Winning: How about we split Texas into 2 or 3 states? That state has too much power.

What would we call them? "Austin" and "Hell"?

Winning: How about we split Texas into 2 or 3 states? That state has too much power.

Don't mess with Texas

That's the real meaning of that phrase...anyway D.C. can not become a state, so it's 4. Puerto Rico and Guam are really the only two viable, and it's not going to happen.

Funny, I was thinking Canada could well add 50 provinces over my lifetime.

Trust me, Americans... you'd be better off Canadian ;)

cretinbob: Puerto Rico and Guam are really the only two viable, and it's not going to happen.

I was hoping to see the Northern Mariana Sauce Islands in there just so I could laugh.

I could see us losing a state before gaining a state. We will be so far in debt, China will want something as a show of good faith. We shall give them Texas.

That was possibly one of the mist retarded things I've ever read. Not the most idiotic thing out there, mind - I avoid WND and their ilk - but I actually read the article.

If the citizens of the UK aren't happy with many aspects of the European Union - even before the financial crisis - in what parallel universe are they going to want to surrender sovereignty to the *US*, for God's sake?

The majority of the people in Puerto Rico - which has been a US territory for more than a century - have little desire for statehood, and they're freaking US citizens!

Walker: The f*ck is this sh*t?

It's what happens when iO9's authors hit the bath salts.

they had me up until the UK.


Puerto Rico is certainly possible; DC as well.


I don't see NYC splitting, but I do think a scenario to where one state breaks off into multiple states is the next most likely scenario after PR or DC.

I don't see Cuba becoming a state unless something even more dramatic than Fidel's death happens.

The UK is entry is beyond laughable.

Give Puerto Rico the choice and then cram all the other islands that we control into one big division and give them a choice too.

The problem with puerto Rico is they don't seem to want it.
I think they mistranslated "not paying federal tax" to "Zomg! They gonna take all your paycheck!".

Maybe in a post Obama world they'll see it differently, but I'm not putting much money on that.

/too much gun control idiocy and corruption there for my tastes.

Puerto Rico is probable in the next 10 years.

Forgive me though, wouldn't we need to amend the Constitution to make DC a state? I don't see that happening.

If Canada and the UK became part of the US, the explosion of Jizz from Thomas Jefferson's grave would end all life on earth.

Winning: How about we split Texas into 2 or 3 states? That state has too much power.

If my memory of American history serves me correctly, when Texas joined the Union it had, and still holds the option to split into 5 states. While this would have given them more power in Congress by adding 8 additional Senators, their pride of being the largest state in the Union (at that time, and still largest continental US) kept them from breaking up.

I thought Michigan's upper peninsula would be on the list. They talk about it from time to time.

/Certainly it's a greater chance of that happening than Great Britain becoming a state.

io9 sucks. As usual.

Note to eds: shiatty articles are their own form of trolling.

Ignoring the "already American territories" set of likely contenders, I think my dark horse pick here would be Bermuda. Might increase tourism and provide a huge stimulus in the form of U.S. gov't spending.

Of course, I know nothing about the internal politics of Bermuda, so there might be historic reasons making it implausible.

....The UK? Seriously?

Cambridge, MA.

That place belongs on another planet.

What a moronic article. Seriously? The UK? No!

Puerto Rico
US Virgin Isles
American Samoa
Guam
District of Columbia

/not necessarily in that order
//also North Korea, but only if I'm appointed "Governor."

I like the ironic factor of the UK being the 55th state but it's as unlikely as Cuba. But then again London would end up being Dearborn part deux.

Puerto Rico is the only realistic one there, and the citizens of P.R. have rejected both statehood and independence a few times already, so it is unlikely.

New York City? Actually a good idea, along with other major cites, but very unlikely to happen. The political difficulties of getting the states and Congress to agree are too great.

D.C.? No way will other states allow the creation of a state that has the influence of the Federal Government as well.

