this post was submitted on 30 Oct 2024
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[–] Saprophyte@lemmy.world 179 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (6 children)

No, this is what we do. 51=17x3. 52=26x2. 53, however is a prime number so it can't be divided.

We make PR a state, Guam, and DC.

AND WE BECOME.... One nation, indivisible.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 44 points 3 weeks ago

You have . . . a point.

[–] NotBillMurray@lemmy.world 22 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

Squish the Dakotas together and make PR a state, we wouldn't even need a new flag.

[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 14 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
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[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 16 points 3 weeks ago (7 children)

No silly, we COMBINE some of the 18 low-population states so we can go back to 48! One nation 6x8, with a better balance in representation! Or 45 could be nice as well.

[–] Slab_Bulkhead@lemmy.world 24 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

overly positive elementary school teacher voice* "okay low pop states find your buddy." "to make it easier for some of you if your state starts with a cardinal direction congrats you've already got a preassigned merge buddy and new name!"... "ah no Kansas, 'Ar' is not a direction, you and Arkansas wont work you don't even share a border hun" "...unless" Kansouri-Oklasas

[–] PyroNeurosis@lemmy.blahaj.zone 14 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Why combine extant states? Just pull a colonial Europe and draw a whole new map over it! Nuts to "natural boundaries" or "cultural similarities", everyone on the east coast from DC to King's Bay is now part of the State of Midlantic.

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[–] fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com 12 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
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[–] StrongHorseWeakNeigh@lemmy.world 66 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Until Puerto Rico is a state, I believe they shouldn't have to pay taxes. No taxation without representation.

[–] Wiz@midwest.social 39 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

They are exempt from federal income tax.

[–] Dalvoron@lemm.ee 30 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (3 children)

While a good start, they do still pay other kinds of federal taxes (without representation), such as payroll taxes

https://espaciosabiertos.org/facts-does-puerto-rico-really-not-pay-federal-taxes-a-common-misconception/

And paid $4 billion in federal taxes in 2021 https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/puerto-rico-us-territory-crisis#chapter-title-0-4

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[–] affiliate@lemmy.world 19 points 3 weeks ago

this is also why the license plates in DC have the slogan “taxation without representation”

[–] Juice@midwest.social 61 points 3 weeks ago

God you can't even have colonies anymore, another victim of wokeness

[–] HelixDab2@lemm.ee 53 points 3 weeks ago (6 children)

I'm not sure that more than 50% of Puerto Rico wants to be a state.

[–] Sarmyth@lemmy.world 48 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

They vote on it rather frequently. They do at the moment but it does waffle a bit.

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[–] WaxedWookie@lemmy.world 30 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

But that would shift the election in favour of the Democrats...

Yes - if the GOP can't survive more proportional representation, they shouldn't.

[–] CluelessLemmyng@lemmy.sdf.org 15 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Potentially. Puerto Rico is also a religious state.

[–] nieminen@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Religious doesn't MEAN republican, just so happens to be one of the things that usually indicates a Republican.

I know plenty of smart religious people who are democrats. Most of the draw for the US is Christian nationalism (aka white supremacy) that I think won't work on most in PR.

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[–] Manmoth@lemmy.ml 29 points 3 weeks ago (7 children)

Puerto Rico should be it's own country.

[–] WoodScientist@lemmy.world 24 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Personally, I think we should force the island to choose its fate. We can't keep the status quo going forever. The idea of a nation like the US maintaining a colony with millions of people on it is a historical anachronism. It was a mistake to ever create the colony in the first place, and it's a mistake to keep it going. We should force the Puerto Ricans to make a choice. A new binding referendum. Pass a statehood bill that grants statehood to PR based on the results of a final binding vote. And that referendum has two and only two choices on it - statehood or independence. They're either all the way in, or all the way out. The choice is theirs.

I know in principle that, from a self-determination perspective, that Puerto Ricans should have a full menu of choices available to it, including staying a territory. But it's high time for the US to get out of the colony business. US territory status should be reserved for holdings that are so sparsely populated that they would never possibly make a viable state. But Puerto Rico is just way too large to justify holding as a territory.

We need to solve this problem. And I think we should have a final binding referendum, one where statehood or independence will automatically happen based on the results of that referendum.

[–] PixelatedCleric@lemmy.dbzer0.com 22 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (7 children)

We have tried to vote and indicate whatever desire we have for statehood or independence. Y'all (as in US Government, not citizens) just use the results to wipe your asses.

Slight edit: I'm Puerto Rican

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[–] Drusas@fedia.io 22 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

They can become a state if they want to. They have voted against it in the past.

[–] BossDj@lemm.ee 38 points 3 weeks ago (12 children)

Their most recent vote in 2020 results in favor of statehood (not by much). However, Congress has to make it happen, not Puerto Rico.

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[–] HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com 10 points 3 weeks ago

came to say this. Its kinda their own fault. Which more than anything indicates how american they are.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 21 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

My understanding is that many Puerto Ricans don't even want statehood.

[–] Furball@sh.itjust.works 35 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

About 50-60% want statehood, it’s the majority opinion, but a lot of people like not having income taxes

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[–] finitebanjo@lemmy.world 20 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

Just take statehood away from North Dakota and give it to PR so we can keep the number of stars and stripes.

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 17 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Number of stripes isn't going to change; it'll stay at 13.

50 stars is boomer shit. Time for 51.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago

Change the number of stripes, too. Add blue stripes, turn the red stripes pink, and ditch the Bald Eagle for a shark.

Only then will America truly be Woke.

[–] rickyrigatoni@lemm.ee 12 points 3 weeks ago (12 children)

Merge north and south dakota

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[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world 18 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

A better way to say is Puerto Rico has more US citizens than 18 US States. If the goal is to piss off maga that is.

This page from 2020 says 20

https://puertoricoreport.com/population-puerto-rico-exceeds-populations-21-states/

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[–] qooqie@lemmy.world 16 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

I honestly don’t think this would ever get support. Puerto Rico is very republican last I checked so dems aren’t exactly incentivized to vote it in. And republicans don’t want it because that would be fair treatment to a minority so

[–] Brkdncr@lemmy.world 46 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I’m more interested in PR having representation then how it affects my own opinions.

[–] qooqie@lemmy.world 15 points 3 weeks ago

Yeah I agree, I meant more the actual lawmakers aren’t terribly incentivized

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[–] LEDZeppelin@lemmy.world 23 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Irony of the situation that the same Republican Party hates Puerto Ricans so much. I hope PR folks understand that when repubes say migrants are rapists, druggists, and murderers they also mean you - even though you’re not migrants - MAGA doesn’t give a fuck to the fact that you’re citizens.

[–] CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

"No no no....he's talking about Haitians, those savages.

We Puerto Ricans are the exemption. We're special."

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[–] NegativeInf@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago

Which is why, like in all past state additions, you do it in a way that is balanced based on contemporary divides, like slave vs free states. Puerto Rico and DC at the same time.

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[–] nifty@lemmy.world 13 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I am surprised conservatives don’t want to add PR as a state, Republicans would definitely get more reps voting along religious lines in congress

[–] PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
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[–] Kcap@lemmy.world 13 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Kamala should seize on this and say she'd push for statehood, if not for anything other than to watch Republicans say they would oppose it.

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[–] Etterra@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

If a potential new state has a relatively heavily (say 60%+) lean then it'll never be admitted unless steps are taken to balance it out. Like how certain subdividing of California could. Unless the Democrats have a supermajority in both houses, and the President, and they actually get their heads out of their asses enough to get something done, I doubt Puerto Rico will ever get statehood. They might want to kick out the overrepresented continental real estate assholes first.

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