Puerto Rico a Step Closer to Statehood or Independence
Thursday May 31, 2007
In 1967, 1981, 1993, and 1998 the citizens of Puerto Rico voted whether the island should remain a commonwealth, become a state, or become and independent country. In all four votes, Puerto Ricans voted to maintain the status quo.
Now, the U.S. Congress wants Puerto Ricans to vote on two options - either the status quo or a "permanent" status of U.S. state or independent country. If "permanent" wins, as supporters hope, an additional vote will be held to decide the permanent fate of the island - state or country. The U.S. House of Representatives could approve this plan via the "Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2007" in June, according to media reports.
Comments
My opinion and hope is that Puerto Rico chooses to maintain it’s “country” status,while keeping the commonwealth stability. I mean why should we “Puerto Ricans” lose our status of being a country onto our own indigenous people.
Although I am an American citizen 1st born generation here in this great country. I like to think that in some kind of way Puerto Rico can keep the status of country and commonwealth (since USA has been in the island for so long now why continue to enjoy that status everyone is benefiting from it).
Updates on this move would be appreciated.
Just to clarify, as of this date, Puerto Rico is not a “country” in any sense of the definition. PR does not hold an independente representantion in the United Nations, it cannot cause international ties w/ sovereign states, does not have legal autority over its borders and lacks many other fundamental characteristics of a “country”. PR is a commonwealth of the United States with limited authority within its territory. This limited authority was always meant to be temporary and transitional. But, the question is whether this transitional stage was geared towards independence or statehood. Puerto Ricans are now being faced with such question. Although in the past referendums Puerto Ricans have shown satisfaction in their “transitional” relationship with the US, the time was come to face the music. Should Puerto Ricans tie the permanent knot with the US or should they attempt an amicable break up in order to give it try to a freedom it hasn’t had in 500 years.
If you talk to Puerto Ricans residing inside the US they will tell you that PR is a commonwealth of the US and it is a welfare state. Puerto Ricans receive monies from the US government as long as they stay in PR. Once they move out of PR and take up residency in one of the US states they can no longer receive that money. I doubt that Puerto Ricans living in PR will vote to become a separate country. This is what my Puerto Rican family members state.
Puerto Rico, such a beautiful island. It would be so much better to be part of Europe just like other Caribbean islands.
Sounds like Miriam doesn’t have much of a fondness for our United States. I pray she doesn’t live here.
Statehood for Puerto Rico.. will never happen Before Puerto Rico becomes a state , Washington, DC will have to “gain its independence” and become a state. Demographics of DC suggest that it would add two Democratic Senators and one Democratic House member to Congress. Will the Republicans allow this? Then, again the demographics, Puerto Rico will add three more Democrat votes in Congress… let’s see that means 4 senate votes and 2 house votes. The US Congress will never allow it. People in Puerto Rico have the best of all worlds right now: commonwealth status. Benefits without responsibilities.
I am going to agree with Nilsa that the status quo is working just fine. There is no need to ‘fix’ something that doesn’t need fixed. Both the United States and Puerto Rico are benefiting from the curent format and I don’t see a need for change.
BUT, I am not Puerto Rican and the Puerto Ricans might have other ideas.
The status quo has reached a wall with no end to it. Puerto Rico needs a new beginning, which is to become the 51st state of the union. Anybody who disagree with this option does not comprehend the concept of the what great opportunities, values and the power PR will hold. The culture will never disappear and the beautiful flag will still be there to represent us as a state. But first understand that to be a state we first have to vote to become non-territorial which will break us off from the status quo. Then vote with statehood on the second plebicite. Remember every region in the United States has thier own culture and accent. We will most definite be a bilingual culture and proud to be Americans as we been for the past four generations. Stop the ignorance and vote to be the 51st state of the union!!!now!!!
Statehood=federal taxes(Pharmacutical corporations crying like stuck pigs.) Residents feel loss of identity. Less appealing as a tourist spot.
Independence=higher corruption from within and more class warfare.
Status quo=the best of both worlds. Commonwealth welfare state.
