InCali
My Buddy - Max the Dog
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The senate is the least democratic institution we have in the 3 branches of government (yes, unlike some senators, I can actually name them). Because of this, it needs to be reevaluated and changed structurally. This sounds like a pipe dream to me. So, the best alternative would be to add some states that would hopefully counterbalance states like ND, SD, WY, and MT.
The US has quite a few territories besides the 3 I mentioned, but those 3 seem to be the most likely to be put forward for statehood. Now that the senate is in (barely) the hands of the Democratic Party, adding states doesn't seem quite as far out of reach as it was a few months ago; although the ability to add states is still problematic given the senate filibuster.
What is your opinion of statehood? How can we actually add states without abolishing the filibuster? Which states should be given statehood? Should we remain at 50 states and push to reform representation in the senate? What other opinions related to this do you have?
I've done some poking around and here are some things I've found:
* Residents of Washington DC pay the highest per capita federal taxes in the US and more than 22 states, but still have no say in how those dollars are spent. Remember no taxation without representation?
* Residents of Puerto Rico pay most federal taxes, but they do not pay federal income taxes unless they work for the US government. I find this makes for the interesting prospect of being able to add Puerto Rico as a state via the reconciliation process as it could increase revenue and rightfully be put in a revenue/spending bill. Could it?
* Residents of the Virgin Islands pay their tax on worldwide income to the U.S. Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue rather than to the United States. Another interesting factoid is that they offer corporate tax shelters of about 90%. Could statehood be linked to having the money come directly to the US instead of their Bureau of Internal Revenue via the reconciliation process? What kinds of political problems might something like that create and what would the senate/congressional representatives look like politically (this could be asked of Puerto Rico also)? Could a corporate tax shelter reduction be somehow incorporated into the IRS changes to produce a revenue source that would further justify adding it as a state in the reconciliation process?
With a couple more votes in the senate, the filibuster might have a genuine shot at being abolished and then the game changes.
What think?
The US has quite a few territories besides the 3 I mentioned, but those 3 seem to be the most likely to be put forward for statehood. Now that the senate is in (barely) the hands of the Democratic Party, adding states doesn't seem quite as far out of reach as it was a few months ago; although the ability to add states is still problematic given the senate filibuster.
What is your opinion of statehood? How can we actually add states without abolishing the filibuster? Which states should be given statehood? Should we remain at 50 states and push to reform representation in the senate? What other opinions related to this do you have?
I've done some poking around and here are some things I've found:
* Residents of Washington DC pay the highest per capita federal taxes in the US and more than 22 states, but still have no say in how those dollars are spent. Remember no taxation without representation?
* Residents of Puerto Rico pay most federal taxes, but they do not pay federal income taxes unless they work for the US government. I find this makes for the interesting prospect of being able to add Puerto Rico as a state via the reconciliation process as it could increase revenue and rightfully be put in a revenue/spending bill. Could it?
* Residents of the Virgin Islands pay their tax on worldwide income to the U.S. Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue rather than to the United States. Another interesting factoid is that they offer corporate tax shelters of about 90%. Could statehood be linked to having the money come directly to the US instead of their Bureau of Internal Revenue via the reconciliation process? What kinds of political problems might something like that create and what would the senate/congressional representatives look like politically (this could be asked of Puerto Rico also)? Could a corporate tax shelter reduction be somehow incorporated into the IRS changes to produce a revenue source that would further justify adding it as a state in the reconciliation process?
With a couple more votes in the senate, the filibuster might have a genuine shot at being abolished and then the game changes.
What think?
