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[-] StrongHorseWeakNeigh@lemmy.world 24 points 6 hours ago

Until Puerto Rico is a state, I believe they shouldn't have to pay taxes. No taxation without representation.

[-] Wiz@midwest.social 22 points 5 hours ago

They are exempt from federal income tax.

[-] Dalvoron@lemm.ee 3 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

While a good start, they do still pay other kinds of federal taxes (without representation), such as payroll taxes

https://espaciosabiertos.org/facts-does-puerto-rico-really-not-pay-federal-taxes-a-common-misconception/

And paid $4 billion in federal taxes in 2021 https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/puerto-rico-us-territory-crisis#chapter-title-0-4

[-] Juice@midwest.social 32 points 7 hours ago

God you can't even have colonies anymore, another victim of wokeness

[-] Saprophyte@lemmy.world 116 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

No, this is what we do. 51=17x3. 52=26x2. 53, however is a prime number so it can't be divided.

We make PR a state, Guam, and DC.

AND WE BECOME.... One nation, indivisible.

[-] fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com 9 points 6 hours ago

This needs to be a meme.

[-] NotBillMurray@lemmy.world 12 points 8 hours ago

Squish the Dakotas together and make PR a state, we wouldn't even need a new flag.

[-] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 26 points 9 hours ago

You have . . . a point.

[-] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 11 points 8 hours ago

No silly, we COMBINE some of the 18 low-population states so we can go back to 48! One nation 6x8, with a better balance in representation! Or 45 could be nice as well.

[-] Slab_Bulkhead@lemmy.world 15 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

overly positive elementary school teacher voice* "okay low pop states find your buddy." "to make it easier for some of you if your state starts with a cardinal direction congrats you've already got a preassigned merge buddy and new name!"... "ah no Kansas, 'Ar' is not a direction, you and Arkansas wont work you don't even share a border hun" "...unless" Kansouri-Oklasas

[-] PyroNeurosis 8 points 8 hours ago

Why combine extant states? Just pull a colonial Europe and draw a whole new map over it! Nuts to "natural boundaries" or "cultural similarities", everyone on the east coast from DC to King's Bay is now part of the State of Midlantic.

[-] swab148@lemm.ee 2 points 6 hours ago

Gerrymander the state borders!

[-] pinkystew@reddthat.com 1 points 5 hours ago

Just break a pool cue and force them to fight tbh

[-] somethingsnappy@lemmy.world 2 points 9 hours ago

No factors, still divisible.

[-] PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee 1 points 8 hours ago

Guam + Marianas would make more sense, very low populations out ðere

[-] Jayb151@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago

Didn't they recently vote to not become a state?

[-] carotte 6 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

why not oppose US colonialism and support Puerto Rican independence instead of statehood?

[-] NastyNative@mander.xyz 3 points 5 hours ago

If we really cared about PR we would have pushed for this a long time ago. This is news because of a joke but we live in the united states of amnesia, by next monday this will all be forgotten.

[-] Drusas@fedia.io 18 points 9 hours ago

They can become a state if they want to. They have voted against it in the past.

[-] BossDj@lemm.ee 24 points 9 hours ago

Their most recent vote in 2020 results in favor of statehood (not by much). However, Congress has to make it happen, not Puerto Rico.

[-] NJSpradlin@lemmy.world 3 points 7 hours ago

The last vote had a very huge abstention ‘vote’, which was the only reason the ‘for’ vote out performed the ‘against’.

[-] BossDj@lemm.ee 5 points 6 hours ago

What was the message behind abstaining?

[-] NJSpradlin@lemmy.world 5 points 6 hours ago

This is an oversimplification from someone who has only heard it from his Puerto Rican wife.