I think that puerto rico should be independent. It should have its own money its own laws its own everything. I mean yeah we get lots of help from the united states but it would be so nice for us puerto ricans to have our own things. Like one of the comments above, i agree with the girl that said it should be a part of europe or something. I have many Dominican friends and they say yeah we have our own money and laws and all the other stuff. I want to also want my country to have all it’s own things to. to the ones that are not puerto rican, dont paste comments on here it wouldnt make sense you dont know anything. Now i was born in Fajardo Puerto Rico and i think that it should be independent. It would be way better of, I think so.
To: JKM and his Dominican friends
Dominican Republic is a great example on why Puerto Rico should be the 51st State. Besides Haiti, Dominican Rep. is the poorest in the west indies. Yes they have their own laws and some areas lawless campos where they have nothing. Yes they have their own money but worthless currency. I can continue but it’s not fair to put a country down that had nothing in the past 500 years. And again I have to stress my point expressed above (comment #8) stop the ignorance and vote statehood for Puerto Rico.
Cuando leo los comentarios me percato de que están todos escritos en inglés, por lo tanto ustedes los que escriben defendiendo el Estado Libre Asociado no viven en Puerto Rico y se fueron a Estados Unidos a disfrutar de lo que es vivir en un Estado, que irónico, verdad! Creo que lo mejor para nosotros es ser estado, pero mientras el Congreso no nos lo permita no va a ocurrir. Si fueramos estado viviríamos bajo una democracia y con derechos y deberes iguales a los que ustedes están disfrutando. Ahora la versión en inglés: I believe that you live in the United State to receive the benefit of it, but you don`t want that we receive the same benefit. I hope that one day the Congress accept Puerto Rico. Today we live in a bad situation because the people of Puerto Rico like to have benefit without responsabilities.
TO ECHOVARDE. PLEASE INSTRUCT YOURSELF BEFORE MAKING A COMMENT. YOU SAID “BENEFITS WITHOUT RESPONSIBILITIES”. TO NAME JUST ONE, A LOT OF PUERTO RICAN SOLDIERS ARE RISKING THEIR LIVES RIGHT NOW FOR THE US!!!.IF THAT IS NOT RESPONSIBILITY THEN WHAT?
Puerto Ricans should have the option like all previous territories of the US to willfully become States. It is sufficiently large in a geographic sense to be a state (unlike D.C.). The US is becoming increasingly diverse - multilingual and Hispanic - so adding a state where Spanish is the main language makes sense in the 21st century. States have significantly more political power than commonwealths. What most people don’t realize about Americans (by which I mean US citizens) is that they identify with their state as much as they do the U.S. Americans are New Yorkers, Californians, Minnesotans, Texans, and Floridians as much as they are “Americans.” Residents of Puerto Rico would still be Puerto Ricans if they became a state - they would just also be admitting to being what they already are - Americans.
If soldiers from the US territory of Puerto Rico go to Iraq and Afghanistan to bring democracy to those countries they should have the same rights in their island. They cant vote for their President, they don’t have voting representation in Congress. More than 4 million US citizens lack those rights because they live in a colonial territory and most of them are Hispanics. When the US Congress stop being racist against the people living in that island then the United States will be a step closer to full and real democracy.
Okay….as a former participant of the national geographic geography bee (wv 2006), I’m wondering why the U.S.V.I.(U.S. Virgin Islands),Guam, American Samoa, D.C., and the U.S. dept. of defense territories can’t be a part of this also? I mean I’d personally like to see some more states join the Union, but I understand that these territories have their right to do as they choose.
Spend a few months in a large American city that has a large PR population and I think you’ll agree that this country shares none of our American values. Thus, give them independence, or, better yet, sell the island to Hugo Chavez. The Ricans would love him and his socialist government…which means government handouts without citizen sacrifice…or what Ricans want in life.
Puerto Rico knows all to well they cant run themselves so i welcome the fact that we will have a new state sooner or later.
