I don't know if Puerto Rico "deserves" to be a state or what benefit it will provide for the United States, if any. The reason they were even made US citizens by the Jones-Shafroth Act was so they could be made eligible to draft into World War I and 20,000 were. The people of Puerto Rico have fought in every US war since, with distinction, including Vietnam which incurred PR the highest per capital casualties of any US State or Territory as well as the lowest percentage of draft dodgers. The subsidies (welfare) are not free, they came with a price. Take into consideration that the people of Puerto Rico pay the full Social Security and Medicare tax contribution and yet Congress puts a cap on the yearly disbursments, that costs the people of Puerto Rico over $750 million a year. I don't think that PR "deserves" the over $4 billion dollars in annual subsidies (welfare), can they however make an arguement that Israel receives much more subsidisation (welfare) and the people of Israel are not natural born US citizens? The Puerto Rican lobby in Washington is much, much stronger than any of you may imagine and coupled with the fact that it can deliver a constituency of more than 8 million people (mainland and outside), that alone will be more than enough to incentivize the the ruling political party to consider and grant statehood if the people so choose.

I know that at one time not so many years ago 10 or so that if you considered Puerto Rico a country for purchasing it would be the fifth largest purchaser of American products in the world .....you are correct Devin if they choose ....and they will ....".Thank God For Mississippi " and Viva Puerto Rico

yea your absolotly right, some of my sources were random pages across the internet so some of what i might have said may indeed be wrong and ofcourse when i mentioned puerto rico being the poorest state i ment by american standards. compared to latin american countrys purto rico has one of the top living standards and thats to be expected.
i do believe that DRS current murder rate is in the 20's somwhere.

but lets get back to the point here, with puerto ricos stats as you and i have mentioned how likley is statehood. would the united states WANT to make puerto rico a state.
honestly i think itz inevitable, puerto rico will eventually become the 51st state.

[QUOTE=CarlosFranco]
[QUOTE=gouletcolonial]

ciby you know I am well aware of what is required of congress for statehood to be accomplished ....It seems you want Congress to reject them for some unexplained reason ....ciby they wont and those two senators and 6 or 8 congressmen will be real heavy hitters and be the voice of all Spanish speakers in America and all the others Mexicans ,Dominicans ,Cubans etc will be fucking green with envy
[/QUOTE]

Other latinos would be green with envy... "REALLY. If puerto ricans have not made a lasting contribution that made them speak for all hispanics in the last century... then it's doubtful that they will become that voice in the 21 century... "

Carlos, I don't know if your response was out of anger because of the comment that GC made in suggesting that anybody could possibly be envious of a PR political dynamism within the US through statehood or if you have higher standards for what consitutes a lasting contribution, what I do know is that your opinion was either based in ignorance of Puerto Rican contribution in America or denial of those realities in order to maintain an indifference to any gratitude.

Please consider these "lasting contributions":

Education - Chairmanships in many of the most renowned institutions of higher learning within the United States including M.I.T. World renowned educators in the fields of hydrometeorology, global warning and astrophysiology.

Law - Free defense, litigation and counsel of many of the landmark Hispanic cases including bilingual education in the public school system through the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund. Countless judgeships in all the court systems from, civil court through the Federal Court of Appeals.

Military - Over 35 Military Generals and Admirals in the US Armed Forces as well as service in every US war since WWI and sacrifice of countless casualties that have helped the US maintain it's standing in the world and made it your choice in selecting a home. The only ever Hispanic Director of the C.I.A. Clandestine Services.

Politics - Two US Surgeon Generals, (only 2 Hispanics ever, only female ever) Presidential Cabinet Positions, State Senators, Mayors, Congressman and House Committee Chairmanships, including the most powerful Comittee Chairmanship of all, the House Ways and Means Committee.

Science - 75% of the NASA Hispanic employership is of Puerto Rican descent, these include 5 Directorships, including, Director of Mars Exploration, Director of Rocket Propulsion Systems, Director of Environmental Services. Scientist credited with helping to build the International Space Station.

Cinema / Theatre - Multiple winning artists of Oscar, Tony, Grammy and Emmy Awards, from as early as the 1940's.

For the sake of brevity I have only mentioned the above contributions and perhaps all of these accolades can and will be surpased by the comming immigrant groups as you have suggested, we cannot be sure. The only sure thing is that the bar has been set very high and not non-existent as you have suggested.

