It is just a hobby

[liberty]

Oh my god, a Central/South American political web site filled with communists. The horror.

Yes, that right, slavery, death camps and totalitarian oppression. Communism a system where the government selects your job, you can’t quit and if you don’t work hard enough to satisfy your boss he can have you sent to slave labor camp where you can be worked to death. Sound like a workers’ paradise, don’t it?

[Guinevere]

Whoosh......

[liberty]

Whoosh......

I want to help the people of Honduras, but I have no interest in giving the communist anything they might be able to use to cause trouble or even a revolution. They might promise the people a better life through American statehood, but they would never carry through; communist don’t share power with any one once they are in power.

[Scooter]

I think I can set your mind at ease, lib.

There is absolutely nothing that YOU could ever say or do that anyone could ever use to cause anything.

[Sue U]

communist don’t share power with any one once they are in power.

Really? Have you ever heard of the Italian Communist Party?

[rubato]

Oh my god, a Central/South American political web site filled with communists. The horror.

Yes, that right, slavery, death camps and totalitarian oppression. Communism a system where the government selects your job, you can’t quit and if you don’t work hard enough to satisfy your boss he can have you sent to slave labor camp where you can be worked to death. Sound like a workers’ paradise, don’t it?

Sounds exactly like right-wing totalitarian governments, like Pinochet.

yrs,
rubato

[Guinevere]

Exactly. Pinochet, who threw out (and murdered) Salvatore Allende and Chile's democratically elected socialist government.

[liberty]

You act as if my proposal is am evil thing only intended to do harm. How is it evil to give people a better life or at least the right to decide what they want? Everyone involved would be better off.
Puerto Ricans would get the thing they have always wanted, independents. True there economy would drop but not that much they still would be better off than most of the other Caribbean and Central American states.
Honduras would get the opportunity join our federation (union) as first a territory and then a state, an association that would change their lives.

The influx of American money from both private sources and the federal government and tourist would mean an economic boom for Honduras. The wealth and quality life in my opinion would triple; many poor Hondurans would end up wealthy. Many rich US citizens from the upper forty-eight states would retire in Honduras bringing money, causing good paying jobs for the locals. We would have to build roads and educate the people. But look how much we are paying in Puerto Rico. And anytime they wanted to visit their relatives in the upper forty eight states all they would have to do is get in their cars and drive up to Texas or New York. No passport or visa would be needed, just show their Honduran driver license at each border to prove they are an American. The only problem they might have, because of their wealth, could be that some Mexicans might resent them driving through their country.

Some people on the other forum think that this would result a huge immigrant influx from Honduras, but why would they want to leave their home state when the advantages of statehood and US citizenship would be coming to them. And besides any influx would be balanced by the fact the Puerto Rican would not be coming in to the country.

So what is so evil about all that?

[Scooter]

There's no evil, but plenty of idiocy, behind what you are saying.

Puerto Ricans would get the thing they have always wanted, independents.

If you had bothered to demonstrate the common courtesy to read the posts in the thread that YOU created, you would know that in referendum after referendum, Puerto Ricans have overwhelmingly rejected independence. It has never managed to gain the support of even 5% of the electorate.

So perhaps you could explain the real reason why you want to cut Puerto Rico loose, since your reasoning obviously has absolutely nothing to do with what they want.

But look how much we are paying in Puerto Rico.

Another bullshit statement demonstrating your complete ignorance of what you are talking about.

In 2006, federal transfers to the government of Puerto Rico totalled $2.2 billion (source). That represents less than 25% of the Puerto Rican budget, far less than the federal contribution to the budgets of many states. Specifically, in FY 2010 the state of Louisiana received $14.9 billion in federal funds in a total budget of $29 billion, or 51% of the total(source). If we're going to cut loose anyone because they are a drain on the Treasury, it should be your home state where taxpayers of other states pay more than the residents of your oiwn state to run the government. You should be hanging your head in shame rather than demonstrating such gross hypocrisy by daring to point the finger anywhere else.

[Lord Jim]

communist don’t share power with any one once they are in power.

Well, you're a little behind the curve on this lib...

