39 thoughts on “Why will Puerto Rico never become a state of the United States?”
To State or Not to State
1. The majority of Puerto Ricans do not want Puerto Rico to become a sate of the United States.
2. The majority of the citizens of the United States of America do not want Puerto to become a state of the United States.
RE: To State or Not to State
I think the greatest reason is the culture. While Puerto Rico has been somewhat “americanized”, many on the island are not willing to give up their native tongue and Puerto Rican culture.
To become a part of the U.S., Puerto Ricans would probably have to do away with it’s identity; and that’s a sacrifice many are not willing to make. And if one doesn’t believe this will happen, examine the case of Hawaii.
JBaez
p.s. Certainly, the reasons Puerto Rico will never became the 51st state are vast and deep. However, I do believe the issue of culture heavily underlines such a discussion.
Elections results in Puerto Rico and the U.S.
Election results in Puerto Rico and the U.S. indicate that “melonismo” is alive and well. Check out the discussion in the new subsection called “Aqui y Alla.”
It will be going up this Monday, February 5.
“Aqui y Alla” is a new subsection within LA PATRIA section of PRdream.com that will address issues pertaining to Puerto Ricans and Latinos–here and there!
It is produced by PRdream.com in cooperation with the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College/CUNY.
It contains highlights of different discussions, presentations and debates in the form of audio files and text transcriptions. Future events will be in video.
The first discussion involved election results in Puerto Rico and the U.S. and what the implications are for the future.
Encuesta/Relaciones EU y PR
6 de febrero de 2001/El Nuevo Dia
Lesionadas las relaciones con EE.UU.
A RAIZ del accidente fatal ocurrido en el campo de tiro de la Marina en abril de 1999, la mayoria de los puertorriqueños opina que las relaciones con Estados Unidos o se han “estancado” o se han deteriorado; practicamente nadie piensa que las relaciones entre ambos han mejorado, a pesar de haberse firmado el “acuerdo Clinton-Rossello”.
Relaciones entre Puerto Rico y EE.UU. despues del accidente de abril de 1999 En la Isla Grande, el 31% de los electores dijo que las relaciones entre Estados Unidos y Puerto Rico han empeorado desde el accidente, mientras que el 56% contesto que las relaciones basicamente se han mantenido iguales. Solo un escaso 7% opina que la situacion ha mejorado. Las opiniones sobre Vieques difieren solo un poco, pero cuando existen diferencias, son en un tono m·s positivo. El 62% de los residentes de Vieques opina que las relaciones con Estados Unidos son en su mayoria “iguales” ahora que hace dos años, mientras que solo el 28% piensa que las cosas han empeorado.
Aunque existe algo de optimismo en cuanto a que el nuevo gobierno de Sila Calderon podria mejorar la situacion, pocos creen que el nuevo gobierno de George W. Bush necesariamente ayudar· a mejorar las cosas.
El 70% de los electores (incluida una mayoria de 55% de electores del PNP) indica que apoya los intentos de Calderon para negociar una mejor solucion para la situacion de Vieques que lo establecido en el acuerdo Clinton-Rossello. Pero solo el 25% señalo que al tener a Bush como nuevo inquilino de la Casa Blanca hay probabilidades de que mejore la situacion de la crisis de Vieques.
Opinion sobre las intentos de Sila Calderon de negociar una nueva solucion Por otro lado, un 16% de los electores en la Isla Grande opina que la eleccion de Bush afectaria las probabilidades de una solucion mejorada para la situacion de Vieques, mientras que el 34% indico que la llegada de Bush como nuevo presidente de Estados Unidos no tendra un impacto real sobre la solucion del asunto de Vieques.
Las intervenciones de Calderon gozan de menos apoyo en Vieques que en la Isla Grande. En Vieques, el 62% de los residentes apoya su participacion para renegociar una solucion diferente para la situacion de la isla, mientras que el 26% de los residentes se opone a sus esfuerzos.
Relaciones entre Puerto Rico y EE.UU. despues del accidente de abril de 1999
No obstante, practicamente no existe diferencia en Vieques en cuanto a la participacion del presidente Bush. Al igual que en todo Puerto Rico, predomina una postura de “vamos a ver que sucede”, en la que el 28% de los residentes desconoce como la eleccion de Bush afectara a Vieques, el 25% piensa que Èl ayudara, pero el 21% opina que podria afectar las probabilidades de llegar a una solucion favorable entre Vieques y la Marina.
RE: To State or Not to State
keep the good work PUERTO RICO and don’t let this Americain bring you down
Keep island the it is beatuiful
BORICUA 100% BABY
Cultural Resistance is key
It is my belief that Puerto Rico will never become a state because the numbers just aren’t there. And the primary reason why the numbers aren’t there is — and I think most Puerto Ricans know this intuitively — the culture. In fact, the main front of resistence for Puerto Ricans is by holding on to their culture.
That culture is dynamic and evolving. So that it is not the same as that of my forefathers. Nevertheless it is the culture of Puerto Rico — unmistakably so. Rosello and men like him do Puerto Ricans a great disservice in attempting to give the English language the same status as Spanish. Their actions are attempts to erode the culture and I’m not advocating that Puerto Rico not teach its children foreign languages — on the contrary. But foreign languages can not have the same status as that spoken by those on the island — Spanish.
I think cultural resistance is at the heart of Puerto Rican pride.
RE: To State or Not to State
Simply put. Thank You.
As I’ve pointed out in these threads before, One should also remember that the vast majority of people who are United States citizens do not understand the current relationship between P.R. and the U.S.A.
How can one be objective to the future interactions between these countries when people do not understand the relationship now?
Foro de Discusion
Estimados/as Compatriotas:
Por favor envienos sus opiniones, criticas constructivas y/o comentarios a nuestro foro de discusion localizado en la pagina http://www.independencia.net
Alcalde de Ponce se declara soberanista
Cordero Santiago se proclama soberanista
martes, 20 de febrero de 2001
Por Jose Fernandez Colon
De la Agencia EFE
PONCE – El alcalde de Ponce, Rafael Cordero Santiago se proclamo hoy, soberanista y creyente en la autonomia politica de Puerto Rico.
