Caribbean. All anybody cares about is implications for US elections. Nevermind the implications for the Puerto Rican people. Currently the US government can overturn any legislation it does not like, and uses the FBI to repress nationalist forces. It gets a paltry sum of federal money despite being larger in population than numerous US states. Puerto Rico's gdp per capita is half that of Mississippi. Statehood will be a joke, just like it has been for the Hawai'ians. But one can hope that once liberated from 'commonwealth' status, Puerto Rico will realize that it is nothing but a source of cheap sugar, cheap labor, and naval base for a country that cares nothing about it.

No, Invictus. It's true that it's unfortunate how many people are in each district, but very large legislative bodies are chaotic and dysfunctional. And correlate to your being closer to your Representative is his increasing irrelevance.

Yeah, evil imperialists always hold referendums in their colonies with independence as an option.

With the independence forces long ago smashed with brutal violence, what do they have to fear?

I just think districts should be smaller, semck83. I've worked for a member of Congress and let me tell you, there is no way to effectively serve the interests of that many people. Just the number of Eagle Scout nonsense can get overwhelming. Not high on my list of national priorities, though.

Wait, you're the same person who said Puerto Rico deserved getting smashed.

"With the independence forces long ago smashed with brutal violence, what do they have to fear?"

The independence forces that ried to assassinate Truman? Those forces? Good riddance.

Right now there is nothing stopping Puerto Rican independence if the people vote for it. That's EXACTLY how it should be.

"The independence forces that ried to assassinate Truman? Those forces? Good riddance."

Right, they should have given him chocolates & roses for the deaths squads & human experiments he subjected them to.

Call me crazy, but it's never OK to try to assassinate an American president. I guess you disagree.

But brutalizing subject peoples is a-ok. Glad non-American leaders (like Puerto Rican ones) are fair game.

Puerto Ricans are Americans. Unless they say tomorrow that they want to stop. How can you possibly be against this?

They're Americans yet they don't even have control over their own laws. If PR voted for independence the US government has veto power over it and any referendum to that effect. The US government will never give up its military bases in PR, ever. They suppressed the independence movement by force over the century, then congratulate themselves on magnanimously offering statehood.

Let me guess, you also think we treated the Indians fairly because they get to keep reservations in some cases.

"Call me crazy, but it's never OK to try to assassinate an American president. I guess you disagree."

"But brutalizing subject peoples is a-ok. Glad non-American leaders (like Puerto Rican ones) are fair game."

It's interesting, putin. One of the most characteristic attributes of your arguments is that you don't believe the old addage that two wrongs don't make a right. You _routinely_ offer one wrong as justification for another wrong.

I say it's interesting because I think it explains much of the disagreement you have with people on this site, but it's rarely remarked on per se.

Uh, then what happened in Vieques? And the referendum is giving them an option to have full control of their own laws, either as a state or an independent nation.

Whatever happened to Fort Buchanan?

"As with other bills, this legislation would be subject to amendment and require the approval of Congress and the signature of the president."

http://jurist.org/hotline/2012/02/pedro-pierluisi-referendum.php

Well, that's the mechanism for admitting states, and I should hope granting a part of the United States independence would require some sort of act of Congress.

Usually I can at least understand your wacky views. This one makes no sense at all. I don't know what else the United States could do to show it was fine with Puerto Rican independence besides hold MULTIPLE referendums on the issue. I suppose you'll only be happy if the red flag flies above San Juan.

So we go from the US can't veto the referendum to of course the US can veto the referendum. And now I'm "wacky" - says the apologist for the butchering of Puerto Rican nationalists.

The US can also revoke DC's self-government at any time. Doesn't mean it's remotely possible. The results of this vote will be honored, if only because both parties know it would light all the other Latinos in the country on fire if Puerto Rico were kept out or kept in in defiance of the people's wishes.

And this referendum is designed to eliminate the anomaly that the island isn't fully self-governing! Good God you're a fool.

"says the apologist for the butchering of Puerto Rican nationalists."

Says the guys who's basically an apologist for the attempted assassins of Harry S. Truman.

The US does revoke DC's self-government *all the time*. Clean needle program? Vetoed. DC General Hospital? Dismantled. Charter schools imposed against the will of the local population. Prohibited DC from taxing commuters. Have forced voucher programs down DC"s throat - etc, etc, etc.

"And this referendum is designed to eliminate the anomaly that the island isn't fully self-governing!"

Statehood for Hawai'i led to "self-government"? Better ask the Hawai'ians that.

"Says the guys who's basically an apologist for the attempted assassins of Harry S. Truman."

Which Invictus is only making a big deal over because Truman is American. Foreign heads of state? Fair game.

At any rate I never said I was in favor of assassination, but to get all sanctimonious about it considering what PR endured is a bunch of loud hypocrisy.

"to get all sanctimonious about it considering what PR endured is a bunch of loud hypocrisy."

Any movement which tries to kill a US president deserves to be suppressed. I even need to say this?


"Statehood for Hawai'i led to "self-government"? Better ask the Hawai'ians that."

Yeah, it did. They'd agree.

Nazi style human experiments are ignored because of an assassination attempt in retaliation. What a crock.