Why Do Conservatives Think That Guam And Puerto Rico Are States

Do American conservatives think that Puerto Rico should become the 51st state?

Generally not, at least not at an official level. Puerto Rico is one of the most liberal places in the United States and has 3.4 million people, if they became a state there'd be entitled to 2 senators and probably somewhere around 5–6 representatives in the House of Representatives, almost all of which would either be Democrats or very closely aligned in ideology. On another note, something 95% of people in Puerto Rico speak Spanish as a first language, and while many do speak English, it would probably make the party of “America needs English to be its official Language” rather uncomfortable. There are other reasons individual Republicans would be concerned, Puerto Rico would be the poorest state in the nation, even poorer than the Deep South (very conservative), and the aid that it would require to be brought to a competitive level with even those states would probably limit the amount of aid those states receive. On top of this a very small number of venture capatalists(usually Republicans) have capitalized on the volatility of Puerto Rican debt markets to make lots of money, and this probably wouldn't be possible if Puerto Rico were a state. The point is, there are many reasons why it wouldn't be a good idea to count on Republicans to welcome Puerto Rico into the Union.

Why is Hawaii considered a state but not Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands that are closer to Mainland U.S.A?

The question betrays a lack of knowledge of the realities of the issue. Tje author seems to equate Puerto Rico (PR) and the US Virgin Islands (USVI). Puerto Rico has a population (3/5 million) as large as about half of the states of the Union, and has about 90& of the US territorial population. larger than Hawaii and Alaska combined. The other territories are very small and are statehood for them is not a reasonable possibility .The USVI has about 150K, about as large as Fort Collins, CO. The other territories, American Samoa, Northern Marianas, Guam, etc. are no larger. and have different immigration rights; PR and USVI natives are US citizens by birth. PR has had a different status (unincorporated territory and/or commonwealth) like the Philippines before their independence. Hawaii and Alaska were incorporated territories, meaning they were allowed to petition for statehood when their population and economies were sufficient and they were deemed ready by Congress. In both cases their admission was long delayed by commercial interests, and in Hawaii’s case by racist issues.Unlike the earlier admissions, PR does not favor statehood over commonwealth or independence by a supermajority, or even a bare majority. Both economic and cultural issues are involved, only a small percentage of Puerto Ricans prefer English, and relatively few are fluent; government and education are mostly English at any level.The recent PROMESA act, which set up a US controlled fiscal control board to deal with the rather large bonded indebtedness and to a considerable effect to protect the public financing markets. The act was designed to protect Republican control even in the event of a Democratic presidential win, which didn’t happen anyway. The board has Puerto Rican membership (except for the Governor, who is a nonvoting member). It can overrule PR legislative acts and thus has the effect of lowering PR’s status from commonwealth almost back to colony.

Why doesn't Puerto Rico join the USA as a 51st state?

Puerto Rico cannot simply join the USA as the 51st state due to a few factors.Mainly our own political agenda. Puerto Rican residents cannot vote in federal elections, only primaries and their single governor. Puerto Rico being admitted into the union would likely tip the scale of balance between Democrats and Republicans. Though one could reasonably assume that the religiosity of the island’s inhabitants would favor conservatism, but this would not be the case.Any, and I mean any hypothesis leading to the conclusion that being a state would be a detriment to the island is fallacy. This neocolonialism we’ve implemented has actually exacerbated Puerto Rico’s economic fatigue. The Jones Act requiring that all goods shipped between US ports must be built, owned and operated by US citizens, means that Puerto Rico is forced to pay first-world rates. All the while there are no clear bankruptcy laws outlining the island, as well. Don’t you think that bushel of food or material would be cheaper to import from Jamaica than let’s say the US mainland? Corporations instead flock from a business-friendly climate where it was simply cheaper to do business. Then it becomes just easier to do business in the states.Puerto Rican residents don’t have their mind made up yet, however. In a 2017 referendum, some 97% of voters chose statehood in favor of their current status. The only apparent caveat is that only 23% of voters took to the polls. Now is this an accurate indication?No. We must go to the polls again, and we must sort this out. We must take action. The insurmounting debt that the island knows it will never pay off, storm damage, failing schools, a nearly complete lack of social services, this is what America has become. After all, Puerto Rico is a US territory and its residents are automatically considered US citizens by birth, but they sure are not treated as such.

