If new states were ratified into the Union, it would mean additional senators and could make it easier to pass laws that really help the 99 percent, like single-payer healthcare, voter rights, labor laws, better union protections, and a living wage. This is the precise reason republicans do not want Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. added.
Now is the time to add these new states as we have Senator Bernie Sanders and the Squad there pushing for necessary reforms on the people’s behalf. First on the list should be Washington, D.C., with a population of 5,322,000, which is larger than Vermont with 629,932 or Wyoming with 582,328, according to 2020 Census. So, why is D.C. not already a state? One argument against making it a state is that the Founding Fathers wanted it separate as the capital of the United States, and it was formed as a federal district by using land from both Maryland and Virginia in 1790.
Puerto Rico has been a U.S. territory since 1917 when Spain ceded the island to the U.S. under the provisions of the 1898 Treaty of Paris,ending the Spanish-American War.
Republican opposition could be seen as a form of voter suppression as D.C. has a higher population of black people vs white and the GOP do not want more black people voting. If that is the reason then what is their argument against Puerto Rico joining?
Puerto Rico has been in line for statehood for a very long time so is the GOP’s opposition to Puerto Rico due to the population of people of color and more assumed Democratic votes?
Congress could repeat what it did in 1912 when Arizona and New Mexico were admitted together and in 1958 when Alaska and Hawaii were admitted. Arizona was a settlement before since 1776 and New Mexico since 1610, Alaska was a settlement since 1784 and Hawaii since 1820 so it’s about time Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico joined the Union, as well.
Unions’ long game is to get all union contracts to expire on the same day nationwide. The United Auto Workers combines contracts ends on April 28, 2028. This could then result in a mass national strike starting on May Day beeginning that year. This could then put enormous pressure on employers, but also on lawmakers. It’s the muscle and sweat of the workers that keeps this country great, not the individual company or corporations. This May Day strike would be the time to change the workers’ world for the better by negotiating for a 32-hour week with the same pay, and the U.S. adopts a healthcare for all with no out of pocket costs. This would also help the employers as they would no longer have to provide healthcare. By striking, the UAW won same pay for new workers, all UAW contracts will end on the same date, a 25-percent pay increase, a cost of living adjustments, a guaranteed right to strike over potential plant closures, and also the right to vote to unionize through the card che
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