Cuba? Even after Castro they are too independent a people to want that. Why do you think we jettisoned them after the Spanish-American war? We could have kept them as a territory as we did Puerto Rico, but we wisely decided not to.

The U.K.? Fark No. They are not going to subjugate themselves to another power, and no other government is going to want to absorb the economic and social issues the U.K. have gotten themselves into. Not to mention the Royals. What do we do with them? Give them to Disney?

Great Janitor: And why I mention Greenland is that when I was in Denmark 12 years ago I asked my Danish girlfriend about Greenland. She told me that the attitude over there is that they want to secede from Denmark and join either with the U.S. or Canada because they feel closer to those nations than to Denmark. So at least Greenland as apart of Canada or the U.S. is more likely than Cuba.

Plus Greenland is already geographically part of North America, so there is a sort of geographic continuity there. I agree Canada would be a more likely partner. Canada is already officially multilingual and the politics are closer. The U.S., while actually more multilingual in reality, is officially English language, and the politics is too restricted and right-wing.

Lunchlady: Forgive me though, wouldn't we need to amend the Constitution to make DC a state? I don't see that happening.

Technically, we could reduce the sized of the District down to just the monumental core around the Capitol and White House and grant the rest of the city some different status I think. But considering the fact that all of the utilities and whatnot are so linked up, that is probably practically impossible.

This list was initially published as a mixed media creation consisting of crayon, construction paper, and semi-eaten paste.

Relatively Obscure: I would not bet money on seeing ONE place become a new state in my lifetime.

I would agree, but the Puerto Ricans are voting yes/no on statehood again in august. I haven't seen any polling or anything....do any of you farkers know what kind of chance there is of us having a 51st state soon?

The idea of cities becoming states is not new. I think it is a good idea over all.

In places like New York State, the urban areas like NYC overshadow the exurbs and rural areas. The people of NYS are unrepresented in the Senate, and the NYS Congressional delegation is skewed to the Democrats. There is no way Clinton and Schumer would be Senators of NYS if NYC was independent. NYS would be more likely a conservative Democrat or liberal Republican area. Though Clinton and Schumer might still be elected for NYC, likely they would be too conservative to be viable. NYC would probably elect people closer to Bernie Sanders.

Then you have smaller cities, still large enough to be independent, like Philadelphia and San Antonio that are overshadowed by larger, more conservative rural populations.

Cities have different needs and outlooks from rural and even suburban areas. I think any city that has a population larger than the smallest existing state should have the option to apply for statehood. OK, technically they do now, but we should have actual procedure in place to allow for it. NYC, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta and so many others could do this.

Godscrack: Mexico.

The Yucatan Peninsula would be useful

Party Boy: 55. The United Kingdom

[i.imgur.com image 160x128]

OgreMagi: The UK? That's when I realized the author had a serious crack problem. They don't want to be Americans and we don't want the mess they've created.

Serious lack of citizen firearms. Hmmmmmmm.

We are through the looking glass, sheeple. This article is just gauging our acceptance. I'm super serial.

Paris1127: bluorangefyre: StopLurkListen: Paris1127: I don't know if Congress would want to let Puerto Rico become a state (its own citizens notwithstanding), as its population is entirely Spanish-speaking (respect are country and all), and having a state in the Caribbean could allow for easier illegal immigration.

Um...

Puerto Ricans are ALREADY American citizens. Statehood won't change that.

The point sailed so far over your head that it nearly collided with an aircraft.

[www.bryan-thorne.com image 557x428]
Here's a map to explain it to him. One of the places on this map would become a magnet for illegal immigration if it became a state. Can you guess which one?

Are you kidding? One, Puerto Rico is an island, you realize. That alone would make it far more difficult than the current routes across our southern border for all of mainland Latin America. Two, making it a state would change absolutely nothing in that regard. As was already pointed out, Puerto Ricans are already citizens of the US, and one does not need a passport to travel to and from there, what with it being a US territory and all. What would possibly change with statehood that would make it more attractive?

