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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

Ummm...what?

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

If you move to Puerto Rico, and establish residency there, you will be governed by the same tax laws as someone who was born on Puerto Rico and never left the island.

So my point again, is if you think these tax laws are such a sweet deal for Puerto Rican residents, just move - yo - ass - there.

And what in the fuck are you reading that makes it seem like I think it is a sweet deal? How the hell did you read my post and say "IMU sure thinks Puerto Ricans have it great!"

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Maybe I'm misreading, but your initial post outlines the following:

1. Puerto Rican residents do not pay income tax;

2. Puerto Rico is not intended to be a "charity case"(most people would agree that if you receive the benefit of a charity that is a pretty "sweet deal because you get something for nothing);

3. When you don't pay federal income taxes you don't get the benefit of that revenue paying for infrastructure or improvements (really this is shocking to me, there are millions of taxpayers who don't pay income tax on an annual basis: are they banned from using roads? prohibited from entering airports? not allowed to call the cops? can't access fire protection if their dwelling is engulfed in flames? no, these things are not the case);

4. There is outcry against the US government because it has abandoned the necessities of a segment of its citizens; and

5. Puerto Rican citizens are trying to get "too much" out of the federal government.

All of the above are your words save the parentheticals. You are calling the residents of Puerto Rico "charity cases" saying they are trying to get too much out of the federal government (turning the lights on is "too much"), and decrying the tax regime that they operate under as unduly beneficial to the residents when compared to perceived benefits on spending.

That's just how I read your post. If I missed the general idea, I apologize and do please indulge me with some help explaining what you really meant.

PR statehood + this ballot initiative out in California this November would get you to 53:

https://ballotpedia.org/California_Thre ... tive_(2018)

54th? How about dividing Illinois into 2 states.

Correct.



Puerto Rico currently does not get the benefits that a full-fledged state does. But they are upset. The Puerto Rican people decry the efforts of FEMA, the U.S. government and everything related to relief efforts. They currently believe Trump is purposefully denying them what is in their right to have. I disagree with this. I believe they are "getting what they paid for" and that is less assistance than if they were a full state, following the full slate of our federal laws, including a federal income tax. They want the benefits WITHOUT paying the cost. Puerto Ricans want a sweet deal. While it is sad seeing the state of things in Puerto Rico...their corruption (contracts between the PR power authority and shady companies) and refusal to have a consensus as to statehood (their last vote toward this only had 20% of registered voters attend the polls) leads to situations like this. They are U.S. citizens but do not get all the benefits of such. This is FAIR.



You called them taxpayers. They filed their taxes, and their income, deductions and exemptions...within the law...determined they did not need to pay anything. You also listed perks that states and local municipalities handle, not the federal government. Puerto Ricans do pay local taxes. I'm sorry that their utility companies are so corrupt that they pocket most of those taxes instead of using it to repair PR infrastructure.



The US government has certainly not 'abandoned' Puerto Rico.



Yes. There are things the federal government is simply not responsible for, and those are left to state and local government. Puerto Ricans need to look toward their own local government. The people they voted for. Hold them accountable.



Hope I cleared this up for you.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

This must be the JLN-McNown undercard bout.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

Citizens of Puerto Rico want assistance from FEMA. Citizens of Puerto Rico do not pay federal income taxes under the US Tax Code.

There are citizens of US states that receive assistance from FEMA. Many of these citizens do not pay federal income taxes under the US Tax Code.

These are the same thing.

this is the kind of deliberate misunderstanding of someone's question that you can really only find on the CFMB.

That is an insult ot maineventers around the world. No strike that in the Known Universe.

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When I am stuck and need to figure something out I always remember the Immortal words of Socrates when he said:"I just drank what?"

Only because JLN and LTG now duck each other

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

FEMA has put billions into Puerto Rico relief aid since Hurricane Maria. Billions.

Puerto Rico has its own tax laws. Besides that, Puerto Ricans are actually required to report income acquired outside of the island on a federal tax return and it is widely reported that many do not even do this.

As a tax paying American (Puerto Ricans only identify as American when it suits them), I'd rather our federal government focus on making sure I'm taken care of.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

51 star flag :



54 star flag :

You are no more a citizen than someone born on the island of Puerto Rico. Why are your needs superior to other citizens.

Like I said a few posts ago, if you think the tax situation in Puerto Rico is so advantageous, move there.

Puerto Ricans are the worst in online games. If I see a "PR" in the username I just mute them ahead of time.

So no they don't deserve shit.

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The fact that an American could move to Puerto Rico to avoid paying income taxes is EXACTLY the premise of this thread. How obtuse are you? (very).

For reference every cent an American passport holder overseas earns after $100k is taxed in full. Doesn't matter what you're doing or where you're doing it. I spend enough time in the USA for work anyways (too much for my sanity) that this really doesn't affect me, but it can crush Americans who live abroad full time. The fact that Puerto Ricans can enjoy all the benefits of being part of the USA while paying into none of it is ridiculous.

They could end this arrangement RIGHT NOW. Literally by midday tomorrow they'd be an independent democracy if they wanted. Even the democrats, who not-so-secretly covet their votes and one day hope to add another solid blue state to the mix, would let them walk.

This is one of the dumbest posts I've ever read here, which is saying something.

He actually is more a citizen than someone from Puerto Rico. Why?... because he meets the definition of a U.S. citizen (presumably - I don't know if gayness affects things).

If your argument was accepted and extrapolated, nations as we know them would not exist. Good luck with that.

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Someone from Puerto Rico meets the definition of a US citizen. There is no difference,

Today there will be a child born in a hospital in San Juan Puerto Rico, that child is an equal US citizen to a child born in a hospital in Washington DC.

You understand this right? Puerto Ricans are US citizens, full stop.

Tell me about their right to vote in a Presidential election. They are equal to me if they move to the states. A PR living in PR does not have equal rights and benefits.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

In 1922, the U.S. Supreme court in the case of Balzac v. Porto Rico ruled that the full protection and rights of the U.S constitution do not apply to residents of Puerto Rico until they come to reside in the United States proper. Luis Muñoz Rivera, who participated in the creation of the Jones-Shafroth Act, gave a speech in the U.S. House floor that argued in favor of Puerto Rican citizenship. He declared that "if the earth were to swallow the island, Puerto Ricans would prefer American citizenship to any citizenship in the world. But as long as the island existed, the residents preferred Puerto Rican citizenship."

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

If you can’t vote in a presidential election you are not a US citizen?

So nobody under the age of 18 is a US citizen?

The people on the island of Puerto Rico are full fledged American citizens. Your position is these citizens deserve less protection from certain Federal Government agencies than other citizens based solely on their location of residence.

Residents of the District of Columbia did not have a vote in our Presidential elections prior to the passage of the 23rd Amendment to the USnA Constitution in 1961. Thus making 1964 the first election in which DC voters were able to cast ballots for President and Vice-President.

Remember your rant about the poor people in Houston who were having their lives destroyed and I was a "shitbag" for thinking people who moved there deserved to share in a higher percentage of the cost of the risk associated with living there?



If those same people think that there is too much risk in Houston, then move away from Houston.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Brick has been waiting 8 months to call this WYC

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

Do I remember when you were dancing on the graves of people who just perished in a flood?

Have to say I didn't remember it was you, but thanks for the reminder of what type of sympathetic compassionate person you are.

I was talking about the survivors paying more based on future risk. I wouldn't make the dead do that.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!