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Puerto Rico and the never-ending debate over Status
Much has been written about the status of Puerto Rico by people probably smarter and more articulate than me. Academics have written scholarly essays on the subject. Newspapers have written editorials about it. So have guest writers penning op-eds. More recently, bloggers have written on the subject as well. All of these people have taken up the cause to continue to make sure the issue of status remains in front of Americans at one time or another. Yet where are we? We've gone from colony to commonwealth (think "Colony 2.0") or as it is referred to in Spanish, Estado Libre Asociado ("Freely Associated State"), with plebescites held every now and then, drawing voter turnout unmatched anywhere in free voting societies in the world, and as of July 25th of this year, 58 years will have passed and the island remains a Commonwealth/Freely Asociated State. So I'm angry. I'm angry about being a Puerto Rican living in New York, wishing often that I was on the island, trying to make a difference. I'm angry that so much of the island lives in a state of poverty that's over double the rate of Mississippi, currently the state with the highest percentage of people living below the national poverty line. I'm angry that in 2008 my mom, who returned to her birthplace in late 2007, was able to vote in the 2008 presidential primary yet could not vote in the general election. I'm also angry that the island's economy was never developed when it could have been but was instead turned over to major corporations. I'm angry that at one point Puerto Rico had three dozen military bases. I could fill two more paragraphs talking about my anger, but at the end of the day, the island remains a Commonwealth/Freely Associated State. My anger is tempered by the fact that when I have time and money my first choice for vacation is Puerto Rico, where I do my very best to explore new places, eating new food dishes, meeting new people, and reconnecting with the island in a way that can only be called mystical. And like any good Puerto Rican, I always clap when the plane lands at Luis Munoz Marin Airport, a tradition amongst Puerto Ricans spanning decades. When I visit I avoid the urban sprawl that would make you think you were traveling on Anywhere USA, and put my dollars into the local economy. And when I return to Brooklyn and talk about my great times spent on the island, someone always asks me to show him/her what Puerto Rican money looks like, or any number of questions like that, reminding me how many people don't know that Puerto Rico is a part of the United States. On February 12, 2008, during a democratic presidential primary that saw candidates fighting tooth and nail for every possible delegate, came the "Letter from Barack Obama to Puerto Rico". Just a few highlights: "Puerto Rico is a vitally important part of our country and Puerto Ricans have made immeasurable contributions to the United States. As President of the United States, I will pay close attention to issues that have an impact on the well-being of the people of Puerto Rico." "Puerto Rico's status must be based on the principle of self-detennination. Puerto Rico has a proud history, an extraordinary culture, its own traditions, customs and language, and a distinct identity." "I strongly believe in equality before the law for all American citizens." "I will also work closely with the government of Puerto Rico, its private sector and labor leaders to advance an aggressive agenda of job creation, economic development and new prosperity." When I read the full text of the letter, I was amazed. We had a potential candidate that "got it". He recgonized that Puerto Ricans had made contributions to American life, that we had a right to self-determination, and that "being Puerto Rican" was a way of life in and of itself. This candidate, a constitutional scholar, recognized that the full rights of citizenship was something that Puerto Ricans were not enjoying, and was recognizing that the pervasive poverty that had gripped the island for decades needed to be addressed by the United States, since Puerto Rico was part of it. I am pro-statehood, and always have been, a surprise to many because of how vocal I am about the injustices perpetrated on Puerto Ricans by the United States these past 112 years. Do I wish the island to be a soverign state? In a perfect world, sure, and in a perfect world I think most Puerto Ricans would too. But the world is far from perfect, as is true with our country. Reality needs to give way to the dream of people like Eugenio Maria De Hostos, Pedro Albizu Campos, and so many others. The issue of Statehood for Puerto Ricans is complicated. A few examples: Taxes. They may not vote for President, but they also don't pay federal income tax, but since so many Puerto Ricans live below the poverty line, the amount of money payable to them in E.I.T.C. would be in the hundreds of millions, significantly topping Mississippi. I won't kid you: sometimes I think of the EITC as a form of reparations, in a "poetic justice" kind of way. That's another story altogether. Spanish. I for one have never understood this argument. The best I have heard is that it would save the government money because it would not have produce materials in both English and Spanish. It usually takes me some time to stop laughing when I hear this, but after I compose myself I remind myself that, quite possibly in my lifetime (if I take my vitatmins), the same argument might be made...but in reverse, as Latinos are set to become the most populous group in the United States. El zapato might be on the other foot! My opinion on this is that commerce should be the voice of reason here, as I know I would learn to speak in Klingon if it meant a new customer for my home business. Partisanship. Voter turnout in PR is known to be the highest in the free-voting societies of the world, but its political parties are not Democrat or Republican, but instead based on the island's status. If PR became a state, what would happen to the Popular Democratic Party? The New Progressive Party? Others? Would they retain their names but ally themselves with the major parties of the US? How permanent would these alliances be? What would make or break them? Civics and Politics. As a state, the full constitution of the USA would now apply to Puerto Ricans, giving them two US senators and a pretty nice delegation in the House of Representatives because of its population of about 4 million. Consider the partisan issue and you see how complicated this gets. Who will they caucus with? What will their agenda be? Up to now, we've had numerous Latino elected officials around the country, but this is very different: this would be a Latino state. I can't help but wonder what this will do to inspire other Latino leaders around the country, and for that matter, the entire world. And my favorite: the 51st State. This is perhaps the stupidist argument I have ever heard, and is a repeat of the late 1950s when Alaska and Hawaii were being considered for statehood. There's plenty of room on the flag for one more star. I'll tell you one industry that won't complain: flag makers. They'll do sales that will rival post-9-11. The above is meant to be a personal essay and to provoke some dialog on Puerto Rican status. I sure hope I got my facts straight. There's so much history to go through, so if I confused a fact or figure, my apologies. I'll gladly accept your critique. But here are the questions that I would like readers to comment on: 1. Do you think the issue of status will ever be resolved for Puerto Rico? If so, what status will that be? Why? If statehood is your choice: 1.Will the EITC issue damage the US economy, or can a plan be put in place to encourage islanders to use it to invest in their local economies, beyond simply spending it? 2. Why or why not does Spanish matter? 3. The island uses the Metric System, except in automobiles, (and PR has the highest percentage of car ownership, not California, a mind-boggling statistic when you consider the poverty level on the island). Should the island be allowed to maintain its use of Metric? 4. Thoughts on partisanship, civics, politics? The new congressional delegation? Changes to the cafeteria menu on Capitol Hill (just kidding)? 5. Other points that should be talked about? Questions that you want answered? The issue of Puerto Rican status is far more complex than presented here, and besides that, it affects other Spanish-speaking nations as well, but I kept it basic to attract more Latino readers and contributors to Room 8. You'd be surprised at how many of us don't know our history (I own dozens books on the subject of PR and I am still learning my history!). As for these new contributors, I hope they're the full spectrum of Latinos: Puertorriqueños. Dominicanos. Cubanos. Mexicanos. Colombianos. Ecuadorianos. Peruanos. Venezolanos. Uruguayos. Paraguayos. Argentinos. Bolivianos. Panameños. Costarricenses. Salvadoreños. Hondureños. Nicaragüenses. Chilenos. Brasileños tambien. And let's not forget those that are a mix and match of the above and/or something else. There are thousands of other Latinos like me that are bilingual yet prefer English. There's no shame in that, and we should not feel the need to prove ourselves in Spanish. We should contribute to political dialog in whatever language we are most comfortable with (I did promised a bilingual piece in a recent reply to Rock Hackshaw's post; that's coming real soon). For now I look forward to your thoughts on the issue of Puerto Rican Status and hope to learn from you as well. --- Manuel Juan Burgos Jimenez
BRILLIANT POST.
 MANNY:
This is a brilliant post. I am going to lift it and send it to all the readers on my e-mail list. I will also write a column in response . We disagree somewhat. I think PR should go the way Trinidad, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, etc. have gone. I will try to get to that column within the next few weeks. Plus there are so many areas for debate here. Love this. It is a nice start to a great debate/ conversation. Do read Michael Manley's book: "Beyond the Periphery".