Declaro que al igual que el ex-gobernador, Roberto Sanchez Vilella cree en la “nacion puertorriqueña”.
“Yo, igual que Roberto Sanchez Vilella creo en la autonomia y soberania del pueblo puertorriqueño”, declaro el primer ejecutivo municipal ponceño.
Afirmo que el proyecto de puerto de trasbordo, le traera la “autosuficiente economia que necesita Puerto Rico y con ella, se levante la autoestima de los puertorriqueños para que crean en si mismo y sientan orgullo de ser boricuas”.
Lamento que personas dentro del Partido Popular Democratico vayan a Estados Unidos a cabildear a favor de la secciÛn 936 y de la 30A, del Codigo de Rentas Internas, “cuando se conoce que eso se acabo, los americanos se lo han dicho, si no lo quieren entender es problema de ellos, yo lo entendi”.
Opino en declaraciones ofrecidas que el paÌs debe estar obligado al desarrollo del puerto de trasbordo para que haya trabajo y dinero.
Segon el Alcalde de la Perla del Sur, el pais esta en una coyuntura historica donde hay un “puente de plata” que se puede extender, como es el puerto de trasbordo, para que Puerto Rico despues de mas de 500 años en ser descubierto, sea autosuficiente economicamente.
Para Cordero Santiago el ser “autosuficiente economicamente” no es ser ni poderoso ni rico sino “libre”.
“La libertad que no esta sujeta al chantaje politico de cada cuatro años, de que si no votas por mi te quito los cupones, el seguro social, eso no es democracia, eso es chantaje y a eso se opuso Roberto Sanchez Vilella y a eso me opongo tambiÈn yo”, asevero.
it takes more numbers
you can’t become a state without first being incorporated as a territory. and you can’t become a state if only 43% of those who vote want to. this is why Puerto Rico will never become a state.
and by the way the new section aqui y alla is really informative. good work!
RE: RE: To State or Not to State
Puerto Rico is its own entity, country, and culture not meant to be ABSORBED by the United States. Puerto Rico would lose its identity, culture, life and all that the country means to Puerto Ricans if it became a state. It is no wonder that most Puerto Ricans voted against it.
The imminent dangers of statehood
Puerto Rico: The Imminent Dangers of Statehood
by David Martin
[Here at the City Times we are always interested in issues of sovereignty, and curious about what others hope to attain by decisions affecting their own independence. In the following article on the timely subject of Puerto Rican statehood, David Martin analyzes the contradictory interplay among political pride, freedom, taxation and subsidy, and explains why statehood for Puerto Rico will almost surely backfire in the faces of its proponents.– Zola]
It was a treat for me as well as for our visitors from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. It was 1979 and I was in my second year working as an economist for Puerto Rico’s Economic Development Administration, the industrial promoters, and I was accompanying a couple of my federal counterparts from Washington who were in San Juan primarily to look into the question of the effectiveness of federal tax breaks for U.S. companies on the island. We were given a VIP tour of La Fortaleza (the fortress), the oldest continually occupied chief executive’s residence in the Western Hemisphere. Our tour guide was one of Governor Carlos Romero-Barcelo’s top aides. His pride in his heritage was palpable as he took us around the old structure, whose outer ramparts constitute one of the earliest parts built of the wall that still surrounds the oldest part of Puerto Rico’s capital city. This part, as the city has grown and spread is known in this century as Old San Juan. Just a few houses away, it was pointed out, is another impressive and venerable structure, La Casa Blanca, the home of the family of the founder (in 1508) of this long-time Spanish colony, one of the officers in Christopher Columbus’ voyages of discovery, Juan Ponce de Leon. Ponce de Leon’s remains are in a cathedral just up the street.
Our tour ended beside an old grandfather clock that stands in a prominent place on the main floor of the residence. It was not running. In fact, the aide told us, it had not run since the last Spanish military governor struck it with his sword in anger when the Americans began their naval bombardment of San Juan in the Spanish-American War of 1898. The time had not been changed since then, we were told.
Riding back to the office in our car, one of the Treasury officials asked, in puzzlement, “Are you sure this is a pro-statehood government? Listening to that guy I would have thought they were for independence.”
And so would most Americans, given their concept of what it means to be a state of the United States and, consequently, what they imagine a pro-statehooder in Puerto Rico to be like. It is a misunderstanding that the statehood advocates lobbying in Washington have done very little to correct, though Romero, now Puerto Rico’s resident commissioner (non-voting House delegate) in Washington, did tell a Congressional panel conducting a hearing on Puerto Rico’s political status a few years ago that he rejected the metaphor of the melting pot for the United States, preferring instead the metaphor of a salad bowl. The remark was intended for home consumption–only Puerto Rican newspapers hang on every word spoken by their politicians in Washington. For U.S. mainland consumption, statehood advocates usually stress the fact that residents of Puerto Rico have been U.S. citizens since 1917, and ever since that time they have been drafted and have fought in U.S. wars as a part of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Mutual misunderstanding has been a hallmark of the U.S.-Puerto Rico relationship since the U.S. took the island from Spain along with the Philippines and Guam as war booty in a war that was ostensibly fought over Cuba’s independence. Spanish governance had been harsh, and as unenlightened as their rule at home, and the Americans were, for the most part, welcomed with open arms. Initially, almost all of Puerto Rico’s politicians were for statehood, misperceiving the U.S. as a sort of republic of republics and thinking that as a state they would at least have the sort of autonomy they had just been granted, on the Cuban coattails, by Spain. The Americans, for their part, were shocked by the widespread poverty and illiteracy they encountered and quickly convinced themselves that these people were not fit for self-government and perhaps never would be. They immediately clamped down upon the island their own form of military colonial government. The Army government lasted little more than a year, but Puerto Rico remained under the War Department until 1934 when it passed to the Department of the Interior, and its governors, U.S. mainland politicians all, were appointed by Washington for a half century. (The first native Puerto Rican to be appointed, Jesus T. Pinero, was named by President Harry Truman in 1946. Puerto Rico was permitted to elect its own Governor for the first time in 1950, and the current commonwealth status giving Puerto Rico more apparent autonomy than they had ever had went into effect in 1952).