To tghe people that say PR should be a state I ask why? Besides being able to vote for the commander in chief and having congessmen from the US tell us what language to speak wher are the benefits? PR will recieve more federal aid but they people will have to pay federal taxes so that would mean property taxes real estate prices and taxes paid by outside companies will all go up. But IM sure pay wont. Satehood would benefit some people and only a small amount such as the disabled are deserving the other would be lazy people who want to live off of the goverment.Why not ask fo more money from the US they give aid to a bunch of other countries thet never pay back and dont help the US at least puerto ricans fight in the US’s wars thjat in itself should be enough for those that think staehood would be better just take a look at Catrina and what happened so I dont think PR would benefit much if it were a state. Maybe if the us would invest some of the money it looses to countries like Mexico and China in PR that would be enough for everyone to be happy to stay the way they are
Can someone please translate comment #19 from gurinski. He is clueless about the status quo in Puerto Rico and what statehood will achieved for the residents of the island. Stop the ignorance, vote and support statehood for Puerto Rico!
i lived in puerto rico for many years ,but i had to leave due to my wife unemloyment.biggest problem puerto rico faces is there political clowns that try to run the island.they need to fix there system first.than we can talk about status. corruption and dishonesty is common in puerto rico it must be wipe out.
according to this msn article that I read, puerto rico receives BILLIONS in aid from the USA each year. and they don’t pay any federal taxes. then, I read in this same article that the people there don’t want their children going to war for the usa. that they don’t have the same values that the usa have. if this is the case, I am asking myself as an american citizen, WHY GIVE PR ALL THIS MONEY EACH YEAR???
BILLIONS each year? I would rather the money get spent in the usa where it should be spent assisting usa citizens.
and you wonder why our country has a problem with deficits?
I read in the hudson report that america is the most generous nation in the world. and we give like over 100 BILLION in aid to the world. my question is WHY? if we used this money to pay off our deficit each year, we wouldn’t have a deficit. so, why are we giving it away????
supporting info..
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20290143/
http://gpr.hudson.org/files/publications/GlobalPhilanthropy.pdf
I SAY AFTER LIVING HERE THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS IN PUERTO RICO WE NEED TO GET RID OF ALL THE CORPUTION ,LOCAL AND FEDERAL AND GIVE PUERTO RICO AN HONEST SAY AND A CONTROLLED VOTING. GET RID OF ALL THE UNDER-HAND PEOPLE OPEN UP EYES PUERTO RICO AND SEE WHAT THE GOVERNOR HAS DONE FOR YOU BETTER YET WHOS POCKET HAS GOTTEN BIGGER?
To Echovarde,
If my father went to II World War,Korea and I to Vietnam, if that is not responsibilities what is it?
Puerto Rico has nothing to offer this country as a state and less than nothing as a “commonwealth” or colony. The USA will try to shake it off of its back. But without the US, PR will sink and be worse than my country (the DR) and other caribbean/latin american nations. The people are not used to working. And with such unemployment and so many handouts, who can blame them? Life is peachy when your basic needs are guaranteed. PR will sink into a lawless land for years the second it goes completely independent. The US will have a presence there for the safety of its people while a stable democracy materializes. The people will then learn what it is to sratch a living but there will be little jobs for the honest puerto ricans, thugs will be out of control on the streets and the Puerto Ricans will jump on a boat with the Dominicans and head to the US Virgin Islands.
FYI: Puerto Rico has only had 3 Plebiscites for the status of the island: 1967, 1993, and 1998 (None backed by US Congress, thus making them all non-binding).
Puerto Rico should join latin america as
as a country instead of being a commonwealthy or be like Spain with the E.U. either would be better than what America would do to puerto rico they would try to make it exactly like the other states and it has alot of history that will be not important to them but making money off puerto rico. also the people in puerto rico are not lazy they are hardworking but there are not enough jobs for them and i believe that we need to create these jobs and open up more places there. Also i hope they can create new places in Puerto Rico so there would be more room for people to travel to the already masterpiece of an island it is. Also with it being a part of America it would probably have to trade its spanish for english and history of puerto ricans will be forgotten and we would just learn about the civil war instead of learing about things about our history. Also alot of things are getting huge in the country and i believe we could hold our own but we just would need to given a year or so to get a president and everything else and slowly we would let go and become independent.
well i think that puerto rico should be a state that way we can have more rights and education will be better if the school are under the care of the us department of education.