She said that there’s a large population of Puerto Ricans that distrust both the US government itself and PR’s. Some of that stems from deep seated anger and pain from the tourism industry, foreign investors buying properties, and a lack of support and representation from the US itself. The corruption within PR’s own government and how they’ll do anything they can for ‘support’ from the US, at the expense of their own identity and culture, while further burying themselves in debt to the US, led to the protest abstain vote movement among a significant portion of what would have been ‘no’ voters.

There’s probably someone out there who’s written a research paper/news article or two about it, but the biggest take away is that the majority of Puerto Ricans are not in support of Statehood. There’re large populations seeking independence, the status quo staying the same, and Statehood, all separately without a clear majority in any direction.

[-] bamfic@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago

Independence wasnt on the menu

[-] HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com 12 points 9 hours ago

came to say this. Its kinda their own fault. Which more than anything indicates how american they are.

[-] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 20 points 10 hours ago

My understanding is that many Puerto Ricans don't even want statehood.

[-] Furball@sh.itjust.works 24 points 10 hours ago

About 50-60% want statehood, it’s the majority opinion, but a lot of people like not having income taxes

[-] NJSpradlin@lemmy.world 3 points 7 hours ago

The last vote had a very huge abstention ‘vote’, which was the only reason the ‘for’ vote out performed the ‘against’.

[-] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 3 points 9 hours ago

They just want independence iirc

[-] Furball@sh.itjust.works 3 points 7 hours ago

That’s actually a pretty fringe belief on Puerto Rico

[-] nifty@lemmy.world 10 points 9 hours ago

I am surprised conservatives don’t want to add PR as a state, Republicans would definitely get more reps voting along religious lines in congress

[-] PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee 10 points 8 hours ago

It's because racism

[-] qooqie@lemmy.world 19 points 11 hours ago

I honestly don’t think this would ever get support. Puerto Rico is very republican last I checked so dems aren’t exactly incentivized to vote it in. And republicans don’t want it because that would be fair treatment to a minority so

[-] Brkdncr@lemmy.world 43 points 10 hours ago

I’m more interested in PR having representation then how it affects my own opinions.

[-] qooqie@lemmy.world 12 points 9 hours ago

Yeah I agree, I meant more the actual lawmakers aren’t terribly incentivized

[-] Rhaedas@fedia.io 5 points 10 hours ago

If they have enough people for four representatives, then if they stay a territory they ought to get more than the single delegate they have in the House. I don't even care if that would add more siding with Republicans, they deserve more than they have.

[-] LEDZeppelin@lemmy.world 17 points 10 hours ago

Irony of the situation that the same Republican Party hates Puerto Ricans so much. I hope PR folks understand that when repubes say migrants are rapists, druggists, and murderers they also mean you - even though you’re not migrants - MAGA doesn’t give a fuck to the fact that you’re citizens.

[-] CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 9 hours ago

"No no no....he's talking about Haitians, those savages.

We Puerto Ricans are the exemption. We're special."

[-] Slab_Bulkhead@lemmy.world 3 points 7 hours ago

first they came for the LGBTQ and we said nothing for we were not them, then they came for the couch cushions and we laughed... wait.

[-] Cuttlefish1111@lemmy.world 1 points 9 hours ago

Cubans who came here legally are the exception.

[-] NegativeInf@lemmy.world 8 points 10 hours ago

Which is why, like in all past state additions, you do it in a way that is balanced based on contemporary divides, like slave vs free states. Puerto Rico and DC at the same time.

[-] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 2 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)

I don't think "very republican" is accurate but definitely not as left leaning as Dems like to believe. There is a deep seeded mistrust of government while at the same time high expectations of benefits from the government. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ So the bottom line is that you just can't tell which way they would go and that's not a gamble either party wants to take.

[-] someguy3@lemmy.world 7 points 10 hours ago

Surprised at 18, but guess it's not that surprising.

[-] Gork@lemm.ee 10 points 10 hours ago

It's not hard to beat Wyoming in population especially.

this post was submitted on 30 Oct 2024
716 points (100.0% liked)

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