Once the reality of American rule, economically generous but politically stingy, set in, so did disillusionment among Puerto Rico’s leaders. Unlike the firebrand Cubans, the Puerto Ricans, whose lamb on their official seal is said to symbolize their obeisance to Spain, had never wanted more than greater autonomy, of the sort it appeared they had been granted in 1897 by their founding country. Now that they saw they weren’t going to get it, the manner of adaptation to the new reality split the old Autonomist party into two new parties. The Unionist Party, led by Luis Munoz Rivera, which claimed most of the island’s political and economic elite and demanded greater political autonomy, of the sort that had just been wrested from Spain, and the Republican Party of Dr. Jose Celso Barbosa. As unattainable as the Americans had made it appear from the very beginning, the Republicans continued to have statehood as their objective.
The two dominant political parties in Puerto Rico have changed leaders and have changed names through the years, but their make-up, their personalities, and their goals and objectives have remained surprisingly consistent.
Though Barbosa was a black, his Republican party included poor whites from the coast; his political trajectory, as he himself claimed, was diaphanous’ in its consistency. He had always stressed equality within Spanish sovereignty; he now claimed equality as an American subject. He sought collective American citizenship for Puerto Ricans as a precondition for the ultimate acceptance of Puerto Rico as a state of the Union. Statehood and citizenship were, to Barbosa, not the demands of a subservient people, but an assertion of dignity. (Raymond Carr, Puerto Rico, a Colonial Experiment, Vintage Books, 1984, p. 48)
Talk about a misunderstanding! There is something truly quixotic and sad about a black man, an accomplished physician and political leader in a society with great class discrimination but free and open racial intermarriage, particularly among the lower classes, and thus with no perceptible color line, demanding, for the sake of dignity and equality, to be integrated into the United States of the early 20th century. Even today U.S. racial divisions amount to a caste system compared to Puerto Rico, but the United States or the early 1900s was a country in which the Jim Crow laws, the Ku Klux Klan, and the lynch mob were still powerful forces. And strong racism and discrimination were not just a Southern phenomenon. None of the cities where major league baseball was played were in the Old South, but the teams were still many decades away from permitting blacks to participate, and Hollywood had not yet even created the unthreatening, “yassuh, nossuh” talking, bug-eyed ghost-fearing subservient black male stereotype that dominated the screen for so many years.
The statehood cry had everything to do with Puerto Rican realities, not U.S. ones. At the risk of oversimplifying only a little, Barbosa and his followers were the “outs,” always demanding to be treated with greater equality and dignity versus the smug, comfortable, elite “ins.” The autonomist “ins” looked wistfully back to aristocratic Spain for their model. And in the Latin American pattern, wealth and privilege were hardly worth having if not to lord it over the “outs.” The pro-commonwealth Popular Democratic Party, so long dominant in Puerto Rican politics, is the inheritor of this autonomist tradition. It received an infusion of egalitarianism from the early leadership of Munoz Rivera’s son, Luis Munoz Marin, but in his later years and afterward, it has reverted to type. One of the main reasons for the massive rejection of the Populares in 1992 was not that pro-statehood sentiment was on the rise but that, in his second consecutive four-year term (third overall), Governor Rafael Hernandez-Colon had begun to take on regal airs and had spent too much time off the island, particularly in Spain. He even went to live in Spain after his retirement and his party’s crushing defeat.
Puerto Rico will never become a state because Puerto Ricans are scared of losing there identity or just becuase they just want to stay a commonwealth and pay no taxes. Taxes is the prblem if they become statehood they would have to pay taxes if they become independent they would have to pay taxes there just scared fools that why it will never beome the 51 state of the U.S.
I, personally want Puerto Rico to become a state just to shut all these Anti-Americans up,but now that i’ve read a lot of opinions and stuff,I guess the odds are against me and Puerto Rico will not become a state.I guess Puerto Rico being a US commonwealth is ok,but if it becomes an independent country(just what the Anti-Americans want)that’ll be just fine.We’ll see how long PR will last without America.
USA!
Ernie your a punk!
Puerto Rico!
Erni & Rick suck.
Viva Puerto Rico!
The U.S. gov’t should “sell” P.R. to the highest bidder. The financial albatross that P.R. has become around the U.S. taxpayer’s necks should be removed post haste.
puerto rico should say yes!!
“Why settle for a piece of real estate when we can acquire a large continent” — Rafael Rodriguez
An excellent speaker for
Hispanic Heritage Month & Puerto Rican Discovery Month,
A perspective on Puerto Rico STATEHOOD
Topics:
^The need for Statehood for Puerto Rico
^Why Puerto Rico would make a Great State of the Union
^ The role and influence of Politics and Religion in my Life
^The role of Puerto Ricans in the Republican Party
Rafael Rodriguez is the founder and president of the 1899 Foundation,
a Puerto Rican “Think Tank” involved in statehood issues relating to Puerto Rico.
Rafael is active in the political, business and religious community.
He has run for political office and has held numerous leadership positions in political and religious organizations.
He is a strong advocate for Puerto Rican statehood and he leads the July 4th, 1899 Foundation as president and founder, an organization committed to policy analysis, research, and advocacy for the statehood movement.
As a committed conservative and statehood advocate, he was responsible for initiating a dialogue with a major conservative organization to help highlight the importance of statehood for Puerto Rico.
He is currently involved in the Puerto Rico coffee trade and several economic development projects vital to the development of the Puerto Rican economy.
Rafael is also an active member of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, and maintains affiliation with pro-statehood organizations in New York and in Puerto Rico.
Rafael plans to continue his journey as a strong advocate for statehood for Puerto Rico and wants to reach out to college and university students and share information about this important movement.