The current political status of Puerto Rico is officially called Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico. When it is literally translated into English, it means Free Associated State of Puerto Rico. Over time, supporters of this political status have conveniently referred to it as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Territorial status is meant to be a transitional step to usher in a permanent status, such as statehood or independence. Established in 1952, the territorial arrangement it was meant to serve as a transitional step to something greater.
In the 1980 Harris v. Rosario case, The Supreme Court of the United States acknowledged that Puerto Rico fell directly under the territorial clause of the U.S. Constitution and under the authority of Congress: “Congress, pursuant to its authority under the Territory Clause of the Constitution to make all needful rules and regulations respecting Territories, may treat Puerto Rico differently from States so long as there is a rational basis for its actions.” In effect, Congress has the authority to regard The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as an ordinary territory and treat Puerto Rico in a different and unequal way from the other 50 states. In other words, Puerto Rico is a colony of the United States of America.
This current colonial status does not allow Puerto Ricans to vote for the President of the United States. Puerto Ricans do not have representation in the U.S. Senate and no voting representation in Congress. Instead, the 4 million U.S. Citizens of Puerto Rico only have one “Resident Commissioner” who cannot even vote on the House floor. Therefore, Puerto Ricans have no say in the making of the laws and statutes that apply to them. Even though the U.S. Supreme Court has absolute jurisdiction over Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans do not have representation in the U.S. Senate to cast an up or down vote on Supreme Court nominees. In the end, Puerto Rico is governed by a Congress in which they are not allowed to participate in, an Executive whom they did not elect, and a Judiciary whose justices they did not confirm.
The 4 million U.S. Citizens of Puerto Rico are not allowed to fully participate in the democratic process of their nation. Consequently, they are the victims of political discrimination. The people of Puerto Rico are treated as disenfranchised and second-class U.S. citizens.
The United States of America is supposed to be a free and democratic republic, not an empire. All of its citizens should be entitled with the right to pursue the American dream.
I believe that Puerto Rico should remain the way they are now. One thing Puerto Ricans have is their strong pride! Their pride identifies who we are as a people. Our culture means the world to us, why we lose it to become a state. If we become a state everybody would star living in P.R, who wants that? I mean who wants blacks and whites taking over our land!!! We are who we are leave us alone already! Viva PUERTO RICO…:]
i think PUERTO RICO should not be a state!!! because IF THEY BECOME PAR OF THE U.S.A all their coulture will be more americanized…..also i think that puerto rico is doing just fine without the U.S……. puerto rico oddviously like any other state has its challenges but i dont think that we need the U.S to run ourlives…..
(go puerto rico!!!!!) i think puerto rico is doing just fine without america and i agree with VICTORIA MARTINEZ we dont want other people changeing our culture or our lives …us BORICUAS are doing just .]fine …….but how shold i know …im just a kid………………………..
go puerto rico……….i beleive puerto rico should not be part of the USA because like VICTORIA MARTINEZ says ,,,we dont want other people or other countries changeing the ways we have lived for over 500 yrs, puerto rico is doing just fine,,,, but wat should i know …im just a kid……..
que DIOS te vendiga PUERTO RICO MIENCANTO!!!
MAY GOD BLESS YOU PUERTO RICO MY JOY!! PUERTO RICO ES PARA CRISTO
If Puerto Rico chooses to become a state, is the USA obligated to accept it?
If Puerto Rico becomes independent, what would happen to the Puerto Ricans who live in, say, New York City? Would they become dual citizens?
Does Puerto Rico pay more to the federal government in taxes or does it receive more in subsidies? If the latter, does the US have the right to unilaterally withdraw its claim to PR thereby making it an independent country?
Someone said it’d be great for PR to be a part of Europe. Not necessarily. Didn’t Curacao just vote to become independent of the Netherlands?
