Let Puerto Rico decide

Regarding the Opinion page article "Puerto Rican Statehood: Make It So," Feb. 2: The author seems to be making the point that Puerto Rico is not yet a state because of the deaf ears of the United States Congress and implies that it is a result of some anti-Hispanic bias therein. The fact is that for statehood to be granted, a territory must first apply for such a change in status. Puerto Rico has never done this.

The issue has been debated there for 40 years, and time after time polls and election results have shown that a majority of Puerto Ricans have not decided that they want statehood. When they do, I believe Congress will act. Nothing would be worse than to drag Puerto Rico into the Union without an overwhelming commitment from its people. The US Congress has followed the correct path: to wait benignly until the people of Puerto Rico decide for themselves whether they want independence or statehood. Lenard E. Davis, Newport Beach, Calif.

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