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 Rock, An interesting position, one I confess that I have thought about many times, but always seem to come back to statehood. I've heard of Manley's writing, particularly on Jamaica I believe. I think I own one of his books. Speaking of writings, for those new to PR history and politics, I've had, for some time now, an Amazon.com "Listmania" list on the subject. You can view it by clicking here. There are many 1st and 2nd generation PRs that don't know there history and haven't made a move to try to learn it. I would recommend #22 on the list, The Puerto Ricans: A Documentary History by Olga Jimenez De Wagenheim, written in English and an excellent start. I have a few of her books and they're all great. Many of the books on the list discuss these issues. I haven't updated the list in some time now (I think 2-3 years), but I need to, because some terrific books have been published on the subject since then. I was negigent in providing another link for readers: the report of US President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status, published just a few years ago. You can view it by clicking here (this is a PDF, not a webpage). And speaking of many areas of debate, notice I left out Vieques (on purpose). I look forward to your column on PR. I'm already a quarter done writing my next one; it's about Latinos and social responsibility. It will include voter turnouts here versus back home at various countries, and census return rates. Look for it on the weekend. Manny Burgos, Statehood advocates must be perpetually frustrated. The Congress is never going to admit Puerto Rico regardless of the wishes of the Puerto Rican people. They won't even admit DC, which has a population greater than several states including Wyoming (home of Dick Cheney). DC and PR share the distinction of a largely Democratic voter base. While there is no guarantee that either would remain so it is quite clear that for the forseeable future, probably my entire future forseeable or not, bringing four more Senate votes to the Democrats is something you will have to pry out of the Republicans cold, dead fingers. The sad thing is that so many of the Island's leaders who truly love both their culture and the United States, once becoming advocates for statehood are then kicked in the teeth by the conservative, nativist forces in the Republican Party and certain elements of the Democrats. That loses the statehood advocates valuable credibility for their other political activism.
Thanks for responding Niccolo, With DC you are definitely right. With PR, I'm not sure if the island has been studied to see which way PR would lean politically. I don't think it would be a slam dunk for the Democrats (not completely at least). I agree with you in regards to how both major parties have treated the island. My big concern is that another plebescite in the near future is a probably going to happen. What happens to relations between PR and the mainland if the pro-staters finally win...and congress rejects it? If the current congress remains more-or-less the same in terms of balance between the two parties, that's a sure thing. It's a situation that's never happened and therefore no precedent; people can speculate and hypothesize over, but no one can say for sure. Manny Burgos, Manny, I do love the way you write. However, I think that the problem is way deeper than what you have presented. I believe as Mr. Machiavelli stated, that the Republicans will not EVER vote to allow PR to become a state because PR is perceived as a democrat haven. Also, PR would be the 26th state in political power (check it) and, together with the other Puerto Ricans already involved in politics in the States, we would be too darned powerful while too small to allow to become a state. I just can't see any career politician voting to accept PR as a state and later trying to explain to his/her state why he/she did it. Any way, I would love PR to determine freely what to be, and statehood is something that Congress would choose for us. Pastor Helion Thanks for posting a reply. It is much appreciated. I purposely watered down some of the issues because I have a lot of student interns working with me that aren't savvy about what's going on in PR. My apologies, because in trying to not overwhelm them, it makes it less attractive for those that are in the know. You are right in that the (sad) thruth is that this problem is very deep, with many roots going in many directions. I'm still curious about what happens if a plebescite shows a strong majority for statehood. We all know Congress is most likely reject it because the plurality of votes won't be there, as we all acknowledge here. What happens after congress ignores the will of the people? Another plebescite (which may not be taken as seriously)? Protests? Riots? Another thought: the PR people voted more than 2:1 for Hillary Clinton over Pres. Obama in 2008. This was a few months after the above-mentioned letter to the PR people. What will he say to the people of PR when he begins to run for reelection if there hasn't been any movement on what he put forth in his letter? Some assume that a sitting president will lock his party's nomination up, therefore he won't be as concerned; that