[PW] Commonwealths

[cvj at hcvco.com]

The entities may call themselves whatever, and they may well have been
called "commonwealths" BEFORE there was a United STATES of America,
however, as one of those STATES, they are, officially, federally, STATES. 
It isn't the United States and Commonwealths of America.  There are 50
states, not however many commonwealths and however many states.  Connie

> As a Pennsylvania librarian, I not infrequently get questions about what
> the difference is between a commonwealth and a state. Really there is no
> difference, but that's not what people want to hear, so often the same
> person will come back a year later and say "I never could find the
> answer..." Sometimes I fantasize about making something up ("in a

>