Submitted by ScrappleOnToast t3_zn6fti in Pennsylvania
It seems pretty obvious, but here we are.
Submitted by ScrappleOnToast t3_zn6fti in Pennsylvania
It seems pretty obvious, but here we are.
Such an amazingcomment
So what are you trying to say? 46 states, or 50? It can’t be both.
I thought you were going to say Texas - they always threaten to leave.
Abe Simpson would not approve
50 states, but only 46 States.
I had a coworker "correct" me in conversation when I regarded PA as a state back when COVID was hot.
I asked, what is the difference? The answer... commonwealths are socialist.
That’s what I read as well.
It’s a title, not a governmental distinction. We have state government, state stores, state troopers. Pennsylvania is 1 of 50 states in the United States, we are a state. Having said that we are the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania…it’s our name.
You can argue we are a state by every reasonable metric and you would be correct, expect that we call ourselves something different. We have chosen to do that, and when referring to the state, it should be referred to as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
You might call a man who you think is named Tom, well let say Fred by mistake. There’s nothing wrong with that, but when they say “hey I’m Tom, not Fred,” if you keep calling them Fred, you’re the asshole.
The United States is comprised of 50 states. 4 of those states (PA, VA, MA and KY) call themselves commonwealths, but there is no legal or functional distinction between a commonwealth and a state. 46 of those states call themselves states.
This is a pretty simple and straight forward answer.
I would like to disown Alabama if possible.
Underrated comment
I dont recognize any so called state. Pennsylvania is its own country to me.
Oh come on we don’t need Fox News sending it’s minions to try to kidnap the governor or some crazy shit.
Tbh there’s a good 15-20 of them I would be too upset if disappeared tomorrow.
Or Indiana. What a pathetic reason to have a state.
Ah the great socialist haven that is Kentucky!
I wore an onion on my belt, as was the style at the time.
48, It'll be a cold day in hell before I recognize Colorado or Rhode Island.
Can confirm! I’m originally from Northwest Indiana near Chicago and we are the ONLY area worth saving. The rest of the state is red and loathsome.
Right. There’s just been a lot of folks saying “we’re not a state, we’re a commonwealth”, which I find really bizarre.
By that logic, so are the Carolinas.
Excellent point! Were down to 47. Add in. The Virginia's and the answer is a solid 46!
And not all "Commonwealths" are states, like Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Per the Massachusetts website: "Commonwealths are states, but the reverse is not true."
There are 50 states.
Looking at nonprofits like UPMC I'm not sure I can call this a Commonwealth.... more like "uncommon wealth for some" and much more "common unwealth for others"...
Commonwealths rights ...
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We're an anarcho-syndicist commune.
No functional difference.
Yes, but how do you feel about strange women lying in ponds, distributing swords as a basis for a system of government?
Virginia, Massachusetts, Kentucky are also commonwealths. The Commonwealth of Virginia, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
It's like if states were people. Right...there's 46 people with 4 persons.
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But whatever would Sedi Hawley do for a paycheck then? Has no skills at all.
If Texas ditches cancun cruz and abbott, maybe they can stay.
Massholechusetts can be a sad state of mind.
Vermont separated from New York back in 1777
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/new-connecticut-vermont-declares-independence
When I was in high school, I learned that we were a commonwealth because we had a less centralized government, later of course I learned PA is one of the more decentralized states with the strength of local government and strong regional character, but that has exactly zero to do with being a commonwealth.
Personally, I like the name, I think it sets us apart and the kind of old-timey charm of the name fits with the rich history PA has.
Let's just do the average then
46+50+56=152 152/3=50.67
There are 50.67 states.
Presumably counting DC as 1, and New Jersey as 2/3.
Virginia, Kentucky, PA, Massachusetts
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If ND and SD were one state, we would have 49, not 48. We wouldn’t lose 2 states., there would still be the state of Dakota.
Minus mizzuri in response to the original comment. So. 48
IrrumaboMalum t1_j0f8em2 wrote
The United States has 46 states and 4 commonwealths, but the distinction is in name only. Governance is the same in both states and commonwealths.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/whats-the-difference-between-a-commonwealth-and-a-state