During the Cold War, that was true, but ever since Mr. Reagan defeated the Soviet Union and won the Cold War, Communist parties in many of the former Soviet Capo-regimes have re-constituted themselves and not only shared power, but actually have allowed themselves to be voted into power, and then back out of power, and accepted the democratic process.

Even the Sandistas, who were well on the way to establishing a Stalinist style police state, (seizing private property, jailing political opponents, shutting down opposition press, holding sham elections, etc.) were forced to loosen their totalitarian grip after the loss of their Soviet patron, and faced with imminent military defeat at the hands of the Nicaraguan Freedom Fighters, finally allowed a legitimate election to be held and surrendered power.

Without The Big Thug around to back them up, the Little Thugs have been for the most part defanged...

With several notable exceptions... (the PRC, Cuba, and North Korea)

[rubato]

"...

In 2006, federal transfers to the government of Puerto Rico totalled $2.2 billion (source). That represents less than 25% of the Puerto Rican budget, far less than the federal contribution to the budgets of many states. Specifically, in FY 2010 the state of Louisiana received $14.9 billion in federal funds in a total budget of $29 billion, or 51% of the total(source). If we're going to cut loose anyone because they are a drain on the Treasury, it should be your home state where taxpayers of other states pay more than the residents of your oiwn state to run the government. You should be hanging your head in shame rather than demonstrating such gross hypocrisy by daring to point the finger anywhere else.

Actually we would be much better off if we divested ourselves of all of the southern red states which are a net drain on the rest of us. Teat-suckers all.

yrs,
rubato

[dales]

[Scooter]

This thread is eerily reminiscent of U.S. Southerners who were anxious to annex Nicaragua in the mid 1800s in order to turn it into another slave state.

[liberty]

delete

[liberty]

If you had bothered to demonstrate the common courtesy to read the posts in the thread that YOU created, you would know that in referendum after referendum, Puerto Ricans have overwhelmingly rejected independence. It has never managed to gain the support of even 5% of the electorate.

When it comes to you I have a protocol I follow: I scan your text, sometimes all it takes is couple words for me skip your post, don’t have time for name calling and other nonsense. Sometimes you seem reasonable, at those times I read what you have to say.
I read it; I just don’t agree.
As I see it there are only two ways to vote statehood or independence. A vote for anything other than statehood is vote for independence. Puerto Rico is too large and to populated to remain a territory (commonwealth). That would make them a colony and my country is not an imperialist nation. For the honor of the US they have to go. And, besides it is time to give someone else a chance

[Scooter]

You can "not agree" until you're blue in the face, the facts don't change, and the facts are that Puerto Ricans have overwhelmingly rejected independence time after time after time. Your attempts to ascribe your own warped meaning to those plebiscite results change nothing.

And if it wounds you so much to be called an idiot, then perhaps you might think about ceasing to post idiocy. Like, you know, claiming that a majority of Puerto Ricans want independence.

And guess what, Puerto Rico is a colony, one among several, and your country is and always has been an imperialist nation. Learn to live with it or continue in your delusions, the choice is yours.

[Scooter]

And it wasn't anywhere near so profound that you needed to say it twice.

[liberty]

And if it wounds you so much to be called an idiot,.

Nothing you can say will bother me, just don’t want waste my time.

[Scooter]

And let's further analyze the stupidity of lib's warped logic, shall we? According to him, a vote for commonwealth is a vote for independence. Except that, as a commonwealth, Puerto Rico is completely under the thumb of the U.S. Congress (i.e. has no independence). As a state, they would have far more freedom of action than they currently do (i.e. be more independent).

You see, that is the problem with talking out of your ass, what comes out is usually completely backwards.

just don’t want waste my time

I can see those remedial English lessons are coming along quite nicely.

[liberty]

You can "not agree" until you're blue in the face, the facts don't change, and the facts are that Puerto Ricans have overwhelmingly rejected independence time after time after time. Your attempts to ascribe your own warped meaning to those plebiscite results change nothing.

And if it wounds you so much to be called an idiot, then perhaps you might think about ceasing to post idiocy. Like, you know, claiming that a majority of Puerto Ricans want independence.

And guess what, Puerto Rico is a colony, one among several, and your country is and always has been an imperialist nation. Learn to live with it or continue in your delusions, the choice is yours.