notion doesn't apply in this case, since PR has open presidential primaries and voters can participate in either the democratic or republican primary. We are talking about a politically savvy, very active, and highly literate voter base that may possibly, let me type that again, possibly, want send the president a message by caucusing with the Republicans in June 2012. We'll see what happens in the next two years. Manny Burgos, I forgot to ask this: Let's assume for argument's sake that the Republicans won't be interested in PR as the first "Latino" state. Are we so sure the Democrats of the United States are ready for a Latino State? Yes, we accepted two states with very different cultures into the union over 50 years ago, but think of the question in regards to today's society and political climate. Manny Burgos,  How would that impact the financial relationship between PR and the US? Could it happen in spite of that financial dependence? What I am interested in is the requirement that every PR birth certificate be re-issued during the next few months for the sake of "Homeland" security. I have heard some of the reasons why. I would like to know how PR's fee. Independence has never gotten high numbers in past plebescites. Insofar as votes go, it's always been between statehood and status quo. Because of that, I don't think anyone's really speculated on the financial impact. There has been a lot of speculation on statehood versus commonwealth, but also looking at commonwealth versus protectorate, which grants the island more automony. The fee for a replacement birth certificate is $4, unless you're a senior citizen, then it's free. I asked my mom to ask around to find out what common sentiment is about the situation, as well as to keep an eye out for articles about the subject in the press. I'll get back to you in a few days about this. Thanks for contributing. Much appreciated. Manny Burgos, Does PR really have a higher car ownership rate than any US state? Wikipedia seems to think otherwise, although it's citing a dead link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_vehicles_per_capita
I know cars are a big deal in PR and public transit is poor, but I'd be really surprised if PR had more autos per capita than most US states. And California definitely doesn't have the most autos per capita in the US... San Francisco and LA both have extensive transit networks and lots of poor people without cars. California surely has a lower rate of car ownership than most of the interior of the country, where people need to drive 10 miles to pick up a quart of milk. Montana probably has double the car ownership rate of California. Regardless, on the topic of transportation: statehood could have interesting implications for federal funding for transit and highways in PR -- expanding the "Tren Urbano" would be a big help for San Juan. California, Texas, and Florida rank very high, but PR beats them at about 68% ownership per capita. However, in regards to Puerto Rico's car ownership rate, there are explanations for the high rate that are unique to the PR economy, something you have to consider when thinking about this particular issue, because with so many people living below the poverty line (significantly more than any state including the ones above) how do people afford their cars? A good explanation can be found in a book by Professor Ronald Fernandez called Los Macheteros, The Wells Fargo Robbery and the Violent Struggle for Puerto Rican Independence. Look in chapter 9: "Broken Bootstraps". The book is out of print but you can find use copies around. It's a terrific read, not just this chapter. Manny Burgos, As a NYRican, sadly, I have to admit that Puerto Ricans as a whole, US born and the Islanders, NEED to get their act together!!! We lack the political power to be considered formidable "constitutes". We lag behind in education, have a great deal of unemployment. We romanticized & idealized that "ghetto mentality" of pop culture. This was exactly the image MANY of us wanted to dismantle back in the 1960's!!!!! Political leaders - Valasquez, Serrano, just to name a few, have been, at least in my view, complacent in taking a more progressive & determinant approach regarding sensitive issues concerning the Puerto Rican community. It's been 112 years since Spain ceded power over to the US - it was a good thing. Considering what France did to Haiti, poor Haiti is STILL paying the price for her "freedom". I don't consider living on your knees & eating mud patties a form of liberation. My fellow compatriots - I'm old - it's now YOUR turn to step up to the plate - NOW. independence is the only viable option to maintain our dignity character and self respect as a people. think of all the immigrants that enter the u.s. how do they contribute? why are they so succesfull? imagine a immigrant p.r. coming to the u.s. hungry to make it. we would be the premiere ethnic immigrant. we would overrun every facet of american life and institution. why? because of our unique position in american history, our already made bilingualism,strong family values,work ethic, and our highly skilled and multi faceted work force and our well diversified population already in place in the u.s.
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