Dinjiin: rumpelstiltskin: I can see the US offering to make Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Manitoba into North North Dakota, but the Canucks would probably insist we take Quebec and Nova Scotia in the bargain.

The scenario I heard was that Quebec breaks away and becomes an independent country. Both B.C. and Alberta decide to break away because they're both so distant from the capitol, then joining the U.S. for economic reasons. The Maritime provinces soon join for similar reasons. The rest of English Canada carries on for 4 or 5 decades before having a national referendum on joining the U.S. It fails at first, but they try every few years before it finally passes on the 5th or 6th time. Quebec remains independent because they've become so nationalistic.

There IS a movement for BC and Alberta to separate. It's very small, and composed largely of nutjobs.

There is no reason to "join the US" after breaking from Canada. B.C. & Alberta are, together, extremely economically strong, with BC providing the lumber, fish, mining, and coastal trade, and Alberta providing the breadbasket and oil. The two provinces together can be entirely self-sufficient as well as create a net trade surplus.

But those aforementioned wingnuts would also like Washington, Oregon, and perhaps California in this new country. And THAT ain't gonna happen.

Subby's mom's ass?

I was fairly certain that no state can be divided from an existing state. That's why that one city in Cali that wants to break away and govern itself will never farking happen.

It's also why Texas, who a lot of texans believe can be split into 5 different states, will also never farking happen.

As for the article: PR is the only one I remotely see happening and just because we like even numbers, if the right conditions occurred...MAYBE, MAYBE Cuba

If we get the UK, could you keep Scotland?

The only thing that makes this look appealing



is this

Great Janitor: or Puerto Rico would have to adapt to being part of a mostly english speaking nation.

After being a part of a Spanish speaking country for the past 100+ years....

Winning: Puerto Rico is the only one that I can see actually happen.

Cuba or the UK? No. Farking. Way. Not in my lifetime, at least.

Cuba. That ship sailed after we denied the Ostend Manifesto.

UK? Lol. I can't imagine one Limey interested in such a thing. One might as well say "Afghanistan or Iraq, or Okinawa" as more likely states.

slayer199: The U.K.? Never happen. I think it would be insulting to most Brits to consider being a part of their former colony. I wouldn't blame them.


Trust me, it's insulting enough that 9th generation N.Y.'rs consider themselves 'Scots' or 'Irish' because their GGGGGGGGrandmother was raped by an escaped Celtic convict....

Come on over. This is the only war you'll see me enlist for.

Gulper Eel: tomWright: There is no way Clinton and Schumer would be Senators of NYS if NYC was independent.

My hot junior senator says "wtf is this Clinton shiat?"

I was using liberal lighting rods as an example. I guess that was not well stated.

Gillibrand might have been considered a centrist Dem. while in the House, prior to being appointed to fill the Senate seat. Though I recall some flak about her flip-flopping on gun-rights after she was appointed to the Senate. We'll see if she retains her seat this year, but in NYS that is likely.

Keith, U.S. Customs Agent (Bob): OK, sir, let's get this straight. Where are you coming from?
Mountain Dougie (David): New Freeland.
Keith, U.S. Customs Agent (Bob): Where is that?
Mountain Dougie (David): Montana.
Keith, U.S. Customs Agent (Bob): So you're already a U.S. Citizen.
Mountain Dougie (David): No, I told you, I'm from New Freeland.

/get off my land

Why don't we just end the farking charade and make Israel the 51st state?

1. NO
2. NO
3, NO
4. HELL NO
5. HELL NO

hubiestubert: To be fair, Chicago and New York City have both been proposed as their own states fairly often...

Would love to see Illinois split at I-80.

/downstater
//tired of getting shiat on by Cook county.

DontTouchMyPeanuts: Why don't we just end the farking charade and make Israel the 51st state?

now that's an election campaign slogan that might just wor... *cough* I mean, I need to be at the copyright office in 26 mins.