“From there…”

Assumes that they had to answer the first question to answer the second one.

That wasnt the case. Didnt matter what you answered on the first question or if you answered at all.

Also, 813k was the amount of voters that said Yes to status quo. 955k said NO to status quo.

819k were the ones that voted for statehood not 793k.

You should note that in 1993 the plebiscite got a total of 788k and 1998 723k… The population has been in decline for like 10years +.

My Miami friends, from Puerto Rico, like the idea of statehood, which is why the story caught my eye.

From TPM: “CNN and the BBC reported 54 percent of Puerto Rico voters elected in the first part of a two-part referendum to change the territory’s status with the U.S., while 46 percent opposed. In the second part, 61 percent chose statehood, with 33 percent opting for the semi-autonomous “sovereign free association” and only 6 percent for independence.

The referendum, while non-binding, represents the first time a majority of Puerto Ricans have voted for statehood. Any application for statehood will need to be approved by Congress, which has never denied a petition for statehood.”

These referendums used to mean something because they were rare. In the past couple of years, it seems that every administration runs one, or promises one. The last time there was a referendum on status, the commonwealth option won. I can not remember when it was, but I want to say it was less than 10 years ago. Why do you think it was non-binding?

The situation in PR, politically, is weird and difficult. We are one of the “states” with the highest level of education (going to college and getting a degree is highly desired and thought of)but the economy is in shambles. Part of the problem is that getting a job there has never been about the most qualified candidate but based on who you know.

Bluntly, PR will never be a state. If we were, we would be the poorest state of the nation and with the state of the economy, it would tax our resources even further. Given how it might take decades to fix this mess, I doubt any moves to statehood would be made, at least by congress; the ultimate authority on PR’s status.

The other issue is a matter of pride. Puertoricans are very proud of the fact that they have international representation in sports, pageants, etc. There are people out there who actually think that if we become a state, the USA will allow PR to continue to represent itself as a semi independent nation in the international stage. When these people find out that the USA (in the hypothetical case we became a state) would not go for that, this would be a sticking point and trust me, it will not play well politically for the proponents of statehood. They will catch hell and people will turn away from statehood over this.

Fact is that most Puertoricans, when asked, will tell you they are Puertoricans first and then Americans. Very few people will tell you the opposite and still to this day, those people are seen in some circles as traitors.

My theory is that eventually, the Puertorican people will be given 2 choices: Conditional independence with (very likely) common defense, currency and dual citizenship or complete independence, cut the cord and the likely possibility of joining the 3rd world because of complete economic collapse.