On the Puerto Rican question

House to Vote on Bill That Could Lead to Statehood for Puerto Rico

[Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah] described the effort as part of a plan to give the island's progressive activists "legitimacy" to push forward with and build momentum toward a statehood plan. He said it's something most Puerto Ricans don't even want, but suggested it was part of an effort to bring more Democrats into Congress.

"That's what some of us who understand this bill are so just frightened about," Chaffetz told radio and Fox News host Glenn Beck. "The majority of people in Puerto Rico don't even necessarily want this."

This bill, H.R. 2499, represents an unwarranted intrusion by Congress into that which is the business of the Puerto Rican people and ought to be voted down. But, given the political makeup of the 111th Congress, this is not likely. So, where does that leave the GOP? Where to from here?
I think it is time for the GOP to stop being frightened and to start doing a better job of educating the voters—including Puerto Rican voters if they elect statehood—about the great fraud Progressives in both parties have perpetrated on the Nation. There are plenty of examples to choose from such as Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid that were structured to buy votes at the expense of sustainability. Or, how the Progressives have tossed the Constitution aside and expanded the ambit of the Federal government, trespassing in areas belonging to the States or to the People. Or, how the Congress aided the expansion of the administrative state by ceding their lawmaking powers to agencies such as the EPA.
The list could go on and on. The key is to shine a bright light on progressivism and Progressives in government rather than vaguely indicting Democrats and their big-spending ways; a saw that has become trite from over-use. The message must be about the failure of the programs instituted by the Progressives. It must be about how the Progressives are leading the Nation down a road to fiscal and economic disaster. And, it must include honest discussion of alternatives, avoiding demagoguery, that show how the Nation will get back onto a sustainable path. In a nutshell, the vision of the Founders and the concept of Constitutional government needs to be re-sold.
So, it is time to openly confront the Progressives and their demagoguery. The Tea Party movement is already into the task. Will our elected representatives actively engage? I don't know; it will take political courage to do so. We the People could help by lending encouragement.