“It is about time that those of us who believe and support statehood for
Puerto Rico have an opportunity to tell our story”, said Rafael Rodriguez
Here are the facts. Puerto Rico is not a country. It is a commonwealth of the USA. It is in pre-state status.
Thanks to its relationship with the USA puerto rico has become the most economically successful Latin American community. PR’s GDP per capita is well above that of Argentina.
Now, if we let PR go free at this stage, I bet PR would slip down the ranks and Argentina would still be the most economically successful latin american nation.
PR has potential and I bet if PR became a state it would eventually at least beat mississippi economically.
We should resolve this right now. Have a vote in PR for statehood or liberation.
Guys, in 1474the spaniards discovered the islands that are now puerto rico.
After, the spaniards fucked the natives and got to puertoricans. Then, the British wanted to conquer puerto rico but the 13 colonial colonies fought for and with them against the british. We kicked British ass but the british still fucked the puertoricans and the became white guys, just like us. I think puerto rico has 100% rights of being the 51 state of the nation. or 50 SCREW HAWAII!!!!!!!!!!!
Puerto Rico can survive without United States and become a strong country.I know they could do it.Why U.S. thinks others needs them always in order to survive nonsense because U.S. is better off with 50 states I always liked that since history and why get more land than what it is like if U.S. deserve everything.No! No country in general has the right to take away another country’s culture,heritage,official languages you name it and nothing is impossible in this life stop being ignorant about that P.R. won’t survive they the Puerto Ricans have to get their act and self together to work and fight for their freedom.I like the flag of P.R. is a perfect match for the country and it’s real language is spanish and official don’t change that I seen how each nation of the world are pround of their culture,heritage,you name it.P.R. is a beautiful country and it could control it’s economic to it’s own denity.Think about it folks don’t ignore this.I don’t want statehood for P.R. it will ruined everything.
i agree with you puerto rico should become an independent country. state hood would destroy there culure. Puerto rico needs to become independent.
puerto rico shouldn’t become a u.s state because puerto rico is a wealthcommen island.it will never need the u.s cause the country is just fine by its self.
i think puerto rico should become a state becuase i was doing research and most people think puerto rico will become a state. Some people say that they don’t want puerto rico to become “americanized” so i say you guys just shut up.
and i also think that puerto rico should not become a state of the U.S.A because we would have even more having to handle with taxes and the health care of the U.S.A.
what do u guys think? Type back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Governors Luis A Ferre, Carlos Romero Barcelo, Pedro Rosello and Luis Fortuño (more than 24 years all together in Power) have been elected with the issue of Statehood in their platforms.
May I ask what they accomplished? NOTHING!
The reality is they had pushed the issue each time farther and farther away in time.
Definetly there is no necessity on behalf of the other 50 states to accept a country where welfare, unemployment, criminality, mental sickness, alcoholism, drug and gambling addiction, lead our list of attributes.
We will never, never become the 51st!
I hate when people say that Puerto Ricans feel they will loose their culture by becoming a state…lets get real here!! That’s the craziest statement anyone can make and I feel bad for those who actually believe that. Every state in the United States has its own culture….think about the state of Hawaii (which became a state in 1959), they in NO WAY lost their culture! As a matter of fact, they still hold on to their Polynesian lifestyle and that’s one of the reasons millions of people around the world flock to the island every year for vacation!
Look, I’m was born and lived in Puerto Rico for 8 eights before moving to Florida and the best thing that could happen to PR is for it to become a state (even though it would be the poorest state). Puerto Rico alone would be just another 3rd world country to add to the list.
If anyone has a better excuse as to why PR should NOT be a state, then please let me know, but I will not accept that PRicans don’t want to give up there culture. That’s just uneducated, silly talk.
Considering that PR really has nothing to offer the US (maybe tourism-but even then), Puerto Ricans should be proud that such a powerful country (despites its issues) would be willing to make them a state.
PR has nothing to offer the US? How about cheap labor for over 100 years to start, military bases, a closed market for US goods, at the expense of creating a divided nationality. Yes, you were raised in Floridahhh…
As it relates to tourism, the islands environment has been very badly degraded over the last 60 years as a direct result of the policies put in place to support the US economic expansion on the island. Like the Hawiians who also protested the impact of US economic development and its impact on the local environment, the island PRs, with support from there brothers and sisters stateside have taken up the struggle to protect mother BORINQUEN from all the US has graciously bestowed upon us with her great benevolence…since we had nothing to offer to begin with. I suggest you do some deep reading on the nature of our relationsship with the US. I would also do some readings on Hawaii, where there is an existing PR community since the early 1900s. They went there to pick pineapples…
100 porcent puertorican people will be independent, have own president, own culture not more homeless to united estate,never state.
Pres.Obama and Govenor Fortuno gat-together featured on site.
sorry to disappoint you guys but Puerto Rico is formally one of the United States. that’s a fact. you can’t deny it. then whether the people of Puerto Rico share the same values as the citizens of the other states, that’s a completely different question
100% pure Island Made 1 second ago
Regardless of what you all have commented,the fact is that Puerto Rico will become the 51st State. Face the Music (Salsa),if you don’t like that don’t visit 51 and if you live in 51 and don’t like it move to Cuba,Venezuela or the moon or you can have a spot of tea when you move to England.Borincanos don’t be afraid! and to all others don’t be afraid of the Borincanos. 51 will be a Island state with with powerful pride. Don’t “Playa” hate and when I say “playa” I mean Beach,hahaha. I can hear the music now, the “JAWS” Music, “51” is coming. Raise your hand if you are Scared. Muchas Thanks!
I believe that Puerto rico should not become a state but that doesn’t mean that they can’t still get imported goods and state rights from the U.S.
I can’t believe that you guys have nothing better to do than argue about politics on the internet. smh
What’s your favorite color? Mine’s blue.
If Puerto Rico becomes a state, the taxes will grow and every factory established there will go in search for a cheaper place. Meaning that the economy will go down.
