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The Influence Of Puerto Rico In The United States

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Puerto Rico should become a state because the United States has made it dependent on its aid. Puerto Rico started off as a colony of Spain and became a territory of the United States after the United States won it from Spain. Through statehood, Puerto Rico could see its economy getting better, the right to vote in major elections, and other benefits that come from being a state. The first reason Puerto Rico should become a state is that their economy may improve. As a state, they would benefit from the same legislation that protects citizens of the mainland United States. They would also benefit from programs like the bailout programs that banks and other businesses received during the Great Recession. The government could also invest in infrastructure projects that would bring jobs to the island. …show more content…

This means that important decisions that would affect them are up to non-Puerto Ricans. Recently, Congress voted on how much aid they would give to Puerto Rico for disaster relief. Puerto Ricans did not have a say in a decision that directly affected them. However, through statehood, Puerto Ricans would be able to get the right to vote in these types of elections and have a representative in the Senate and Congress who could vote on their behalf. Also through the current system, Puerto Ricans can only vote in primaries for the president of the United States. This means they can only influence who can get on the ballot but not actually vote to put the president in the White House. Full voting privileges are important because Puerto Ricans need to have a say in policies that would ultimately affect

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