Long past time to send Puerto Rico to Congress

[Jim H - VA USA]

Every American living on American soil should be represented in Congress. Puerto Rico, along with American Samoa, US Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and Washington DC, should be fully represented in the House of Representatives, based on their relative populations. But no Senators. The Senate should remain the chamber of state representation.

Why not?

Not a state.

"The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States:"

U.S. Constitution | Constitution Annotated | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

The original text of the United States Constitution and its Amendments.

constitution.congress.gov

 

[IDIOCRACY]

Every American living on American soil should be represented in Congress. Puerto Rico, along with American Samoa, US Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and Washington DC, should be fully represented in the House of Representatives, based on their relative populations. But no Senators. The Senate should remain the chamber of state representation.

Why not?

Why, so the left can gather more votes from people who don't know better?

 

[Stormy Daniels]

Not a state.

"The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States:"

U.S. Constitution | Constitution Annotated | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

The original text of the United States Constitution and its Amendments.

constitution.congress.gov

I know what the constitution says, dumbass. I'm suggesting it be changed.

 

[Stormy Daniels]

The Constitution forbids the DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA from being a state. So, no Senators or Representatives without a Constitutional Amendment.

Not quite. There's nothing in the constitution that prevents Congress from admitting DC as a state.

 

[Couchpotato]

Every American living on American soil should be represented in Congress. Puerto Rico, along with American Samoa, US Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and Washington DC, should be fully represented in the House of Representatives, based on their relative populations. But no Senators. The Senate should remain the chamber of state representation.

Why not?

1. That would be unconstitutional.

That is all

 

[Couchpotato]

Not quite. There's nothing in the constitution that prevents Congress from admitting DC as a state.

Theres good reason DC isn’t a state. The solution isn’t making it a state it’s restricting the bounds of DC to non residential areas.

 

[para bellum]

Not quite. There's nothing in the constitution that prevents Congress from admitting DC as a state.

The Framers did not want the seat of government to also be a State, because it could exercise power over all the others. "Equal footing" for all States is fundamental to the Constitution.

They created a special District to be the seat of Gov't for that reason.

It is one of the enumerated powers.

[The Congress shall have power]

"To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States"

 

[Lesh]

Long past time to make Puerto Rico and DC states

 

[Lesh]

Theres good reason DC isn’t a state. The solution isn’t making it a state it’s restricting the bounds of DC to non residential areas.

Can be done easily

 

[Lesh]

The Framers did not want the seat of government to also be a State, because it could exercise power over all the others. "Equal footing" for all States is fundamental to the Constitution.

They created a special District to be the seat of Gov't for that reason.

It is one of the enumerated powers.

[The Congress shall have power]

"To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States"

Not EXCEEDING 10 miles square. They peeled off a bunch of it once. They can do it again

 

[para bellum]

Not EXCEEDING 10 miles square. They peeled off a bunch of it once. They can do it again

Sure, just submit your amendment at the convention...

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

Can be done easily

Return the residential areas of DC to Maryland.
Problem solved.
No need for a new state.

 

[Lesh]

Return the residential areas of DC to Maryland.
Problem solved.
No need for a new state.

Why?

 

[Lesh]

Sure, just submit your amendment at the convention...

No amendment needed

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

Why?

Why not?

What's the logic for making them a state?

 

[para bellum]

Why not?

What's the logic for making them a state?

There is none, it's just lust for power.

 

[ozro]

There is none, it's just lust for power.

They are voting for/against statehood in this election. Every other time they held a vote, they voted "no". So the aren't a state. According to the OP, the USA can force statehood on an area, despite them not wanting it. That has never been done before by the USA. But then again the OP is a dumbass, so there is that.

 

[para bellum]

They are voting for/against statehood in this election. Every other time they held a vote, they voted "no". So the aren't a state. According to the OP, the USA can force statehood on an area, despite them not wanting it. That has never been done before by the USA. But then again the OP is a dumbass, so there is that.

There are two debates going on here, D.C. and P.R.

P.R. doesn't want it, D.C. does.

D.C. has a delegate in the House, and they get 3 EV's, but that's not good enough.

Dems want the extra Senators, that's all they care about. They'll take them where they can get them.

'Course they will oppose Eastern WA and OR splitting off and making another red State, that would just be wrong...

 

[ozro]

There are two debates going on here, D.C. and P.R.

P.R. doesn't want it, D.C. does.

D.C. has a delegate in the House, and they get 3 EV's, but that's not good enough.

Dems want the extra Senators, that's all they care about. They'll take them where they can get them.

'Course they will oppose Eastern WA and OR splitting off and making another red State, that would just be wrong...

Yeah, I know. But the thread is primarily about PR.
That's the subject of the OP. DC wAs brought into the debate, but that is an entirely different situation, as you detailed.

 

[Couchpotato]

Can be done easily

What can be done easily? Make it a state? Sure but there is good reason for it to not be a state. The solution is to just not have residential property inside the bounds of DC. That way the seat of Government isn't inside a state and people aren't living somewhere without representation within the US Government. Frankly anyone living there knew they were moving to a place where they wouldnt have Representation in Congress so they really dont have a complaint.