Set for a vote on Thursday is yet another piece of partisan stealth legislation aimed at solidifying the Democrat regime’s Socialist control over of the American people, the economy and the country.
On the horizon, it’s the Puerto Rico Democracy Act (H.R. 2499). It would force Puerto Rico to vote on U.S. statehood. It is designed to not-so-subtly force the commonwealth into statehood. This bill is so brazen as to require the territory to vote every eight years until statehood is accepted by the people of Puerto Rico.
How did we get to this point? Courtesy of prstatehood.com:
The committee considered four amendments during the mark-up of the bill. The two successful amendments provide that bilingual ballots will be provided during the plebiscites and that the costs of the plebiscites will be the responsibility of the government of Puerto Rico. Rep. Henry E. Brown (R-SC) and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) respectively introduced the amendments. Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi (D-PR), the sponsor of the bill, accepted both amendments, noting that bilingual ballots were used in Puerto Rico’s 2008 general election and the committee members unanimously concurred.
(July 22, 2009) By a vote of 30-8, the Natural Resources Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, overwhelmingly passed legislation (H.R. 2499 – The Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009) to give congressional sanction to an island plebiscite on Puerto Rico’s status for the first time in American history. The Natural Resources Committee has jurisdiction over Puerto Rico affairs in the United States Congress in Washington, D.C..
Puerto Rico is already a fully-functioning democracy,which has repeatedly rejected attempts to turn it into a U.S. state for decades.
In a desperate effort to create new Democrat voters and elected officials, the Liberals are now stealthily trying to add a 51st state, full of potential voters.
The Libs are praying that because of a heavy population of poverty-stricken minorities, they can count on Puerto Rico to vote en masse for Democrats and all their handouts, and their representation will also consequently outnumber that of 25 other existing U.S. states.
There’s more. Puerto Ricans have an average income of less than half that of our poorest state. Their wretched state will make them instantly eligible for scores of our welfare programs. In order to bring Puerto Rico up to American infrastructure and environmental standards, a bonanza of taxpayer dollars will also have to be continuously dumped into the territory, by federal law.
This will also make a whole lot of non-English speaking people part of our country overnight, which will bring a whole different set of headaches.
Rep. Nydia Velazquez, a New York Democrat and one of the most well-known and influential Puerto Ricans in Congress, along with Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), have been very vocal in opposing the bill.
Yet Democrat Pedro Pierluisi, the Puerto Rican delegate to Congress, one of the sponsors of the bill, campaigned on the promise to give the island’s residents this vote on their future relationship with the United States (per Politico.com). He has bipartisan support in Congress for the Puerto Rican Democracy Act (How much support is the question.), and his Republican governor is on board. He got more than 1 million votes in his election in 2008. Opponents, he said, are just “rehashing” an election he already won (again, according to Politico.com).
His message to Velazquez and Gutierrez?
Elections have consequences.
No kiddin’, Pedro. The American people have had it up to here with the consequences of the last election. What they are seeking now is the truth.
The timing of this is as suspect as Obama’s attack on Goldman Sachs. The Democrats have found out the hard way that the America people overwhelmingly oppose granting amnesty to Illegal Immigrants. By granting statehood to Puerto Rico, the Democrats hope to gain control of a state 3 times the size of Rhode Island, with a population estimated to be 4,117,633.
The moral of this story is: If the American people are about to vote you out of office, manufacture some new Americans.
Sources: examiner.com, prstatehood.com, politico.com, nationsencyclopedia.com
How in the heck can they FORCE them to vote on statehood? That cannot be constitutional. Of course, the leftists never let that stop them.
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Another good one KJ.
I agree, it does seem like a ploy by Democrats to add more dependent, low-income voters to the voting population.
However, should point out that Puerto Ricans are already part of the US in that they are US citizens and can legally move within the US just like any other US citizens.
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Another hit out of the park! Wish Hot Air would acknowledge you! This is better stuff then they put out! Thanks for putting all the facts out there for us!
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Straight Cash Homie.
That’s what they need, and it’s what the Democrats have via the TARP and Porkulus slush funds.
Good times, good times.
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KJ, you’re on this when no one else seems to have heard of Puerto Rico. Great work.
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No way, Jose. The lifeboats from this Titanic diaster are full.
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Hah I am actually the first comment to your incredible read?
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Heh I’m honestly the first comment to this incredible writing!?
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