To State or Not to State
1. The majority of Puerto Ricans do not want Puerto Rico to become a sate of the United States.
2. The majority of the citizens of the United States of America do not want Puerto to become a state of the United States.
RE: To State or Not to State
I think the greatest reason is the culture. While Puerto Rico has been somewhat “americanized”, many on the island are not willing to give up their native tongue and Puerto Rican culture.
To become a part of the U.S., Puerto Ricans would probably have to do away with it’s identity; and that’s a sacrifice many are not willing to make. And if one doesn’t believe this will happen, examine the case of Hawaii.
JBaez
p.s. Certainly, the reasons Puerto Rico will never became the 51st state are vast and deep. However, I do believe the issue of culture heavily underlines such a discussion.
Elections results in Puerto Rico and the U.S.
Election results in Puerto Rico and the U.S. indicate that “melonismo” is alive and well. Check out the discussion in the new subsection called “Aqui y Alla.”
It will be going up this Monday, February 5.
“Aqui y Alla” is a new subsection within LA PATRIA section of PRdream.com that will address issues pertaining to Puerto Ricans and Latinos–here and there!
It is produced by PRdream.com in cooperation with the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College/CUNY.
It contains highlights of different discussions, presentations and debates in the form of audio files and text transcriptions. Future events will be in video.
The first discussion involved election results in Puerto Rico and the U.S. and what the implications are for the future.
Encuesta/Relaciones EU y PR
6 de febrero de 2001/El Nuevo Dia
Lesionadas las relaciones con EE.UU.
A RAIZ del accidente fatal ocurrido en el campo de tiro de la Marina en abril de 1999, la mayoria de los puertorriqueños opina que las relaciones con Estados Unidos o se han “estancado” o se han deteriorado; practicamente nadie piensa que las relaciones entre ambos han mejorado, a pesar de haberse firmado el “acuerdo Clinton-Rossello”.
Relaciones entre Puerto Rico y EE.UU. despues del accidente de abril de 1999 En la Isla Grande, el 31% de los electores dijo que las relaciones entre Estados Unidos y Puerto Rico han empeorado desde el accidente, mientras que el 56% contesto que las relaciones basicamente se han mantenido iguales. Solo un escaso 7% opina que la situacion ha mejorado. Las opiniones sobre Vieques difieren solo un poco, pero cuando existen diferencias, son en un tono m·s positivo. El 62% de los residentes de Vieques opina que las relaciones con Estados Unidos son en su mayoria “iguales” ahora que hace dos años, mientras que solo el 28% piensa que las cosas han empeorado.
Aunque existe algo de optimismo en cuanto a que el nuevo gobierno de Sila Calderon podria mejorar la situacion, pocos creen que el nuevo gobierno de George W. Bush necesariamente ayudar· a mejorar las cosas.
El 70% de los electores (incluida una mayoria de 55% de electores del PNP) indica que apoya los intentos de Calderon para negociar una mejor solucion para la situacion de Vieques que lo establecido en el acuerdo Clinton-Rossello. Pero solo el 25% señalo que al tener a Bush como nuevo inquilino de la Casa Blanca hay probabilidades de que mejore la situacion de la crisis de Vieques.
Opinion sobre las intentos de Sila Calderon de negociar una nueva solucion Por otro lado, un 16% de los electores en la Isla Grande opina que la eleccion de Bush afectaria las probabilidades de una solucion mejorada para la situacion de Vieques, mientras que el 34% indico que la llegada de Bush como nuevo presidente de Estados Unidos no tendra un impacto real sobre la solucion del asunto de Vieques.
Las intervenciones de Calderon gozan de menos apoyo en Vieques que en la Isla Grande. En Vieques, el 62% de los residentes apoya su participacion para renegociar una solucion diferente para la situacion de la isla, mientras que el 26% de los residentes se opone a sus esfuerzos.
Relaciones entre Puerto Rico y EE.UU. despues del accidente de abril de 1999
No obstante, practicamente no existe diferencia en Vieques en cuanto a la participacion del presidente Bush. Al igual que en todo Puerto Rico, predomina una postura de “vamos a ver que sucede”, en la que el 28% de los residentes desconoce como la eleccion de Bush afectara a Vieques, el 25% piensa que Èl ayudara, pero el 21% opina que podria afectar las probabilidades de llegar a una solucion favorable entre Vieques y la Marina.
RE: To State or Not to State
keep the good work PUERTO RICO and don’t let this Americain bring you down
Keep island the it is beatuiful
BORICUA 100% BABY
Cultural Resistance is key
It is my belief that Puerto Rico will never become a state because the numbers just aren’t there. And the primary reason why the numbers aren’t there is — and I think most Puerto Ricans know this intuitively — the culture. In fact, the main front of resistence for Puerto Ricans is by holding on to their culture.
That culture is dynamic and evolving. So that it is not the same as that of my forefathers. Nevertheless it is the culture of Puerto Rico — unmistakably so. Rosello and men like him do Puerto Ricans a great disservice in attempting to give the English language the same status as Spanish. Their actions are attempts to erode the culture and I’m not advocating that Puerto Rico not teach its children foreign languages — on the contrary. But foreign languages can not have the same status as that spoken by those on the island — Spanish.
I think cultural resistance is at the heart of Puerto Rican pride.
RE: To State or Not to State
Simply put. Thank You.
As I’ve pointed out in these threads before, One should also remember that the vast majority of people who are United States citizens do not understand the current relationship between P.R. and the U.S.A.
How can one be objective to the future interactions between these countries when people do not understand the relationship now?
Foro de Discusion
Estimados/as Compatriotas:
Por favor envienos sus opiniones, criticas constructivas y/o comentarios a nuestro foro de discusion localizado en la pagina http://www.independencia.net
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http://www.independencia.net
Alcalde de Ponce se declara soberanista
Cordero Santiago se proclama soberanista
martes, 20 de febrero de 2001
Por Jose Fernandez Colon
De la Agencia EFE
PONCE – El alcalde de Ponce, Rafael Cordero Santiago se proclamo hoy, soberanista y creyente en la autonomia politica de Puerto Rico.
