Posted by
C. L. Palmer on Monday, December 14, 2009 4:18:40 PM
With Iraq, Afghanistan, and Israel orbiting us as virtual satellite nations, which we are obliged to protect and support with military and financial aid totaling in the billions each year, I'm left with a strange yet pertinent question in my mind. Exactly which geographic regions may apply for statehood in the United States. It would seem, at first, that the answer would be obvious: America. Yet, technically, Hawaii is part of the polynesian island chain, not our continent at all. Given that, are we open to any nation-state in the world applying for statehood?
We may as well "adopt" Mexico, given that we've so utterly failed at enforcing any semblance of a border with it. Mexico would benefit from some political and economic security, and they have enough cheap land to make every American a homeowner. If Mexico were subject to our laws and Constitution, it wouldn't be such a bad place. The problem is not because of the land or the people; it's the crooks they always seem to end up with as a government. I see Mexico's entry into the Union as inevitable at some point in time. Either we'll turn Mexico into part of America, or they'll turn America into Mexico. We ought to take the initiative.
Other areas might also elect to become states. Iraq may, at some time, choose to do this. Without Shari'a law, why not? Our petroleum woes would be over. We'd have the jurisdiction to do whatever we needed to militarily. Granted, it would be a huge mess given the cultural differences between us, but, assuming things ever went back to something resembling normalcy (for us, not them), it would be something to consider. Personally, I'd vote against it, but I can see why some would welcome Iraq into the Union.
Of course, some things would have to change before we added any states. We'd have to de-federalize the entire welfare system, for one, something we should do anyway. If the individual states had to pay for any welfare (or related social programs), my guess is that we'd end up spending a lot less money. States would have to balance welfare generosity against the taxes necessary to pay for it, and face the resulting loss of business (and therefore tax revenue) that comes with high taxes. Mexico would have to pay for its own welfare programs. This would offset one of the main reasons Puerto Rico was such a difficult issue last time a vote came up for statehood among its citizens.
The root question here is if America is still growing, or are we done? Empires die the minute they stop growing. They either expand or decline. Which phase do we want to be in?