The US House 30 April approved a measure that would allow Puerto Ricans to vote on whether they like being a US commonwealth, the island’s status since 1952, and if they say no, on whether they should become a state. Even if they did vote for statehood, it would be only a first step towards becoming the US’s 51st state, since that requires approval by the full US Congress (Senate and House of Representatives). But opponents include those, such as US Congressman Luis Gutierrez of Chicago, who want to see the island independent in order to ensure it can keep its greatest treasures. He lists these as the Spanish language, baseball teams and the right to participate in two events where it excels: the Olympics and the Miss Universe contests.

Links to other sites: Chicago Tribune, Yahoo news

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.