Hurricane Maria isn't the cause, but it is the impetus for me writing this. The time has come to deal with the problem with Puerto Rico. I don't mean President Thin Skin getting federal aid to the desperate, hungry, and thirsty AMERICAN CITIZENS.
No, that problem is short-termed and more an organizational issue than anything, and needs the leaders to get out of the way and let the professionals do what needs to be done.
No, the real problem is Puerto Rico, for some reason, isn't a state. And it needs to be.
Let's do a simple comparison between #50 and my choice for #51
| HAWAII | PUERTO RICO | |
| Became US Territory | 1898 | 1898 |
| Area | 10,931 sq mi | 3,515 sq mi |
| Population | 1,428,557 | 3,411,307 |
| Language | English, Hawaiian | Spanish, English |
| Climate | Tropical | Tropical |
| Flight distance to US | 2,500 mi | 1,000 mi |
After the island normalizes after this current tragedy, I propose that they hold the binding referendum on statehood, and then get Congress and the President to sign off on the paperwork. And I don't want to hear any crap about how they'll all vote Democrat, so the current Republican party shouldn't do this. It's the right thing to do, so do the right thing.
I've seen some designs for a 51 star flag. [LINK] Some are too crazy. One is boring and terribly asymmetrical. But that's okay. I spent a good 5 minutes figuring out the proper design. (Probably not original, but I haven't seen one like it.) The the best part about it is that if additional states (not Washington DC, that goes back to Maryland) are added someday, they can easily be added to the center without having to go through a major redesign.
And unlike some of those in the link, any school child can draw it. Or even an IT guy using Excel.