The US should get rid of Puerto Rico and cut of the billion dollar gravy train. Keeping Puerto Rico as a commonwealth or as a state is too expensive (a waste of money).
Puerto Rico receives 72 times more food stamps than Mississippi, eight times more than New York.” Pete Hamill, New York Post, July 16, 1989.
60% of the residents in the proposed state of Puerto Rico live “in what the federal government classifies as poverty.” Columnist Patrick Buchanan noted in February, 1990, that “40% of the people on the island get federal benefits.” The Washington Post reveled in November of that year that Mr. Buchanan’s figure was too low, stating that “more than 43 percent of [Puerto Rico’s] population receives the equivalent of food stamps from the U.S. government.”
Furthermore, Puerto Rico has already made it clear it does not want to have English as it official language.
The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico already costs mainland U.S. taxpayers over $6 billion each year. The state of Puerto Rico could cost residents of the other 50 states far more.
Yeah I have a lot of friends that are from PR that want statehood but there are a lot of folks in PR who don’t want it.
Well I don’t want to pay for you anymore either. Either become a state and pay taxes like the rest of us or give back all the US money and make your own.
La mierda que la gente aqui estan hablando es increible! First of all to make a valid argument you people need to know something about your country pendejos! First of all YES PUERTO RICANS DO PAY TAXES…it was not always like that but they do pay them. Second if puerto rico was a state, they dont need to change their language U.S. DOESNT HAVE AN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE. You people dont watch news? That was a big debate for a long time.
To me I believe boriquas will make it no matter if they are a state or independant country. Its nice for to be a state because they are part of the US pero they can not bote or have any choice/ decision on their country. AND yes they can MAKE IT WITH OUT THE US. carajo americans always think somebody needs them in order to survive. Look what they do to Iraq. If Puerto Rico is independent like somebody say before the value of the money will lower. And it will take them sometime to get order into their country. pero every body have corruption in their government. I am cuban and everybody can see what power do to people. People dont understand that most of the paises caribeno are poor. borquas get lucky alot of dominicans and cubans go to there for better life. So being part of U.S. is good. pero its bad because they have to follow US laws but have no say about their own country. THEY CAN SURVIVE WITHOUT THE US. Somebody mention Dominican Rep. mi esposo is dominican and that is a beautiful island. Many people put money into that island because of its belleza. Celebrity get married, buy house, and even send their children to go to school there. The same would be for Puerto Rico. They will be more poorer but its a beautiful island and many people will still go there. American people love the carribean they go there every time for vacation( DR, PR, Bahamas, Jamaica,etc) Americans are not allowed to got to my country pero they find ways to go to cuba. They love the carribean, and that means the country will survive.
I think either its a state or independent. Boriquas and their country will make it.
Get your facts straight. Stop quoting anti-puertorican rhetoric from the 80’s. PR was in a bad state during that time. Of course the use of financial aid would have been rampant but guess what Puerto Rico got better. For a long time we had a better health care system than the US. Our voting system is 10 times better and if we were allowed to vote in the presidential electiosn we sure wouldn’t have voted for the idiot Bush not once but twice. Puerto Rico may have it’s problems but it would make a great addition to the union or it would would work fine as an independent state.
Puerto Rico will never become a state. Never. The reasons are linguistic, political cultural and economics. But there is another one we rarely discuss: the large number of PNP statehood followers that tend to rule tyranicaly abusive in Puerto Rico, and commits corruptions. There are a few decent PNP statehood followers, but many of their leaders are arrogant, intolerant, insulting to any light disagreement, disrespectful and. sometimes, even commit murder. Doubts? I remember Cerro Maravilla, UPR riots of 1981 where the governor Romero Barcelo ordered the police to attack students and professors protesting government policies. And constant eviction of poor people from their old neighborhood in favor to big developers and corporations. With attitudes like that you don’t win friends. But I think Rosello and Fortuno seem to ignora that point.
Lots of passion! Lots of selfishness, even more egocentric pity! Very little objectivity, even less commitment and loyalty to the hand that feeds you! Puertoricans act as if the deserve special or better treatment than the rest of the US citizens. All this only shows world class ignorance. Have a good wake up call!
