U.S. Congress - H.R.2499 Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009
H.R.2499 - Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009
To provide for a federally sanctioned self-determination process for the people of Puerto Rico. view all titles (4)
All Bill Titles
- Official: To provide for a federally sanctioned self-determination process for the people of Puerto Rico. as introduced.
- Short: Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009 as introduced.
- Short: Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009 as reported to house.
- Short: Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2010 as passed house.
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Displaying 1-30 of 71 total comments.
Been in limbo too long, should either be turned loose of stated.
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All of my life, as a Puerto Rican citizen, I’ve wanted to see the status issue be resolved once and for all. Unfortunately, I cannot support this bill. It is disgustingly biased towards statehood and even more so against the current status, which a great portion of the island actually support. Despite being a firm believer in statehood myself, I approve of this garbage labeled as “democracy.” Congress seems to have a thing with that. For instance, the bill that takes away our freedom as Americans the most is patriotic, according to its title. Doublethink doubleplusgood?
Puerto Rico should be a sovereign nation. I do not believe this bill is the right bill for the job. The right bill would simply relinquish the US hold on Puerto Rico; Puerto Ricans could then set up whatever form of government they wish.
The U.S Have moral obligation with the people of Puerto Rico. It is clear that the U.S interest toward P.R is to stay the way it is right now. For instance, it wont happen neither way. This bill is going to the garbage. However, i strongly support statehood for P.R, it will be great to expand the economy of the U.S and give P.R the right the every state in our union have.
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It is a very sad time here in the US as we watch our liberties and freedoms dissolve. The Health Care Overhaul was opposed by 56% of the people and Obama did it anyway, the Financial Reform being worked on now would give the Federal Government the right to look at your personal bank account and into every aspect of your lives. We pray daily for the November elections when “we the people” will take back our Country. I am 55 years old and I can tell you never in our History has anyone one President done so much damage. Obama will promise you and your President whatever he has to get this shoved down your throats. Mark my words he has already made a deal and the people of Puerto Rico will have no say just as we in the States have had no say. Tell your friends, families, whoever because if this passes you too will come under the Obama regime..
he told us no new taxes and in his first year as President he imposed 14 new taxes, he has decided that fat people should not be fat and so now his czars have the FDA limiting how much salt companies can use as well as restaurants, if balance is not restored in Nov. all will be lost and we will want to flee to other Countries as others flee to come here..but there will be no place to go. OUR FREEDOM IS AT STAKE and if you become the 51st State yours will be too. This is not a better way of life since Obama took office.
The poll number you quote has already been proven to be flawed. Poll after poll showed wide support on individual parts of the reform bill. But, of course, that’s the dirty little secret the GOP doesn’t want anyone to know.
Forget the Republican or Democrat stuff. this was just a good old fashion power grab. progressives do not care about people, they just pretend they do. Its all about power for them, control the health care…you control the people. Career politicians are the problem and not the solution.
Obama is no better or worse than Bush. They are showing to be one-in-the-same. Obama has been a disappointment so far but Bush and the Republicans made “fear-mongering” an artform. The Obama presidency has not improved my “quality of life” which has been upsetting, but has made it no worse than the previous president. He’s far from a dictator seeing that his life will probably become much harder in November with more Republicans getting back into Congress. Obama and Bush are not the real problems here. It’s the extremist on the right and left that get people like us all crazy for only the benefit of themselves.
Honestly I am not sure why I am wasting time replying to this, however I should make some corrections to your comment.
First the President of Puerto Rico is you President Barack Obama.
Correction I meant ‘your’ not ‘you’.
Two the current Governor Luis Fortuño is a member of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico. He like the his elected Resident Commissioner (Puerto Rico Delegate to the United States Congress) Pedro Pierluisi support this bill. In fact Delegate Pierlusisi is the sponsor of this legislation and in fact Governor Fortuno also sponsored similar legislation when he was the resident commissioner. Now you may suggest that this is all a liberal agenda, however you would be incorrect since Governor Fortuno is a registered Republican like much of the New Progressive Party (NPP) whereas Pierlusisi is a registered Democrat although a member of the same Puerto Rican Party. The reason for this is that political party alignment in Puerto Rico is heavily based on the political status of Puerto Rico with the NPP being the party that supports statehood.
Third the term Czar is not actually the title of a persons position and in fact dates all the way back to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In reality this term is applied by media to describe the position of these presidential special assistants. For example the “United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Stability, Senior Advisor to Secretary of the Treasury” might simply be known as the “Bailout Czar”. Now EVERY president has appointed an assistant since at least FDR. However what is relatively new is the amount of “Czars” however before we go saying there goes President Obama again we should be reminded that during the Clinton administration there were 7 “Czar” like positions, but during the Bush Administration this number jumped to 35 “Czar” positions. Granted the Obama Administration has increased this number to 38 “Czar” positions, but I would hardly call that a rally cry.
Also of note is that a lot of these positions are temporary as are the programs they control such as the Bailout Czar which will cease to exist when the TARP money is repaid.
Finally, I must ask you to cite how in just two years 51% of the private sector has been taken away.
