Statehood is for all ideologies and beliefs

Monday 14 of February 14, 2011
Edwin R. Jusino | UPR Mayaguez

Whether you are a tea party member or a radical socialist, the idea of Puerto Rico becoming the 5st state of the United States is not an enemy of said beliefs. Whether you belief that government should be more involved in citizens affairs or you believe in laissez faire, you can support statehood. The Statehood movement is not, and should not, be restricted only to the conservative side of the political spectrum.

Statehood, at its most basic explanation, is the complete implementation of the Constitution of the United States in the territory that is asking for entrance. In our case, this means that all the rights and responsibilities that are in the Constitution would be applied to the territory of Puerto Rico. In a democratic form of government, ideas and beliefs of all kinds are welcomed, as long as they’re within the margins of the law. This means that socialist, liberal, libertarian, and conservative ideas are welcomed, but only the will of the people will be followed.

The preamble to the declaration of independence of the United States says:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Whether you are left or right, our goal is to exert the rights of Life, liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. These rights are individual rights that each human being is born with and whether you are left or right we all agree that they are important.

One thing we must understand is that, the power of the United States rests solely upon the member states. The Federal government exists with a limited amount of power, whereas the rest are solely reserved for the states. The States are sovereign, and in that sense the only link between them is their membership in the federal system. This is found in the 9th and 10th amendments of the constitution:

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

- 9th amendment-

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

- 10th amendment-

As a State, Puerto Rico would be sovereign; we would be able to have a voice and a vote in the affairs of the Federation, and that voice includes all the citizens regardless of their political affiliation or belief. Statehood is for all, the rich, the poor, the blind, the straight, the homosexual, the male and the female; it is what each and every one of us regardless of political views and religious creed should strive for. To want Puerto Rico to be a State is no shame, and even though we’re persecuted for our beliefs we must strive on and persevere. It is upon the new generations, to educate that we can be proud to be Puerto Ricans, but we can also be proud of being Americans.