4th July hypocrisy

[NTMBK]

It was nice this weekend to see you all celebrating your independence. As a Brit, I acknowledge that the war was a just cause- it is immoral to demand taxation from a colony and impose your laws and will on it without giving the people a say in how they are governed.

So... How's the whole Puerto Rico situation going, huh? >3 million people in a colony that you refuse to give true representation to? If you celebrate 4th July, you should advocate either statehood or independence for Puerto Rico.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

It was nice this weekend to see you all celebrating your independence. As a Brit, I acknowledge that the war was a just cause- it is immoral to demand taxation from a colony and impose your laws and will on it without giving the people a say in how they are governed.

So... How's the whole Puerto Rico situation going, huh? >3 million people in a colony that you refuse to give true representation to? If you celebrate 4th July, you should advocate either statehood or independence for Puerto Rico.

It's shit. Many of us want our 'colonies' to have appropriate representation within our government. I cannot even imagine that topic being presented at this point though, given everything that's been happening and how we now know like 30% of our nation feels.

Apparently that's another Gordian Knot that Millenials get to cut.

 

[wanderica]

Puerto Rico is a bit of a tricky thing imo. Puerto Rico still has the status it does, as a US territory, because that's what the people of Puerto Rico keep voting for. There was a vote as recent as 2017 in Puerto Rico to become a US state that failed with only a 23% turnout. The previous vote was in 2012 that also failed.

While it technically has no representation (they have a voice, but not a vote in our government), they pay no federal taxes unless they work for the government, so there's no taxation without representation. Puerto Rico could also likely become independent if it wished, like The Philippines did in 1945. Puerto Rico has options, but instead chooses to remain a territory and enjoy full natural born US citizenship and no federal taxes rather than becoming a state and gaining full representation in congress.

 

[Greenman]

Seems this thread didn't go as planed.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Technically they do pay for some Federal Programs like Social Security and a few others....
PR chooses not to be a State, I believe there is some kind of charter that says the instant PR requests to become a State they are a State or similar.

 

[ivwshane]

Puerto Rico is a bit of a tricky thing imo. Puerto Rico still has the status it does, as a US territory, because that's what the people of Puerto Rico keep voting for. There was a vote as recent as 2017 in Puerto Rico to become a US state that failed with only a 23% turnout. The previous vote was in 2012 that also failed.

While it technically has no representation (they have a voice, but not a vote in our government), they pay no federal taxes unless they work for the government, so there's no taxation without representation. Puerto Rico could also likely become independent if it wished, like The Philippines did in 1945. Puerto Rico has options, but instead chooses to remain a territory and enjoy full natural born US citizenship and no federal taxes rather than becoming a state and gaining full representation in congress.

While it’s true they don’t pay US federal taxes, residents there do pay taxes to the US government including; payroll, social security, and business taxes among others. Their federal contribution in taxes is ~3 billion a year.

 

[ivwshane]

Technically they do pay for some Federal Programs like Social Security and a few others....
PR chooses not to be a State, I believe there is some kind of charter that says the instant PR requests to become a State they are a State or similar.

Nope but there has been attempts to pass such bills but they haven’t gone anywhere.

Puerto Rico’s push for statehood, explained

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricard Rosselló asked President Donald Trump to consider statehood for the US territory. Trump said no.

www.vox.com

 

[KMFJD]

It was nice this weekend to see you all celebrating your independence. As a Brit, I acknowledge that the war was a just cause- it is immoral to demand taxation from a colony and impose your laws and will on it without giving the people a say in how they are governed.

So... How's the whole Puerto Rico situation going, huh? >3 million people in a colony that you refuse to give true representation to? If you celebrate 4th July, you should advocate either statehood or independence for Puerto Rico.

Just like the 13th is a fraud when it has a clause allowing slavery in prisons...

 

[Mai72]

It was nice this weekend to see you all celebrating your independence. As a Brit, I acknowledge that the war was a just cause- it is immoral to demand taxation from a colony and impose your laws and will on it without giving the people a say in how they are governed.

So... How's the whole Puerto Rico situation going, huh? >3 million people in a colony that you refuse to give true representation to? If you celebrate 4th July, you should advocate either statehood or independence for Puerto Rico.

And, what about the native Americans? 98% wiped off the face of the earth. The rest thrown onto rundown reservations.

It's social conditioning 101. People will believe anything they are told because it fits their little world view.

 

[JWade]

the people of Puerto Rico have repeatedly voted not to become a state. last vote was 65% said no, need to get over that 50% threshold. if they become a state, they loose being their own nation. they get benefits of being "part" of the US, but can run things themselves. majority of people there dont want to loose that.

also sad how people today will hold other people accountable for things that happened over a hundred years ago, or even much longer, that they had ZERO to do with.

 

[NTMBK]

Well damn, I take it back! I had not realised that Puerto Rico does not pay federal tax. That does make it a lot less of a ridiculous arrangement.

Learn something new every day.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Well damn, I take it back! I had not realised that Puerto Rico does not pay federal tax. That does make it a lot less of a ridiculous arrangement.

Learn something new every day.

Don't feel bad. Most Americans don't even know PR is part of the US, much less the minutia of their situation.

 

[K1052]

The next congress should just pass legislation permitting accession of any US territory at a time of their choosing and leave it open ended. If PR wants to join in the future there should be no impediment.

 

[Sunburn74]

Doesn't DC have taxation without representation?

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Doesn't DC have taxation without representation?

The citizens there do, yes. That literally came up as a house bill like a week ago, to redistrict DC to only include the actual govt buildings. I'm sure it'll sit on Fuck McConnell's desk until the end of time.

 

[K1052]

The citizens there do, yes. That literally came up as a house bill like a week ago, to redistrict DC to only include the actual govt buildings. I'm sure it'll sit on Fuck McConnell's desk until the end of time.

I'm starting to strongly suspect Mitch won't be the majority leader next year. Given his increasingly impassioned speeches about the greatness of the filibuster I think he's thinking the same thing.

Assuming that's the case DC statehood legislation should move next year to become law and be admitted before the end of 2021.

 

[iRONic]

Well damn, I take it back! I had not realised that Puerto Rico does not pay federal tax. That does make it a lot less of a ridiculous arrangement.

Learn something new every day.

Ohman... been saving up that little gem of a post for awhile? Squirreled away in a cute, smarmy notepad file? Christ...

Get in line to poke fun at the current clown shoes administration but your snowballs landed off target there, mate.

 

[NTMBK]

Ohman... been saving up that little gem of a post for awhile? Squirreled away in a cute, smarmy notepad file? Christ...

Get in line to poke fun at the current clown shoes administration but your snowballs landed off target there, mate.

Nah, if I'd had it saved up I'd have actually posted it on 4th July, not 2 days later As this thread has shown, I didn't exactly research thoroughly. It was just bugging me, so I posted.