What are your thoughts on making Puerto Rico the US' 51st state?

I’m all for it. Obviously, it’ll be tough to get enough votes in Congress to admit them. As others have mentioned, Puerto Rican residents would more than likely vote for democrat HoR and Senators. With Republicans controlling Congress right now, it’ll be extremely tough to garner the remaining votes needed to pass the admission. Democrats would likely have to give up something big in order to do so, and I don’t know if they’d be willing to budge on any major issues, as that’ll anger their constituents and a wide range of people.But like I said, I’m all for it. Right now, Puerto Ricans are US citizens. However, they cannot vote for president, but are expected to sign up for the Selective Service. Puerto Ricans aren’t discriminated against, per say, but they are treated like second-class citizens as of now. They should be treated as equally as citizens of California or Nebraska or Maine. Same goes to Guam.One of the biggest hurdles would be overcoming the current economy of Puerto Rico, which isn’t strong or good, and the huge amounts of debt the government on the island has racked up over the years. But that can be overcome.An interesting tidbit of information that I’ve seen mentioned is that Puerto Rico would give up all their international teams. Currently, Puerto Rico, while a territory of the US, competes in international competition with its own teams. If Puerto Rico were to be admitted as the 51st state, that would end and they would compete under the flag of the United States. This would further strengthen many of the US’s international competition teams, particularly baseball. That would make many, including myself pretty happy, because while the US has among the worlds best baseball players, they have stiff competition in baseball against many Caribbean, Central American, and other international teams.Overall, there are more supporters of Puerto Rican statehood than you may think. It’ll be tough to get passed in Congress, but it can be done. One of the bigger problems would be all the changes that would have to be made. Textbooks would have to be rewritten, the flag would need to be changed with the adding of another star, among other things. But, this would be done nonetheless.

Why did Hawaii became a US state and Puerto Rico an unincorporated territory?

There are complex historical reasons, but a simple one might be that Hawaii was taken over in 1893 by white people, mostly American citizens, who wanted to be annexed into the United States. At least since the turn of the century, native Hawaiians were a minority in Hawaii. Given that things were largely run by English-speaking white people who identified as Americans. This transitioned rather smoothly into being a state.Puerto Rico, on the other hand, was first conquered and colonized by the Spanish, who occupied the island as a colony until the Spanish-American war, when it was "given" to the US, with no concern for will of the people living there. There's long been a strong independence movement there, white people and English speakers have always been in the minority, and it's likely that neither the people of Puerto Rico nor the government of the US saw the island as really American.At this point, there's a movement in Puerto Rico for statehood, but it's not espoused by most of the population. In any case, statehood would have to be approved by congress. Since it would mean adding two new (almost certainly Democratic) senators, Congress in general and the Republicans in Congress specifically would block it at every turn.

If Puerto Rico becomes a state, would it be advantageous for the US Virgin Islands to unify with it?

If Puerto Rico becomes a state, would it be advantageous for the US Virgin Islands to unify with it?You’d be forgiven for thinking that the the two territories would benefit, even be eager, to combine together. You’d be wrong, though.Puerto Rico and the USVI are two different cultures, and as such, would be incompatible as a single political entity. PR is overwhelmingly Spanish speaking and Hispanic, with a different historical makeup than the USVI. The USVI is mostly English speaking, with some Spanish mixed in, and is made up of a majority of Blacks, with a very strong affinity toward its African roots brought over as slavery.PR has a population of a couple million people, while the USVI barely breaks 100 thousand. Considering the two cultures are widely different from each other, the demographics would also make the combination of the territories nigh impossible. I know that many states have multiple cultures to contend with, but the territories would never agree to join as a single group.Besides, the point is moot. Both territories are mostly liberal, and Congress would never approve of statehood unless another, similarly populated, but conservative leaning territory were to be found and given statehood. This is only how Alaska and Hawaii became states. Considering that there are not other territories that fit this bill, it’s unlikely that Conservatives in Congress would ever approve of such a measure.