Declaro que al igual que el ex-gobernador, Roberto Sanchez Vilella cree en la “nacion puertorriqueña”.
“Yo, igual que Roberto Sanchez Vilella creo en la autonomia y soberania del pueblo puertorriqueño”, declaro el primer ejecutivo municipal ponceño.
Afirmo que el proyecto de puerto de trasbordo, le traera la “autosuficiente economia que necesita Puerto Rico y con ella, se levante la autoestima de los puertorriqueños para que crean en si mismo y sientan orgullo de ser boricuas”.
Lamento que personas dentro del Partido Popular Democratico vayan a Estados Unidos a cabildear a favor de la secciÛn 936 y de la 30A, del Codigo de Rentas Internas, “cuando se conoce que eso se acabo, los americanos se lo han dicho, si no lo quieren entender es problema de ellos, yo lo entendi”.
Opino en declaraciones ofrecidas que el paÌs debe estar obligado al desarrollo del puerto de trasbordo para que haya trabajo y dinero.
Segon el Alcalde de la Perla del Sur, el pais esta en una coyuntura historica donde hay un “puente de plata” que se puede extender, como es el puerto de trasbordo, para que Puerto Rico despues de mas de 500 años en ser descubierto, sea autosuficiente economicamente.
Para Cordero Santiago el ser “autosuficiente economicamente” no es ser ni poderoso ni rico sino “libre”.
“La libertad que no esta sujeta al chantaje politico de cada cuatro años, de que si no votas por mi te quito los cupones, el seguro social, eso no es democracia, eso es chantaje y a eso se opuso Roberto Sanchez Vilella y a eso me opongo tambiÈn yo”, asevero.
it takes more numbers
you can’t become a state without first being incorporated as a territory. and you can’t become a state if only 43% of those who vote want to. this is why Puerto Rico will never become a state.
and by the way the new section aqui y alla is really informative. good work!
RE: RE: To State or Not to State
Puerto Rico is its own entity, country, and culture not meant to be ABSORBED by the United States. Puerto Rico would lose its identity, culture, life and all that the country means to Puerto Ricans if it became a state. It is no wonder that most Puerto Ricans voted against it.
The imminent dangers of statehood
Puerto Rico: The Imminent Dangers of Statehood
by David Martin
[Here at the City Times we are always interested in issues of sovereignty, and curious about what others hope to attain by decisions affecting their own independence. In the following article on the timely subject of Puerto Rican statehood, David Martin analyzes the contradictory interplay among political pride, freedom, taxation and subsidy, and explains why statehood for Puerto Rico will almost surely backfire in the faces of its proponents.– Zola]
It was a treat for me as well as for our visitors from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. It was 1979 and I was in my second year working as an economist for Puerto Rico’s Economic Development Administration, the industrial promoters, and I was accompanying a couple of my federal counterparts from Washington who were in San Juan primarily to look into the question of the effectiveness of federal tax breaks for U.S. companies on the island. We were given a VIP tour of La Fortaleza (the fortress), the oldest continually occupied chief executive’s residence in the Western Hemisphere. Our tour guide was one of Governor Carlos Romero-Barcelo’s top aides. His pride in his heritage was palpable as he took us around the old structure, whose outer ramparts constitute one of the earliest parts built of the wall that still surrounds the oldest part of Puerto Rico’s capital city. This part, as the city has grown and spread is known in this century as Old San Juan. Just a few houses away, it was pointed out, is another impressive and venerable structure, La Casa Blanca, the home of the family of the founder (in 1508) of this long-time Spanish colony, one of the officers in Christopher Columbus’ voyages of discovery, Juan Ponce de Leon. Ponce de Leon’s remains are in a cathedral just up the street.
Our tour ended beside an old grandfather clock that stands in a prominent place on the main floor of the residence. It was not running. In fact, the aide told us, it had not run since the last Spanish military governor struck it with his sword in anger when the Americans began their naval bombardment of San Juan in the Spanish-American War of 1898. The time had not been changed since then, we were told.
Riding back to the office in our car, one of the Treasury officials asked, in puzzlement, “Are you sure this is a pro-statehood government? Listening to that guy I would have thought they were for independence.”
And so would most Americans, given their concept of what it means to be a state of the United States and, consequently, what they imagine a pro-statehooder in Puerto Rico to be like. It is a misunderstanding that the statehood advocates lobbying in Washington have done very little to correct, though Romero, now Puerto Rico’s resident commissioner (non-voting House delegate) in Washington, did tell a Congressional panel conducting a hearing on Puerto Rico’s political status a few years ago that he rejected the metaphor of the melting pot for the United States, preferring instead the metaphor of a salad bowl. The remark was intended for home consumption–only Puerto Rican newspapers hang on every word spoken by their politicians in Washington. For U.S. mainland consumption, statehood advocates usually stress the fact that residents of Puerto Rico have been U.S. citizens since 1917, and ever since that time they have been drafted and have fought in U.S. wars as a part of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Mutual misunderstanding has been a hallmark of the U.S.-Puerto Rico relationship since the U.S. took the island from Spain along with the Philippines and Guam as war booty in a war that was ostensibly fought over Cuba’s independence. Spanish governance had been harsh, and as unenlightened as their rule at home, and the Americans were, for the most part, welcomed with open arms. Initially, almost all of Puerto Rico’s politicians were for statehood, misperceiving the U.S. as a sort of republic of republics and thinking that as a state they would at least have the sort of autonomy they had just been granted, on the Cuban coattails, by Spain. The Americans, for their part, were shocked by the widespread poverty and illiteracy they encountered and quickly convinced themselves that these people were not fit for self-government and perhaps never would be. They immediately clamped down upon the island their own form of military colonial government. The Army government lasted little more than a year, but Puerto Rico remained under the War Department until 1934 when it passed to the Department of the Interior, and its governors, U.S. mainland politicians all, were appointed by Washington for a half century. (The first native Puerto Rican to be appointed, Jesus T. Pinero, was named by President Harry Truman in 1946. Puerto Rico was permitted to elect its own Governor for the first time in 1950, and the current commonwealth status giving Puerto Rico more apparent autonomy than they had ever had went into effect in 1952).