You surely dont know anything about Puerto Rico. If you were born in one of the 50 states obviously you dont know what you are talking about. Imagine you were locked in a closet your entire life and are fed through a hole in a wall and everyday you see your 50 relatives eating a pumpkin pie around while you are having a chicken bone. Are you still part of the family or not? Are you being treated equal or not? Do they care you exist? The last one is the worst. Is called Indiference. They might cut you loose but you would still have their blood on your veins. Where’d you go. What you’d do. My respect to you, this is just an example.
Since 1898 Puerto Rico has been part of the US. The island was awarded citizenship in 1917, and since then, the ties that bind it with the US have been extremely strong. As I see it, most of the people who opposed this bill, are those who are seeking to remain in a sort of partnership with the US under a colonial status that denigrates the US citizens living in PR. It’s time for Puerto Rico to either become the 51st state or become a Republic without any special treatment. People of Puerto Rico, you can’t have it both ways. It’s time to decide, and I’m extremely glad that Pierluisi has taken the time to do this, because it’s completely absurd to have 4 million US citizens living in a colony without representation in Congress. Yes, there is a resident comissioner, who sits there, with no voice and no vote. The commonwealth status is null nowadays. I would love for Puerto Rico to finally define its political status. Statehood or Independence. Those are really the only alternatives left.
The oldest colony in the world wants to break free of colonialism. We want to have the opportunity to vote in favor of the inclusion of Puerto Rico as the 51st State of the United States of America.
This Bill is UN-AMERICAN and the people of Puerto Rico have spoken, 4 times by voting down statehood legislation. This is nothing but an attempt by Democrats to rig future elections, it is a disgrace to our Constitutional Republic!!!!!!!
This is the starting gate for a process to end up with something that has no place in the 21st. century. To let American Citizens decide if they wish to enter as equals with their fellow citizens in the other 50 states or if they still like beign residents of the oldest colony of the world. That’s it. Let us solve this question so we may continue with the quest to solve other plroblems that we are facing, then with our full citizen’s rights and duties. That is all what is it about.
This is the Opportunity Democrats have been waiting for, using the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico to gain power and control by adding 2 Senators and 6 Representatives to the Congress. Progressives in PR currently hold a super majority and control 48 out of 78 Mayoral Seats. Power/Control/Fraud/Manipulation That’s what Democrats are ALL ABOUT!!!!
I think it would be a rather bad assumption to state that this is a Democratic (party) power play. For one political parties in Puerto Rico are aligned primary on political status ideology rather than national policy ideology thus meaning the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico (NPP) is not progressive in the same ideology as you would like to believe, but rather they believe in statehood. In fact members of the NPP are more aligned to the US Republican Party than US Democratic Party. The current governor of Puerto Rico and the state legislature leadership are all aligned with the Republican Party. In fact the Puerto Rican Republican Party is pro statehood, their logo actually includes 51 inside the elephant. The Puerto Rican Democratic Party is much more divided amongst those that are pro statehood and those that are pro commonwealth.
Finally I would advise that the NPP is much more socially and fiscally conservative which would align themselves much more with the US Republican Party in ideology. With that said you have to also understand that Puerto Rico is very religious having a huge Roman Catholic population. This most likely would mean that the Representation of Puerto Rico would most likely benefit the Republicans and if not would elect Conservative Democrats, which to be honest I think is more detrimental to the Democratic Party. The only thing I would concede is that Puerto Rico is a fairly densely populated island with over 1,000 people on average per square mile, which would lend to more urbanization and that demographic tends to vote more liberally albeit that is usually more socially liberal, however that might be mitigated by the religious conservatives.
The people of Puerto Rico have voted 4 times against this. Obviously they don’t want it.
The progressives are simply looking to increase their voter base, and this is just another one of their underhanded tactics to do it. Those who are planning to vote for it need to do some research first and figure out why this is coming up now.
See my comments wizardkar
You may be correct, however, we can’t be entirely sure. You see there have really only been three plebiscites one in 1967, 1993, and 1998. The one in 1967 and 1993 there were three options Independence, Commonwealth, Statehood. In 1967 .6% of the population voted for Independence whereas 60.4% voted for Commonwealth Status and 39% voted for Statehood. Another plebiscite was held in 1993 in which there was a dramatic swing in support of Statehood. This time 4.5% voted on Independence 48.9% voted for Commonwealth status and 46.6% voted for Statehood. Now the last plebiscite held in 1998 created a fourth option None of the Above which received 50.3% of the vote because of parties boycotting the election Statehood received 46.7% and Commonwealth Status 0.3% and Independence received 2.5%.
The unfortunate thing is with the added status we cannot be sure what the intention of the people of Puerto Rico is because while many of those that boycotted were in support of the Commonwealth status there were some who support Independence and Statehood that just didn’t like the manner in which the election was held.
Now the ‘fourth’ vote you speak of was actually the 1991 Constitutional Amendment this vote would not have impacted political status but rather would have defined a process to self determination. However it was defeated 53% to 45%.
The real key is that 12 years have now passed since the last actually plebiscite was held and this bill would be the first congressional mandated plebiscite, which the elected representatives of Puerto Rico want (Governor, Legislature, and Delegate Commissioner). Now lets be clear HR 2499 is also preferable because it one removes the None of the Above Option and allows for a two state plebiscite. The first would be to retain the current status or move to another status thus allowing those who support independence and statehood to vote for that option those that wish to vote for commonwealth would vote for the same status.