Is PUERTO RICO an ASSET or a LIABILITY to the United States of America?.

originally posted by: FHomerK
a reply to: carewemust

The idea that you would look at the people of PR as an asset or not, is a bit disheartening.

They are U.S. citizens. They have been since 1917. 100 years. Please do a bit of research into that.


Based off of your logic, I think that perhaps we need to look at your house and determine if you and the loved ones who live there are assets, or not to the US.

Because if you are not...you know...we'll boot you. How does that feel?

What the hell are you talking about, FHomerK? I asked a question about a commonwealth, and you take it personally. The same question can be asked about a state, a city, your existence, or mine. But in this instance, it's about Puerto Rico.

originally posted by: loam
They should be given statehood imo.

I say asset.

Thank-you Loam for the succinct answer. Your sentiment seems to reflect that of the majority of Americans, if ATS is an accurate gauge.

originally posted by: IgnoranceIsntBlisss
USPS postage rates to there and back are the same from your house to your neighbors.

If the people of Puerto Rico want to be our 51st state, what's the hold up?

originally posted by: olaru12
a reply to: carewemust

Apparently the military thinks PR is an asset....

militarybases.com...

Thanks for that info, Olaru12. I'm sure our military was/is an asset when it comes to helping Puerto Rico recover from hurricane Maria.

originally posted by: DexterRiley
Definitely an asset. If for no other reason than its strategic geographical position.

It's in an excellent position as a forward staging point for any action that needs to be targeted at South America or Western Africa.

I recall there was a recent vote in Puerto Rico, and for the first time, the majority voted to become the US 51st state. Several previous votes were against statehood.

-dex

Thanks Dex. From the info shared by Olaru12, it looks like the US has 4 military bases there. I also recall seeing Puerto Rico at the Republican and Democratic national conventions for nominating Presidential candidates. What are Puerto Rican citizens not able to do, that U.S. citizens can do?

a reply to: Arnie123


I was looking at a Caribbean Cruise list the other day, and Puerto Rico was not one of the stops. Is there not much to see and do there?

a reply to: enlightenedservant


The points you make never crossed my mind. But then, Puerto Rico never did, before Hurricane Maria. Didn't Alaska and Hawaii add seats to Congress?

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: Arnie123

Definitely an asset, consider it what we call Taiwan, our unsinkable aircraft carrier.

And Guam. Oh wait, Guam might capsize.

That's why we don't want North Korea blowing up any missiles too close to that Island. The shock waves might do just that.

Statehood. They want to be a State. Give them that wish. Never going to happen with this current Congress and White House though, as that requires two things that they utterly lack - vision and leadership.

originally posted by: DexterRiley

originally posted by: charlyv
One of the worst things we did was to close down Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, Ceiba, Puerto Rico, in 2004.
It was a strategic base in the cold war, and after. Thousands of jobs were lost as well as $millions in the local economy. In retrospect, Rosey Roads used the island of Vieques, right off shore, as a training facility as well. The people of VIeques fought for years to get the military off the island, but after Maria devastated PR and Vieques, these bases would have been a great asset in helping the recovery.

I thought there was a base there at one time. Seems like a place like Puerto Rico would be almost as important as Hawaii as a strategic operating base. Hawaii as the gateway to the Pacific and Puerto Rico as the gateway to the South Atlantic.

Not to mention the fact that Trump has been threatening Venezuela. Which is within spitting distance of PR.

It seems likely to me that closing the military base is at least partly responsible for the implosion of PR's economy. Leading to their bankruptcy filing.

-dex

Rosey Roads was an official port of call up until it closed. The Navy was in and out with operational and Med Cruise personnel constantly which really supported surrounding cities, especially San Juan. Really part of US Navy tradition and lore. Many salty sailors will tell great tales of being in port or stationed there.

I also agree that it had effects on the PR economy when it closed, that they never recovered from.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: carewemust

You know Trump can do nothing about Puerto Rico's debt, right?
You know Trump cannot make Puerto Rico a state, right?