Once the reality of American rule, economically generous but politically stingy, set in, so did disillusionment among Puerto Rico’s leaders. Unlike the firebrand Cubans, the Puerto Ricans, whose lamb on their official seal is said to symbolize their obeisance to Spain, had never wanted more than greater autonomy, of the sort it appeared they had been granted in 1897 by their founding country. Now that they saw they weren’t going to get it, the manner of adaptation to the new reality split the old Autonomist party into two new parties. The Unionist Party, led by Luis Munoz Rivera, which claimed most of the island’s political and economic elite and demanded greater political autonomy, of the sort that had just been wrested from Spain, and the Republican Party of Dr. Jose Celso Barbosa. As unattainable as the Americans had made it appear from the very beginning, the Republicans continued to have statehood as their objective.
The two dominant political parties in Puerto Rico have changed leaders and have changed names through the years, but their make-up, their personalities, and their goals and objectives have remained surprisingly consistent.
Though Barbosa was a black, his Republican party included poor whites from the coast; his political trajectory, as he himself claimed, was diaphanous’ in its consistency. He had always stressed equality within Spanish sovereignty; he now claimed equality as an American subject. He sought collective American citizenship for Puerto Ricans as a precondition for the ultimate acceptance of Puerto Rico as a state of the Union. Statehood and citizenship were, to Barbosa, not the demands of a subservient people, but an assertion of dignity. (Raymond Carr, Puerto Rico, a Colonial Experiment, Vintage Books, 1984, p. 48)
Talk about a misunderstanding! There is something truly quixotic and sad about a black man, an accomplished physician and political leader in a society with great class discrimination but free and open racial intermarriage, particularly among the lower classes, and thus with no perceptible color line, demanding, for the sake of dignity and equality, to be integrated into the United States of the early 20th century. Even today U.S. racial divisions amount to a caste system compared to Puerto Rico, but the United States or the early 1900s was a country in which the Jim Crow laws, the Ku Klux Klan, and the lynch mob were still powerful forces. And strong racism and discrimination were not just a Southern phenomenon. None of the cities where major league baseball was played were in the Old South, but the teams were still many decades away from permitting blacks to participate, and Hollywood had not yet even created the unthreatening, “yassuh, nossuh” talking, bug-eyed ghost-fearing subservient black male stereotype that dominated the screen for so many years.
The statehood cry had everything to do with Puerto Rican realities, not U.S. ones. At the risk of oversimplifying only a little, Barbosa and his followers were the “outs,” always demanding to be treated with greater equality and dignity versus the smug, comfortable, elite “ins.” The autonomist “ins” looked wistfully back to aristocratic Spain for their model. And in the Latin American pattern, wealth and privilege were hardly worth having if not to lord it over the “outs.” The pro-commonwealth Popular Democratic Party, so long dominant in Puerto Rican politics, is the inheritor of this autonomist tradition. It received an infusion of egalitarianism from the early leadership of Munoz Rivera’s son, Luis Munoz Marin, but in his later years and afterward, it has reverted to type. One of the main reasons for the massive rejection of the Populares in 1992 was not that pro-statehood sentiment was on the rise but that, in his second consecutive four-year term (third overall), Governor Rafael Hernandez-Colon had begun to take on regal airs and had spent too much time off the island, particularly in Spain. He even went to live in Spain after his retirement and his party’s crushing defeat.
Puerto Rico will never become a state because Puerto Ricans are scared of losing there identity or just becuase they just want to stay a commonwealth and pay no taxes. Taxes is the prblem if they become statehood they would have to pay taxes if they become independent they would have to pay taxes there just scared fools that why it will never beome the 51 state of the U.S.
I, personally want Puerto Rico to become a state just to shut all these Anti-Americans up,but now that i’ve read a lot of opinions and stuff,I guess the odds are against me and Puerto Rico will not become a state.I guess Puerto Rico being a US commonwealth is ok,but if it becomes an independent country(just what the Anti-Americans want)that’ll be just fine.We’ll see how long PR will last without America.
USA!
Ernie your a punk!
Puerto Rico!
Erni & Rick suck.
Viva Puerto Rico!
The U.S. gov’t should “sell” P.R. to the highest bidder. The financial albatross that P.R. has become around the U.S. taxpayer’s necks should be removed post haste.
puerto rico should say yes!!
“Why settle for a piece of real estate when we can acquire a large continent” — Rafael Rodriguez
An excellent speaker for
Hispanic Heritage Month & Puerto Rican Discovery Month,
A perspective on Puerto Rico STATEHOOD
Topics:
^The need for Statehood for Puerto Rico
^Why Puerto Rico would make a Great State of the Union
^ The role and influence of Politics and Religion in my Life
^The role of Puerto Ricans in the Republican Party
Rafael Rodriguez is the founder and president of the 1899 Foundation,
a Puerto Rican “Think Tank” involved in statehood issues relating to Puerto Rico.
Rafael is active in the political, business and religious community.
He has run for political office and has held numerous leadership positions in political and religious organizations.
He is a strong advocate for Puerto Rican statehood and he leads the July 4th, 1899 Foundation as president and founder, an organization committed to policy analysis, research, and advocacy for the statehood movement.
As a committed conservative and statehood advocate, he was responsible for initiating a dialogue with a major conservative organization to help highlight the importance of statehood for Puerto Rico.
He is currently involved in the Puerto Rico coffee trade and several economic development projects vital to the development of the Puerto Rican economy.
Rafael is also an active member of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, and maintains affiliation with pro-statehood organizations in New York and in Puerto Rico.
Rafael plans to continue his journey as a strong advocate for statehood for Puerto Rico and wants to reach out to college and university students and share information about this important movement.
