The slow, painful death of UK armed forces

[Admiral Yi]

So, when are you giving them independence? What's taking you so long?

We've tried several times to unload the dump but the locals aren't that stupid.  They know a sweatheart deal when they see one.

[CountDeMoney]

So, when are you giving them independence? What's taking you so long?

Puerto Rico and Guam enjoy benefits that far exceed anything they would enjoy as independent states. 

Couldn't say the same of any shit hole colony in Africa back in the day.

[Admiral Yi]

I was a little curious about PR, so I wikied.

PRs are US citizens, but people residing in PR cannot vote for president.  I guess that means if I moved down there I couldn't either.

PR does not have legislative representation.  They have a nonvoting member of Congress (same as DC).

Residents of PR do not pay federal income tax, but do pay Social Security and Medicare taxes, and in turn recieve SS and Medicare.

[grumbler]

You did not mention the key words. -2 points. You can do better.

  Sorry, what were the "key words?"  I made the general observation, with specific examples to illustrate it.  That's far better than what you have done so far, but I know you can do better.  Create a thesis, and then illustrate with examples.  Go ahead and try it.

[garbon]

PRs are US citizens, but people residing in PR cannot vote for president.  I guess that means if I moved down there I couldn't either.

I wonder if you can get around that if you still have property elsewhere and claim that as your primary residence.

[Admiral Yi]

I also wikied Guam, and it seems they have an even more ossum deal.

The IRS collects federal income tax on everyone residing in Guam, but then turns it all over to the Guamanian government.  That includes taxes on all US military personnel residing in Guam.

[Valmy]

So, when are you giving them independence? What's taking you so long?

They don't want it

I say either become a state or GTFO but they seem to like their current arrangement since it is better than being either an independent country or a full part of the US.

Which is sorta messed up actually 

[Razgovory]

Except he is.  He's hand waving certain periods of history because that's a "phase" they went through.  If we use this criteria any country can do anything, since it's just going through a "phase".

I think the language of 'phases' is unhelpful, as you say they're something you go through.  They seem to me a bit like viewing history through a strict Marxist analysis or like a series of geological ages.

I think the role guilt and reflection play in how we read history is that it returns it to being about choices and self-deceits.  So I think the German way of thinking about Nazism is going to be less what happened and why and more, how did people let this happen.

Tell Berkut, that.  I'm not the one who came with this "phase" issue to assuage any guilt or to keep bright and shiny my nations history.

[mongers]

Guam and P.R. seem to be more like our Channel Islands, oddities still somewhat loosely tied to the sovereign state.

I'm not sure you can draw too much from their histories either way, within the wider debate about colonialism and empires.

[Neil]

Couldn't say the same of any shit hole colony in Africa back in the day.

Are you sure about that?

[dps]

So, if you want to debate the Spanish American war, why not shift the focus from the Philippines and look at Puerto Rico and Guam? not every territory that changed hands in that war underwent the same political route.

Sure.  Why not?

So, when are you giving them independence? What's taking you so long?

They don't want it.  Sure, some of them do, but Puerto Rico has voted multiple times on the options of complete independence, applying for full statehood, or continuing their current status, and keeping the current status has consistantly won.

[katmai]

Can you imagine a nation full of Lusti's and Timmay's?

[Scipio]

I love this subject, you Americans get so defensive on what is crystal clear: the wars with Mexico, and later Spain were blatant imperialist conquests.

I can't defend much of the Mexican War, other than it was right in its righteousness, and the Spanish-American War was a response to international terrorism.

Both of those wars are only partly defensible; Mexican War re: the Texans, and Spanish-American War re: the Phillipines.

[garbon]

And without it - we wouldn't have California, so hello obviously a good decision.

[katmai]

Yeah but we got Texas and Arizona in the deal...