Puerto Rico governor to push for statehood
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - Puerto Rico's governor will call a special legislative session to push for approval of a resolution urging the U.S. Congress and President Barack Obama to honor the results of a recent referendum on changing the island's political status.
Gov. Luis Fortuno, who backs seeing statehood, said Saturday that Puerto Rican voters embraced statehood and rejected the current U.S. commonwealth status in the Nov. 6 ballot. He said Congress and Obama pledged to respect the results.
In the first question of the two-part referendum, more than 900,000 voters, or 54 percent, said they were not content with the commonwealth status.
The second question asked what status was preferred. Of the about 1.3 million voters who made a choice, nearly 800,000, or 61 percent, supported statehood. Some 437,000 backed sovereign free association and 72,560 chose independence. However, nearly 500,000 left that question blank, complicating analysis of voter sentiment.
Another complication is that voters rejected Fortuno for another term, electing as governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla. His Popular Democratic Party wants to keep Puerto Rico as a semi-autonomous U.S. commonwealth.
Gov. Luis Fortuno, who backs seeing statehood, said Saturday that Puerto Rican voters embraced statehood and rejected the current U.S. commonwealth status in the Nov. 6 ballot. He said Congress and Obama pledged to respect the results.
In the first question of the two-part referendum, more than 900,000 voters, or 54 percent, said they were not content with the commonwealth status.
The second question asked what status was preferred. Of the about 1.3 million voters who made a choice, nearly 800,000, or 61 percent, supported statehood. Some 437,000 backed sovereign free association and 72,560 chose independence. However, nearly 500,000 left that question blank, complicating analysis of voter sentiment.
Another complication is that voters rejected Fortuno for another term, electing as governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla. His Popular Democratic Party wants to keep Puerto Rico as a semi-autonomous U.S. commonwealth.
I think statehood is the right answer but anyone that knows what happened during that vote will attest to it being misleading.
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As for those citing reasons why PR should not be a state, politics (namely the fear of having more Democrats in Congress - a false assumption) and language are not good reasons. Puerto Ricans in the business sector know English quite well and there are many here, stateside, that would put some of you to shame.
 @Necrobio Maintaining a common language is the very best of reasons to make English the official language of the U.S.A., as history has proven time and again that attempting to integrate diverse groups who cannot communicate with one another inevitably leads a country to dissolution, schism, and ultimately, ruinous Balkanizing breakup.Â
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One People... One Language... One Nation.
 @TheTruncheon You missed the portion where I mentioned that PR knows English quite well when it comes to the business sector. I think it's rather naive to assume that just because Puerto Ricans primarily speak Spanish they do not understand, speak, or have an appreciation for the English language.
Nice try Puerto Rico. Canada was here first and will get statehood before PR.
As long as they talk to me in English! I am willing to try my Spanish but don't REQUIRE me to speak Spanish while doing business with you!
 @Hagar They don't require you to speak to them in Spanish in order to do business. The official languages on the island are BOTH Spanish and English.
I wonder what the American flag will look like with 51 stars on it?
 @I Like Meat Scroll down here: http://hoofin.wordpress.com/2011/06/15/yesterday-was-american-flag-day-i-meant-to-say-a-word-or-two/
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Statehood for PR - An action whose time is long overdue.
They will be the 58th State???
 @al_wa No, 59th!