“It is about time that those of us who believe and support statehood for
Puerto Rico have an opportunity to tell our story”, said Rafael Rodriguez
Contact Rafael Rodriguez via NubianSpeakers@aol.com
Here are the facts. Puerto Rico is not a country. It is a commonwealth of the USA. It is in pre-state status.
Thanks to its relationship with the USA puerto rico has become the most economically successful Latin American community. PR’s GDP per capita is well above that of Argentina.
Now, if we let PR go free at this stage, I bet PR would slip down the ranks and Argentina would still be the most economically successful latin american nation.
PR has potential and I bet if PR became a state it would eventually at least beat mississippi economically.
We should resolve this right now. Have a vote in PR for statehood or liberation.
Guys, in 1474the spaniards discovered the islands that are now puerto rico.
After, the spaniards fucked the natives and got to puertoricans. Then, the British wanted to conquer puerto rico but the 13 colonial colonies fought for and with them against the british. We kicked British ass but the british still fucked the puertoricans and the became white guys, just like us. I think puerto rico has 100% rights of being the 51 state of the nation. or 50 SCREW HAWAII!!!!!!!!!!!
Puerto Rico can survive without United States and become a strong country.I know they could do it.Why U.S. thinks others needs them always in order to survive nonsense because U.S. is better off with 50 states I always liked that since history and why get more land than what it is like if U.S. deserve everything.No! No country in general has the right to take away another country’s culture,heritage,official languages you name it and nothing is impossible in this life stop being ignorant about that P.R. won’t survive they the Puerto Ricans have to get their act and self together to work and fight for their freedom.I like the flag of P.R. is a perfect match for the country and it’s real language is spanish and official don’t change that I seen how each nation of the world are pround of their culture,heritage,you name it.P.R. is a beautiful country and it could control it’s economic to it’s own denity.Think about it folks don’t ignore this.I don’t want statehood for P.R. it will ruined everything.
i agree with you puerto rico should become an independent country. state hood would destroy there culure. Puerto rico needs to become independent.
puerto rico shouldn’t become a u.s state because puerto rico is a wealthcommen island.it will never need the u.s cause the country is just fine by its self.
i think puerto rico should become a state becuase i was doing research and most people think puerto rico will become a state. Some people say that they don’t want puerto rico to become “americanized” so i say you guys just shut up.
and i also think that puerto rico should not become a state of the U.S.A because we would have even more having to handle with taxes and the health care of the U.S.A.
what do u guys think? Type back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Governors Luis A Ferre, Carlos Romero Barcelo, Pedro Rosello and Luis Fortuño (more than 24 years all together in Power) have been elected with the issue of Statehood in their platforms.
May I ask what they accomplished? NOTHING!
The reality is they had pushed the issue each time farther and farther away in time.
Definetly there is no necessity on behalf of the other 50 states to accept a country where welfare, unemployment, criminality, mental sickness, alcoholism, drug and gambling addiction, lead our list of attributes.
We will never, never become the 51st!
I hate when people say that Puerto Ricans feel they will loose their culture by becoming a state…lets get real here!! That’s the craziest statement anyone can make and I feel bad for those who actually believe that. Every state in the United States has its own culture….think about the state of Hawaii (which became a state in 1959), they in NO WAY lost their culture! As a matter of fact, they still hold on to their Polynesian lifestyle and that’s one of the reasons millions of people around the world flock to the island every year for vacation!
Look, I’m was born and lived in Puerto Rico for 8 eights before moving to Florida and the best thing that could happen to PR is for it to become a state (even though it would be the poorest state). Puerto Rico alone would be just another 3rd world country to add to the list.
If anyone has a better excuse as to why PR should NOT be a state, then please let me know, but I will not accept that PRicans don’t want to give up there culture. That’s just uneducated, silly talk.
Considering that PR really has nothing to offer the US (maybe tourism-but even then), Puerto Ricans should be proud that such a powerful country (despites its issues) would be willing to make them a state.
PR has nothing to offer the US? How about cheap labor for over 100 years to start, military bases, a closed market for US goods, at the expense of creating a divided nationality. Yes, you were raised in Floridahhh…
As it relates to tourism, the islands environment has been very badly degraded over the last 60 years as a direct result of the policies put in place to support the US economic expansion on the island. Like the Hawiians who also protested the impact of US economic development and its impact on the local environment, the island PRs, with support from there brothers and sisters stateside have taken up the struggle to protect mother BORINQUEN from all the US has graciously bestowed upon us with her great benevolence…since we had nothing to offer to begin with. I suggest you do some deep reading on the nature of our relationsship with the US. I would also do some readings on Hawaii, where there is an existing PR community since the early 1900s. They went there to pick pineapples…
100 porcent puertorican people will be independent, have own president, own culture not more homeless to united estate,never state.
Pres.Obama and Govenor Fortuno gat-together featured on site.
sorry to disappoint you guys but Puerto Rico is formally one of the United States. that’s a fact. you can’t deny it. then whether the people of Puerto Rico share the same values as the citizens of the other states, that’s a completely different question
100% pure Island Made 1 second ago
Regardless of what you all have commented,the fact is that Puerto Rico will become the 51st State. Face the Music (Salsa),if you don’t like that don’t visit 51 and if you live in 51 and don’t like it move to Cuba,Venezuela or the moon or you can have a spot of tea when you move to England.Borincanos don’t be afraid! and to all others don’t be afraid of the Borincanos. 51 will be a Island state with with powerful pride. Don’t “Playa” hate and when I say “playa” I mean Beach,hahaha. I can hear the music now, the “JAWS” Music, “51” is coming. Raise your hand if you are Scared. Muchas Thanks!
I believe that Puerto rico should not become a state but that doesn’t mean that they can’t still get imported goods and state rights from the U.S.
I can’t believe that you guys have nothing better to do than argue about politics on the internet. smh
What’s your favorite color? Mine’s blue.
If Puerto Rico becomes a state, the taxes will grow and every factory established there will go in search for a cheaper place. Meaning that the economy will go down.