Will Scotland Go Its Own Way?
More importantly, to me:
Will Puerto Rico Go Its Own Way?
Regarding the former:
“The Breakup of Britain”? It sounds like a fantasy fiction title. To many people across the world, including the English themselves, it is inconceivable that this deep-rooted United Kingdom, the oldest royal democracy in the world, could split apart.And the latter?
In the last few weeks, however, official London has panicked over the rising clamor of voices from all over the British Isles suddenly agreeing that the archaic structure of “Great Britain” is overdue for a shake-up — even a breakup.
Nowhere are these voices in better harmony than in Scotland. If “Britain” is more than a word on a passport, why do most Scots now feel their primary identity is not British?
For those not aware, Puerto Rico is not a state. And it's not independent. It's an "unincorporated territory" under U.S. control.
What does that mean?
In part, citizens of Puerto Rico are considered to be American citizens as well, with many of the benefits that accrue. But, not being full-fledged citizens, they don't pay federal personal income taxes. In that regard, they get a free ride.
Personally, I don't care if they decide to be independent, or decide to become a state within the Union. But they need get off the pot and decide one way or the other.
Or we should decide for them.
What we have in place needs to be fixed. Some day.
2 comments:
Here's the deal - and go ahead and call me an imperialist.
What's say we take the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and call them a state? Give those folks a star on the flag and be done with it all.
Jerry, I think you'd find that even if we made them a state, most of the folks wouldn't pay income taxes anyway. If their new governor can make a go of it, maybe they'd be a good 51st state. However, the Virgins and Guam might be more problematical. Meanwhile, I read somewhere that our geniuses at Foggy Bottom are trying to give away some islands off Alaska in the Bering Sea to Russia. Smart move since that would extend their soverignty over more mineral rights. Hmmm, ya think Cuber (sic) would want Puerto Rico?
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