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In the cyclical nature of Congress, the Republicans have again taken away delegates from American Territories rights to vote on the floor of the House of Representatives:
One of the first acts of the new Republican-controlled House is to take away the floor voting rights of six delegates representing areas such as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and American Samoa. [House Republicans End Floor Voting Rights for ‘Delegates’ from Puerto Rico, Guam, D.C. and Samoa]
The cynical would say that this is because five of these delegates are Democrats with one Independent—and that might be part of it.
The question is, should territories, which are possessions of the United States, vote? I would argue that voting is the privilege of the states that are in the Union—it goes back to State’s rights and the idea that we’re a country of United States more so than being “America”.
This argument would necessitate the territories applying for statehood so that they would be equal partners. However, many of these territories wish to remain separate for differing reasons. I think that if you want all the benefits, you must have all of the responsibility as well.
What do you think? Is this “taxation without representation,” or what is to be expected for a territory, and they should apply for statehood or get out?