Those take Congressional actions don't they? Since Congress is on vacation 7.5 months out of every year, its doubtful we'll see either action, IMO.

a reply to: Phage

Don't know about the Debt, but a push for statehood is something he can push

It requires congressional approval of course and one more requirement, the Presidents signature. So he can, so as long as Congress approves and he follows through with the signing.
I get what you're saying though, he can't personally, through any power of his own, make PR a state.

a reply to: Arnie123

He's been "pushing" Congress quite a bit. Right?

But hell, add Puerto Rican statehood to the list. Why not?

originally posted by: AngryCymraeg
Statehood. They want to be a State. Give them that wish. Never going to happen with this current Congress and White House though, as that requires two things that they utterly lack - vision and leadership.

It requires that they spend more time in Washington, get the most pressing matters out of the way, and tackle issues that are a little less important as well.

a reply to: charlyv

One Naval Base had that large of an impact? Other members have pointed out how many millions of people and billions of dollars comprise Puerto Rico's economy.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: Arnie123

He's been "pushing" Congress quite a bit. Right?

But hell, add Puerto Rican statehood to the list. Why not?

Flag manufacturers would be delighted!

originally posted by: carewemust
a reply to: charlyv

One Naval Base had that large of an impact? Other members have pointed out how many millions of people and billions of dollars comprise Puerto Rico's economy.

It really did. If you were in Fijardo to San Juan and old San Juan area in the 70's, it was a totally different place. It had an economy which was serviced based, and important as hell to locals. Hotels, Bars, Food establishments, recreational... The place was happening.

originally posted by: charlyv

originally posted by: carewemust
a reply to: charlyv

One Naval Base had that large of an impact? Other members have pointed out how many millions of people and billions of dollars comprise Puerto Rico's economy.

It really did. If you were in Fijardo to San Juan and old San Juan area in the 70's, it was a totally different place. It had an economy which was serviced based, and important as hell to locals. Hotels, Bars, Food establishments, recreational... The place was happening.

Sounds like Costa Del Sol, where I was stationed for a couple of years. Boy-o-boy!

originally posted by: carewemust
a reply to: enlightenedservant


The points you make never crossed my mind. But then, Puerto Rico never did, before Hurricane Maria. Didn't Alaska and Hawaii add seats to Congress?

In the Senate, yes. In fact, "Article I, Section 3, Clause 1" of the US Constitution says that the Senate will be comprised of 2 Senators from every State (HERE). However, the "Apportionment Act of 1911" set the current limit of 435 members of the House of Representatives, which get redistributed to the States each census (meaning that after each census, each State gets a new amount of Representatives based on their official populations).

If I'm not mistaken, Alaska and Hawaii were added as States in the same year specifically because politicians wanted to preserve the balance of Republican leaning and Democratic leaning States. And since Puerto Rico is typically seen as being Democratic leaning, I'd guess that congressional Republicans would want to add a Republican leaning 52nd State at the same time. Unfortunately for the District of Columbia, it's also Democratic-leaning so the chances of it joining the union as a State at the same time as Puerto Rico are slim.

Here's a good page with info about some of the ramifications of statehood for Puerto Rico (HERE). Disclaimer: It's from the website for the House of Representatives' Committee on Natural Resources.

How would Statehood for Puerto Rico affect the apportionment of House seats?

According to a report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), if Puerto Rico were to become a state, based on a population of approximately 4 million, they would be entitled to six seats in the House of Representatives. As a state, they would, of course, receive two Senators.

The current number of 435 seats in the House of Representatives was set by the Apportionment Act of 1911. For nearly a century, the permanent number of seats hasn’t changed.

If Puerto Rico were to become a state, Congress would either have to:

Reapportion the 435 seats by giving six to Puerto Rico and subtracting seats from other states;
Temporarily increase the size of the House until the next reapportionment following the next census; or
Permanently increase the size of the House.

Based on current information, a CRS report projects that the states that could lose an existing seat or not receive an expected additional seat after the 2010 Census in order to provide six of 435 seats to Puerto Rico include: Arizona, Missouri, New York, South Carolina, Texas and Washington.

ETA: I need to clarify one thing. I'm seeing conflicting accounts on whether Puerto Rico is considered Democratic-leaning or not. So I'm no longer sure on that point, but I'll leave it in my post just for conversations' sake.