Does Dave know something we don't?

[A18]

Who won the gubernatorial race in Puerto Rico? A pro-statehood candidate, or a pro-commonwealth candidate?

[A18]

I just get a NYT sign up page. And there's no waying I'm signing up for the NYT.

[A18]

Well, unless I get really bored about 19 minutes and later and decide to retrieve my old password.

BOSTON, Dec. 13 - With the winner of Puerto Rico's race for governor still in dispute, a federal appeals court here heard arguments on Monday about how thousands of disputed ballots that could tip the outcome of the election should be handled.

According to preliminary vote counts certified by the Puerto Rican election commission, the pro-commonwealth candidate, Anibal Acevedo Vilá, narrowly defeated Pedro Rosselló, the former governor and pro-statehood candidate, by 3,880 votes. The disputed ballots were not included in that count.

Isn't the legislature there pro-statehood? If so, and if the pro-statehood gubernatorial candidate wins, Bush should push Congress to admit Puerto Rico into the Union.

[A18]

I agree that Puerto Rico should become a state.

I don't see what kicking them out of the USA would accomplish, however. Does the federal government even have the authority to kick them out? How would that even be done?

Even if we could kick Puerto Rico out of the country, wouldn't doing so look pretty bad?? I would think something like that would be pretty unprecedented in the world. Would the benefits really outweigh the negatives?

Article IV, Section 3.

Clause 2: The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State.

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How come?

[A18]

Depends what you mean. The President would have to sign it, like any other bill, but yes, a majority vote in Congress is sufficient.