POST: Marianas Islands -- the 51st State?, By Brad Boydston
To me, the potential upside is clear enough: America wants to globalize the brand better, just like the EU is doing and China seeks to do. Me? I like the idea of having a state on the other side of the international date line. You want to remain an Asian power, get yourself a full Asian member state.
Editor: Brad is a friend of mine living on Guam and has a subsequent post on this topic: Marianas Islands -- the 51st State? Part - 2
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Comments (6)
How about grouping Guam, No. Marianis and American Samoa into "Pacifica" as the 51st State?
Posted by purpleslog | June 5, 2008 2:27 PM
Purple: Too spread out with too many other islands in the way who don't want in on the project. One commenter on the first post also noted a lack of cultural similarity between the three areas.
Posted by Michael
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June 5, 2008 8:51 PM
Tom:
For somebody who is so savvy about economics and business you seem to pay little attention to taxation. These are tax havens, and statehood puts the kibosh on that. I don't see it happening. Same reason why Puerto Rico isn't tripping over itself to become a state. Now, if the US radically altered its tax laws - I'm a big fan of VAT and I wish more liberals would recognize its benefits instead of getting so hung up on progressivity - then you might get somewhere.
Posted by stuart abrams | June 6, 2008 10:24 AM
Well, the Guam Chamorro are still pretty pissed that the Marianas Chamorro aided in the Japanese invasion. And Polynesian Samoa (passed from Germans) doesn't really have much in common with Micronesian Marianas (liberated from Spanish).
Never seemed to be much interst in statehood in PongoPongo - they are nationals, not citizens, with their own constitution. Guam at least has the statehood conversation going on within, due to the citizenship of the people (even have observer 'shadow rep' in Congress) and the military presence. If we ever get a betting pool started, they are my pick.
Posted by TEJ
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June 6, 2008 3:09 PM
Actually, the tax haven status offers the US government a good reason to offer statehood--or independence. At this point in time, we don't exactly need the extra drains on our resources, do we?
In the long run, being limited to those choices would also benefit the territories themselves. Partly by giving them more say (to one extent or another) over their own fates. Partly by forcing them to find better ways to support themselves.
Posted by Michael
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June 6, 2008 5:47 PM
Michael: Stuart's point is that, as tax havens, these territories have little short-term incentive to become states. Puerto Rico routinely votes it down. sure, it might be better for us, but what's in it for them (again, especially in the short term)?
Posted by Anonymous
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June 6, 2008 6:16 PM