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Faine GreenwoodNovember 7, 2012 12:31
Puerto Rico votes to become the 51st US state
65 percent vote for statehood in first part of two-part referendum on a status change for the tropical territory.
65 percent vote for statehood in first part of two-part referendum on a status change for the tropical territory.
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Roberto Maldonado, 75, sells flags at a New Progressive Party rally where Mitt Romney was campaigning Friday on the North Side of the Capitol building in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Christopher Gregory/AFP/Getty Images)
Amid all the hoopla, you might have missed it: in a referendum on Tuesday, Puerto Rico voted in favor of US statehood, in a move that might entail some dramatic changes in elementary school geography books.
In a two-part referendum, about 53.9 percent voted against the current status quo in the first question on the referendum, according to Puerto Rican paper El Nuevo Dia. In the second question, 65 percent said that they favored full statehood, while 31 percent voted for sovereign free association, and four percent opted for full independence, reported the Associated Press.
It's not yet clear if Puerto Rico will actually become a state. The US Congress would have to approve such a decision — although President Obama has said that he would respect a popular vote on the matter, according to the BBC.
And it would be a big decision, including new voting additions to the House of Representatives, and a struggle to figure out how to integrate Puerto Rico's majority Spanish-speaking population with the largely English-speaking continental US.
The tropical territory of 4 million was first made a US territory in 1898 after the end of the Spanish-American war. Puerto Ricans were granted citizenship in 1917 — but not the right to vote in US elections.
What would Puerto Ricans gain from statehood? According to the US Council for Puerto Rico Statehood, Puerto Ricans would become full citizens with constitutionally guaranteed rights, and would become more fully integrated with the US economy.
That might spell good news for the commonwealth, which currently suffers from high unemployment and an economy hit hard by the international recession, according to the Los Angeles Times.
In return, the US federal government would gain income tax funds from Puerto Ricans, from which they are currently exempt.
Puerto Ricans, while US citizens, cannot vote for the US President (unless they are living in the United States), and can only send one, non-voting leader to the US House of Representatives.
In 2010, the House approved a house bill that created the two-part referendum system used on Tuesday, reported the Washington Post.
Read more from GlobalPost: Luring Puerto Rican addicts to the Bronx
Puerto Ricans have voted on possible statehood three times before: in 1967, 1993, and 1998, according to the CIA World Fact Book. On each occasion, voters decided that they'd rather remain a territory. But this time around was different.
Why is that? The demographics have certainly changed, for one thing; in 2009, Pew Hispanic Center statistics showed that more Puerto Ricans lived in the US than lived on the island itself.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/121107/puerto-rico-votes-become-the-51st-us-state
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Dear Partner,
Greetings!
Those who accept colonialism do not believe in justice for all! Now that we know that
the political parties will not solve this problem; I invite you to join the non-violent protest to demand that the United States (US) decolonize Puerto Rico (PR) immediately. It will be on Monday, June 17, 2013 from 8 AM to 5 PM outside the United Nations (UN) visitor’s entrance located on 46th Street and First Avenue in New York City.
The UN has determined that colonialism is a crime against humanity in 1960 under Resolution 1514 (XV). That’s why the UN celebrates every year a hearing about Puerto Rico decolonization. Every year the UN puts forth a resolution asking the US to decolonize PR. Despite 30 of these resolutions, PR is still the oldest and most populated colony in the world! It is obvious by now that the US is not going to decolonize PR just because the UN asks.
Through education, we must create a domestic and international solidarity with this cause to pressure the US to do what historically she has refused to do. This is why we need everyone who also believes that colonialism is a crime against humanity to join the protest to demand compliance to international law!
Puerto Rico has been a colony of the US for 114 years. The US’ intention is to keep PR a colony forever unless we do something about it. It is important to note that: democracy isn’t what a government does. Democracy is what people do!
President John F. Kennedy said, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice anywhere.” These ideas, of course, are the reasons why the United Nations was created after World War II.
It is up to us to defend the fundamental human rights that promote world peace. The tragedy of doing nothing is that we will have the kind of government that we deserve!
Sincerely,
José M. López Sierra
For more information:
www.TodosUnidosDescolonizarPR.blogspot.com
Compañeros Unidos para la Descolonización de Puerto Rico
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Puerto Rico loves USA, against to our sisters and brothers think about us. We are all USA citizens and we love them such that we chose to becomes State 51. God want unity not separation between His children. God bless USA and Puerto Rico.
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This conveniently leaves out the fact that the electors felt the referendum was a sham an opted to vote with a blank ballot in protest...that amounted to over 400,000 blank ballots which together with the vote for a sovering free associated state and independence makes the percentage for statehood stand at 46% A NUMBER THAT HAS NOT CHANGED AT ALL...so to say that Puerto Rico voted for statehood at 65% is completely misleading and biased spin on the truth which is that the majority of Puerto Ricans DO NOT WANT STATEHOOD...and by the way...the last time I checked the United States is a Republic so what's so wrong about that...
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I say, Welcome to the Republic!
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...folks, PR has been a 'protectorate' and if one looks clearly, it's simple to understand why...location, location, location. NOT loveliness only...!
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IT'S ABOUT TIME! Having lived there, Ramey AFB, 1967-69 or so...it's certainly past time for PR to become a state. I am happy to see this happening. Who cares which way they vote?
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They are US citizens... what else can you say to that?
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This information is not accurate. The vote for statehood came to only 44% and 56% against. From a total number of votes: 1, 824,764, 802,179 voted for Statehood, 436,997 voted for a Sovereign Commonwealth, 72, 551 voted for independence and 513,037 left the ballot blank. This gives you a total of only 44% for statehood and 56% against. They (pro-statehooders) are eliminating the blank ballots in order to inflate the result favoring statehood. But the reality is different. Don't get fooled. We don't want to be a colony, but we don't want to become a state
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Ok. Trying to follow the logic...In theory, the citizens of Puerto Rico would gain statehood...i.e. rights to vote, claim unemployment (thus receiving financial assistance from the U.S. Government)..etc. The supposed plus for the U.S. is tax dollars? from a highly unemployed citizenry? Wait, aren't we already in debt up to our eyeballs? Would this be good for the United States economically? (to say the least?)
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