(12-31-2024, 10:05 AM)The Real Marty Wrote: I know Trump was probably kidding.  At least, I hope he was kidding.  Nonetheless, I have some thoughts about it.  

Canada would never agree to come in as one state.  They would want each province to be a state.  They have 10 provinces.  They would want 10 states.  That would be 20 new Senators, and of course Representatives based on population.  Canada has a population of 41 million.  Congressional districts in the US average 700,000 people.  That would be 58 new Congress people.  So we would have 20 new Senators, and 58 new Representatives.  

So how would these new Senators and Representatives align politically?  I'm not sure on that, although they are very liberal on abortion.  Canada also has a higher minimum wage, free healthcare, they legalized gay marriage 10 years before the US, and they place a greater emphasis on multiculturalism.  <I got that off the internet, full disclosure.  

So, imagine these 20 new Senators and 58 new Representatives, and how they would align politically.   I don't think they would be MAGA supporters.  

I suppose Trump's 25 percent tariffs on Canadian products would go away, if Canada was part of the United States.  It would be the ultimate free trade agreement.  

This "Canada as the 51st state" doesn't sound like a very good idea if you are a MAGA person.   In fact, it would seem like a better idea to just have the free trade agreement and not have them be part of the US, so they don't get political power.  After all, if they are the 51st state, it's going to be free trade all the way.

There would be 58 new representatives, until the next census. If it happened now, we would have reapportionment between 2030 and 2032. Every area would lose representatives until the total was back down to 435. 
The number 435 dates back about 100 years, it is arbitrary. It would make more sense if the number had something to do with the current population. One idea is to make the number equal to the population of the entire country divided by the population of the smallest state. That way, when the smallest state gets one representative their representation is still in proportion to the other states. Today, because the number 435 is too small, the very smallest states get an exaggerated amount of representation in the House.

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