this post was submitted on 15 Mar 2025
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674
Don't Want All Those Brown People Having Equal Representation (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.works to c/politicalmemes@lemmy.world
37 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Context: Donald Trump spewing bullshit about annexing Canada and Greenland. Meanwhile, Congress has been dragging their feet for YEARS on resolving Puerto Rico's territorial status.

Citizens living in US territories do not receive equal representation in congress. For instance, PR has one "delegate" to the House (not an official voting member) and no senators. Taxation without representation.

Although, at this point I wouldn't blame PR if they changed their minds about wanting to become the 51st state.

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[–] roguetrick@lemmy.world 70 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

Oh I believe if you had a referendum right now, PR would go for independence. Tying yourself up to this ship would be bad news. Trump wouldn't just bring back bombing Vieques, he'd turn the main island into a firing range.

I wonder if he'd deport me since I have a PR birth certificate.

[–] miss_demeanour@lemmy.dbzer0.com 31 points 3 days ago (1 children)

But who's gonna toss them paper towels when there's a tsunami?

[–] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago

*a paper towel

[–] Stovetop@lemmy.world 15 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Maybe the independence votes will grow, but since there is also still the large Puerto Rican diaspora in the US keeping close ties to the island, it would be difficult to separate from that with an independence movement. And a lot of Puerto Rican communities in the US who are eligible to vote for the president saw an uptick in support for the Republicans anyways, despite the "trash island" comment during Trump's campaign.

At least as of a few months ago, the symbolic vote on the island was still overwhelmingly in favor of statehood, with independence being the least supported option.

[–] fahfahfahfah@lemmy.billiam.net 52 points 3 days ago (1 children)

He keeps saying he wants to make Canada a state but we all know he means “territory” or at least that’s what the ultimate outcome would be. The people around him are not dumb enough to create a new massive state with like 50 EC votes that would 100% vote Democrat.

[–] TheRealCharlesEames@lemm.ee 40 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Very optimistic of you to think that there will be any more honest voting

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

Very optimistic of you to think that previous voting was completely honest.

[–] theangryseal@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago

It’s amazing to me that Hawaii has around half the population of Puerto Rico and still they aren’t a state.

It’s sad.

[–] lennybird@lemmy.world 16 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Come on, guys, we all know Israel is already our 51st state if not seat of power.

[–] Crashumbc@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago

No we're their 2nd state...

[–] IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 days ago

They're USA's "Vatican city". The US is a theocracy that takes direct orders from its religious authority (Netanyahu).

[–] epyon22@programming.dev 14 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Puerto Rico in reality "good now everyone can stop asking us to be the 51st"

[–] jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.works 16 points 3 days ago

American Samoa, US Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, & Guam: "Maybe they'll forget we exist..."

[–] Kidplayer_666@lemm.ee 13 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Washington DC: bottom meme

[–] rational_lib@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

At least PR doesn't get its budget and local laws overturned. DC is like below colony status.

[–] theLaLiLuLeLol@kbin.earth 11 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Didn't they also not want to become a state though? Last I heard they mostly wanted to remain a territory.

[–] refutablewife@reddthat.com 5 points 3 days ago

Every boriken I know would very much prefer independence

[–] Crashumbc@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Although close the last couple times PR voted, they voted against becoming a state....

[–] Sibshops@lemm.ee 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I don't think that's correct. They've been voting for statehood. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Puerto_Rican_status_referendum

[–] EldritchFeminity@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 2 days ago

My understanding is that historically, the vote has been almost 50/50, but that there have been issues with the question that have thrown up doubts about the validity of the referendum conclusions. Stuff like giving the options of statehood or territory, but not independence, etc. Even the one you linked says that only around half of the population responded and over 200,000 ballots were thrown out for either being blank or invalid.

I had thought that a significant portion of the population had been in favor of independence, especially since we came in and basically destroyed their economy. They had been one of the largest manufacturers of pharmaceuticals in the world before the US, and now I think their biggest industry is tourism, which, as someone who has lived in a tourist town for decades, is not conducive to a healthy economy.

[–] taiyang@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

While I know PR probably isn't down for becoming a state now, we know that if they did have two senators and several house members, we'd be in a lot less shit right now. Hell, how many electrical votes would they have been in 2016 and 2024?

[–] OhStopYellingAtMe@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Republicans don’t want PR as the 51st state because: PR doesn’t have oil wells & PR has brown people.

[–] Sibshops@lemm.ee 5 points 2 days ago

Also, it's because Puerto Rico voted 65% for democrats.

[–] HenriVolney@sh.itjust.works 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Puerto Rico could apply for EU membership!

[–] moody@lemmings.world 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

They could become a Canadian province. We'd welcome them in, but wouldn't force them into it against their will.

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago

It would make a lot of sense. Canada already has a province where the population doesn't speak English. And Canada would definitely appreciate a place with a tropical climate in a way the US never would. Plus, 3.2 million people is easy to ignore in a country of 330 million. But, in Canada they'd be the 5th biggest province, so they'd hold a lot of sway.

Or, at least, they could join the Commonwealth and have stronger relations with Canada, the UK, the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, etc.

[–] Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org 5 points 3 days ago

For instance, PR has one "delegate" to the House (not an official voting member) and no senators. Taxation without representation.

That's the kinda stuff people have had to actively ignore in order to be surprised by current events. Like that's straight up a colony. The thing the US used to be before allegedly abolishing the concept.

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

And the District of Columbia, and Guam, and Saipan, and Micronesia, and…

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 days ago

DC should vote for independence.

[–] samus12345@lemm.ee 3 points 2 days ago

I would think Puerto Rico is ready to no longer be a commonwealth, much less a state.

[–] ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Fun battleship fact: all US battleships have been named after states except for one: BB-5, the USS Kearsarge. The original Kearsarge fought in the Civil War and sank the Confederate raider Alabama; ever since then the US Navy has always had a ship in commission named Kearsarge - presumably as a giant fuck you to the South for losing. BB-5 got the name in 1900, forever ruining an otherwise-perfect ship naming convention. For this reason, I support Puerto Rico becoming a state, but only if they rename themselves Kearsarge.

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

What was Kearsarge named after?

[–] ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

Mount Kearsarge in New Hampshire.