It’s about time! Pa’lante!
Puerto Ricans vote in favor of statehood By Brandon Twichell
(RNN) –While all eyes were on the U.S. mainland during Election Day 2012,the small U.S. territory of Puerto Rico voted in favor of statehood, according to election results.
While the referendum was non-binding,it marks the first time Puerto Rico rejected its current commonwealth status.
The referendum was a two-part question. The first part asked voters if they wanted to change the island’s current relationship status with U.S. or leave it as is –a commonwealth. In a 54-46 margin,Puerto Ricans voted to change their current status with the U.S. The second question asked what Puerto Ricans would prefer: statehood, greater autonomy or complete independence. With 93 percent of the votes counted, statehood received 61 percent of the vote. Greater autonomy received 33 percent and independence garnered only 5 percent, according to The Associated Press.
Puerto Rican officials plan to present this information to President Barack Obama and Congress, with the latter making the decision on whether or not to grant Puerto Rico statehood.
More at http://m.wtvm.com/autojuice?targetUrl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wtvm.com%2fstory%2f20036948%2fpuerto-ricans-favor-statehood-in-2012-vote
I believe President Obama, Majority Leader Reid and Speaker Boehner will be wise to accept the will of the Puerto Rican people and finally bring Puerto Rico into these United States.
Statehood is long overdue. The plebesite result presents President Obama with a good bipartisan measure that was initiated by Republican Governor Luis Fortuno (who, along with wife, spoke at the GOP Presidential convention in Tampa). Given the drubbing of Mitt Romney by Hispanic voters, especially Puerto Ricans in Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, NJ and NY, statehood presents the GOP leadership with the opportunity to mend political relations with Hispanics.
If Puerto Rico wants its place in the history books of these United States, besides shedding blood in wars for this country like my Puerto Rican American friends and family have done … My farther fought in Korea & my brother in most of the middle east missions, They (the newly elected ELA leaders) better get with the program … They (Puerto Ricans) better start thinking on a macro level, because Hispanics from other ethnicities are claiming office all over these United States and PR will sooner or later be cut off from the Federal Government’s cash cow … Or PR will be asked to put out its share, with no say in House or Senate of the USA. Statehood would mean 2 US senate seats and at least 5 to 7 Congressional seats, giving Puerto Rico the most political power of Hispanic decent in all of this country … Personally, I was born in PR, but raised in NYC and I’m a proud Puerto Rican American. I hope to see statehood in my lifetime, but if PR wants to continue collecting some of my federal tax dollars, then it better start contributing its fare share, or unlatch its lips from the source of milk … Why should I or anyone else stateside pay for someone’s WIC of their neighbor who live on the Island won’t.
A 61% vote shows people there are ready to step up to full citizenship.
To act on the Puerto Rican referendum of November 6, 2012
http://wh.gov/9gSy