Sunday during the “Building a New Puerto Rico” 2nd Statehood Assembly in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, current Republican presidential front runner Dr. Ben Carson endorsed statehood for Puerto Rico.
“Mis hermanos Americanos, my campaign is built around the premise of We the People and through such lens I view the statehood question in Puerto Rico as settled. In 2012, the citizens of Puerto Rico strongly supported changing their status from a Commonwealth to becoming the 51st state. The results of this referendum couldn’t be clearer and now is the time for Congress to support the millions of Puerto Ricans living both in Puerto Rico and on the U.S. Mainland, in their legitimate fight to become a state,” Carson said.
“I stand with our American brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico in unequivocal support of Statehood for Puerto Rico and call on Congress to address this issue immediately,” Carson added. “In a Carson administration, I will leave no stone unturned in my efforts to secure this important step in Puerto Rico’s history—establishing Estado 51.”
Carson joins U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush who have also called for Puerto Rican statehood among a Republican field that has otherwise been quiet on the subject.
With a growing Puerto Rican voting block in central Florida, this issue will be vitally important for a candidate to have an edge going into the Florida primary.
Shane Vander Hart is the online communications manager for American Principles in Action, a frequent contributor to TruthInAmericanEducation.com, and the editor of Iowa-based CaffeinatedThoughts.com.
1 comment
Forbes online writes:
“Puerto Rico’s economy is teetering. The tiny territory has a population
the size of Connecticut’s but owes $72 billion to lenders, a figure that
exceeds the debt of every U.S. state except New York and California. In
June the island economy’s governor, Alejandro García Padilla, http://www.vox.com/2015/7/1/8872553/puerto-rico-crisis
that Puerto Rico’s debts are “not payable” and voiced his opinion that
debt restructuring is the only tool that can help his economy avoid a
“death spiral.”
If I recall correctly their economy has been in a mess for several years. What is wrong with these candidates that they are wanting statehood? Do they think the U.S. does not already have enough problems or is Obama not the only one trying to bankrupt us?
It is insanity or traitorous in my opinion. We don’t need more states until we can take care of the ones we have now. Bridges are falling down, small cars are disappearing into potholes… okay, maybe not yet, but if the holes get any bigger and the cars get smaller…
Comments are closed.