On the recordFebruary 23, 2010
I have the utmost respect for my good friend, Mr. Hastings, for proposing his amendment, but I do have some very serious concerns about the amendment. In the first place, when we talk about the event that took place in 1959, it was a referendum of whether or not the voters or the people of Hawaii would accept statehood. What we are establishing here is a very dangerous precedent, in my humble opinion, so that for everything now we are going to be referring to referendums to State governments to tell us the will of the people of the State, when in fact this should be done that the Congress expresses that will for collectively all, on behalf of our Federal Government. So I do oppose the gentleman's amendment.