[/QUOTE] S1CAR1O


"yea your absolotly right, some of my sources were random pages across the internet so some of what i might have said may indeed be wrong and ofcourse when i mentioned puerto rico being the poorest state i ment by american standards. compared to latin american countrys purto rico has one of the top living standards and thats to be expected.
i do believe that DRS current murder rate is in the 20's somwhere.

but lets get back to the point here, with puerto ricos stats as you and i have mentioned how likley is statehood. would the united states WANT to make puerto rico a state.
honestly i think itz inevitable, puerto rico will eventually become the 51st state."


I'm sorry if i went off on a tangent in addressing some of the posts that have nothing to do with your original question. My grandmother was born in PR of English descendency and came to the US as a small child on the Marine Tiger. I don't have any family or ties to the island and some people may even laugh if I claimed heritage, so I don't have the personal motility that makes it so hard for many of the posters to exact a comment from a position of reality and knowledge than a knee jerk reaction of the need to feel some type of vindication for their own countries acerbity.

There is no economic benefit for the US in PR becoming a state, there never was. The only benefits that the US had in PR were strategic. In example, location (as the gateway to the lesser antillies), nation-buliding through colonization, military eligibility, and then later as an untouchable entity to the threat of Communism in Latin America and the Carribean. The economic benefits to the US however will not be the mitigating factor in whether or not PR will become a state. Please consider that in 1998, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott and House Speaker Newt Gingrich, two of the most ardent Right Wing Conservative idealogues in modern US politics, introduced legislation to give the people of Puerto Rico the right to self determination in their national status. If the most staunch right wing politicos of modern times are willing to grant the people of PR the right of self determination, do you think that a Democratically controlled House and Senate would not do the same? Do you invalidate the incredible lobby power of the PR political machine in Washignton and the strength of the office of the Ways and Means Committee (most powerful congressional committee) that is chaired by a Congressman of Puerto Rican descent? The ability to decide self determination has much to do with the Political repercussion of a future voting block that when considering the closeness of some past national elections may decide a future White House occupant. With regard to how statehood would affect the DR, I would say that since there is already a population of over 120,000 Dominican's in PR (3rd Highest outside of the DR), the advent of statehood would see that number multiply many times over shortly thereafter and help create Dominican political clout within the Puerto Rican state. Perhaps the first ever Dominican Congressman in the US House of Representatives will be from a congressional district within PR.

Why did you quote half my comment... did you read it all ? Did you read what GC said...

Please Devin read it again.

Here's my answer to Gouletcolonial Devin... Read it slowly...

Other latinos would be green with envy... REALLY. If puerto ricans have not made a lasting contribution that made them speak for all hispanics in the last century... then it's doubtful that they will become that voice in the 21 century... Mexicans are the largest group, Cubans are well establashied and fanancially well off, Dominicans are progressing at a fast pace considerint we started migrating in mass numbers in the late 80's and early 90's. Colombians are doing well, in fact better than people from the caribbean... They're all doing well and not under puerto rican leadership

GC you overestimate your people's leadership, and underestimate other latino's will to become leaders in their own communities. Latin American is turning the other way, and a legacy of dictatorship has left the region; Demacracy is flourishing, not as the US had hoped it would be, and within 50 years the countries we know today would be so different politically and economically... So while puerto rico may enjoy the benefits of union witht the US, it doesn't mean that other countries would not progress or even surpass it.




Yeah Devin... these are all great things... but how does this translate to being a leader, for the sake of argument, in the Dominican community. You've been here the longest and have made contribution but how does that made the puerto ricans speak for all hispanics???? Are we too dumb that we can't be leaders and we need you to do it for us? Aren't Dominicans, Cubans and Mexicans and all other hundreth of nationalities in this country own their own??? If am going to say thank you to anyone, i would say it to Martin Luther King Jr.

My response was an appropriate response to GC's comment "of all hispanics ENVYING puerto rico," not one made out of ignorance, but out of reality, or do you really think that i envy you?

YES emphatically and you envy the Cubans as well.....you got a big complex...

Just wanted to echo this sentiment since yesterday was a day in his honor!

On the topic I'd say it is difficult to draw a line. I agree overall with CF that each group has been capable to different degrees in generating their own leadership ...still there is some extent to which subsequent groups like us Dominicans are carving out our space within grooves made by earlier groups.

And other groups carved out a space for Cuban and Puerto Ricans... And i don't see them thanking anyone, and them expect for us to kiss their ass !!

The Irish and Italians made way for Catholics... The Blacks made way for people of color... Mexicans, Cuban, Ricans... for Dominicans, Colombians, Central American.... And the latter groups will make way for another group... and ROUND AND ROUND WE GO!!