To many Americans, Puerto Rico is a welfare state because a little less than half Puerto Ricans are receiving this help. What Americans don’t know is that the amount they receive is nothing comparible to any of the 51 states of the Union. Puerto Rican only get food stamps which are exiguous(Small and scanty)think of it as peanuts. Cash Benefits are not issued here as in the Mainland-USA or the 51 States;therefore,you can not afford to have your own apartment, unless your parents are paying for it. The U.S. Senate/the White House have not invested heavily in creating jobs in Puerto Rico; nevertheless, have they given the Puerto Rican Government autonomy in trading with other countries that want to invest heavily in Puerto Rico. It is easy to say “You are a Welfare State” Vs “Granting Autonomy to trade”. Puerto Rico has lost many opportunities to excell because of many U.S. Federal Trade Regulations that restrict us from trading with other countries. The needs of Puerto Ricans are not being met. When the U.S. Invaded Puerto Rico and made it a colony, we were promise according to our history that over 100,000 jobs were going to be created, and this never happened, yet they took over the country. Today, Puerto Rico’s only court system is ruled by the Federal Government in all 78 cities of Puerto Rico; they are tax exempt from paying property taxes, patent taxes, construction taxes,etc., making billions of dollars that are coming back to the U.S. Mainland; not to mention the U.S. Postal Offices in all 78 cities, where they are making billions of dollars sellings stamps and other goods. Americans don’t even know that the U.S. Government is making billions of dollars with their cargo planes and passenger services, where is all this money going to? of course my friends-to America, while Puerto Ricans gets the peanuts. We Puerto Ricans love Americans, but Americans have not treated us in the same manner. I dare say, we are the forgotton colony that has been part of the United State of America for 111 years today, and congress still has ignored our needs to trade independently with other nations that are willing to invest heavily in Puerto Rico. We need to over come unequal justice, and seek help from other countries if our Mother Country(The United States of America)is attending our needs. Puerto Rico is potential for crude oil according to studies and our history; and we are less than 550 miles North of the Richest Oil Basis of Venezuela. We must have the freedom to trade with countries that are willing to invest heavily in our economy, as congress has forsaken us.
puerto rico dosent want to be a state bec. they would have to be a part of the working class not a bunch of drunk free loaders.
I’m from that beautiful island. I lived in the Caserios (”the projects” worst place to have a childhood). I spent my last 28 years living in the US and abroad. I also served in the US Army for 25 years. The US is the best country I have ever lived in. One thing I learned is to respect other people’s opinions. Unfortunately some people speak by emotions others by facts. Puerto Ricans are afraid to lose there identity, Olympic team etc… Only maybe 10% wants it to be an independent country. My mother is one of them and she receives Social Security and Medicare a Federal program. It’s sad to see many enjoying the fruits of the US and they want to separate from it. I don’t really think P.R could survive as an independent country. If you think drugs and weapons trafficking is bad wait until it is independent. The other 90% of the Puerto Ricans are divided into keeping it a commonwealth or a becoming the 51st state. I’m one of the people who would prefer it becoming a state but I don’t live there. This means it is up to the people that live in that country now. Last but not least the Puerto Ricans give more than people give them credit. Lots serve in the Arm Forces (5 Medal of Honor winners) a whole division in Korea 65th Infantry. The US has many military bases in P.R. The US pays 100 of millions to have bases in other countries. Example Spain gets over $600M a year to allow the US an Air Force Base. P.R. gets federal assistance that is true (medicare, social security & food stamps) but the people in the past and now has earned it for working and serving the US in any way shape or form for 111 years.
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The reason why Puerto Rico,other latin American,and black countries are a failure(Without the USA would not amount to anything) is because They can’t seem to stop having babies.What is wrong with just one or two? I would probably be the most rudeless dictator if I ever controlled such a country.Half the population of any Latin American country would cease to exist.Prevent Hispanic women from having more than 2 babies.
Hispanic Hitler is coming to fix the mess our ancestors have created.Only 30% of Hispanics will survive.