Puerto Rico Our 51st State?

From the San Fran Chronicle: Puerto Ricans have supported U.S. statehood in a vote that jubilant members of the pro-statehood party say is the strongest sign yet that the Caribbean island territory is on the road to losing its second-class status.
But Tuesday's vote comes with an asterisk and an imposing political reality: The island remains bitterly divided over its relationship to the United States and many question the validity of this week's referendum.
Nearly a half million voters chose to leave a portion of the ballot blank. And voters also ousted the pro-statehood governor, eliminating one of the main advocates for a cause that would need the approval of the U.S. Congress.
"Statehood won a victory without precedent but it's an artificial victory," said Angel Israel Rivera Ortiz, a political science professor at the University of Puerto Rico. "It reflects a divided and confused electorate that is not clear on where it's going."
President Barack Obama had said he would support the will of the Puerto Rican people on the question of the island's relationship to the U.S., referred to simply on the island as its "status," and this week's referendum was intended to be the barometer.
But the results aren't so clear cut. It was a two-part ballot that first asked all voters if they favor the current status as a U.S. territory. Regardless of the answer, all voters then had the opportunity to choose in the second question from three options: statehood, independence or "sovereign free association," which would grant more autonomy to the island of nearly 4 million people.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/Puerto-Rico-vote-endorses-statehood-with-asterisk-4015882.php#ixzz2BbfIvq4D

Well, of course Obama would support Puerto Rico statehood- more Democrat votes.

I would love to give Puerto Rico independence and let them strike it out their own.  There's no benefit of having them as a 51st state and quite frankly, we probably give them more aid than many states, like Nevada.

So no to statehood and let's give Puerto Rico their independence.