13 thoughts on “Campaign Finance Reform in Puerto Rico? Pros and Cons…”
The dangerous politics of PR
Currently, due to the new wave of corruption in Puerto Rico, that involves quotas those 2 political parties sets, (Partido Popular Democrático and Partido Nuevo Progresista) so that party could raise enough money, has backfired. It first came to light when Victor Fajardo, the former pro-statehood Roselló Administration (1993-2001) Education secretary, and about 15 others stole 4 million from the education fund, and one million of that went to the PNP.
Now, Sila Maria Calderón, La Gobernadora de Puerto Rico, is going to make her second state of the Commonwealth next week, and is planed to speak of Campaign finance reform. The reform, which she supposedly prepared before the Victor Fajardo scandal, states that all finances for political campaigns will be received from public money, as well, as the quotas destroyed.
Now, that seems to be a good idea to lower corruption and big corporation support towards the political parties, and give a financial boost to small political parties, such as Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño, BUT that could also be disastrous. It would increase dependency on USA aid, which of course will finance most of those public finance campaigns, because that is how the PR government sadly works. It also could mean a waste of public money, hundreds of electoral campaigns spending up to $1 million, and loosing, while the people are the ones who are voting against their own money.
If Campaign Finance reform is going to take place, it better be sustainable to all criticism and backfires, because in PR politics, money and power is everything, and toying with that is a dangerous game.
business as usual
calderon notwithstanding, it’s important to look at campaign reform as it has come down to us from los federales. in light of the number of corruption cases linked to the pnp, it would seem that the pro-statehood party is a mere cover for corporate optimization and dominance — not that it hasn’t already existed. and has not the pnp taken its cues from washington which is currently steeped up to its nose in a major corporate scandal involving, as is slowly materializing, key cabinet members and perhaps the president himself. influence peddling, lobbying efforts and outright bribes are not foreign to the american political system and, like it or not, we are a part of it.
in addition, it’s important to further reflect on the american way of remedying or at the very least attempting to manage the level or degree of corporate and governmental complicity. there are many lessons to be learned from the enron scandal, including who ultimately gets the short end of the stick.
anyway you cut it, the people, the taxpayers, the wage-earners, are going to pay through their depleted 401k plans, their investment and income losses, their unemployment. this is to be predicted, like an old marxist cliche. however, the guidelines set forth by the u.s. government and whatever resources the calderon administration can avail itself of will directly shape and direct what campaign reform will be in Puerto Rico.
RE: The dangerous politics of PR
You haven’t said what’s “dangerous” about the politics of money and power. And how is that different from the U.S. and any other country?
Nothing, my dear, can be closed to “all” criticism, especially when one is serving a multiplicity of interests. In fact, criticism can be good, depending on how it is allowed to help shape policy. What most people fail to understand is that Calderon and others are on crossing into unknown territory. There has never been any form of campaign reform–and in a colony at that! It’s almost contradictory or oxymoronic to think that a colony could have campaign reform, if you think about it. That is why the Commonwealth position is so fascinating from a political economic perspective. What is to be done or what is realistically reformable? On the other hand, if Puerto Rico were an independent country one could probably kiss campaign reform to the winds. Am I mixing metaphors here? Probably. There would not be any campaign reform in an independent Puerto Rico to speak of.
Statehood? Hmmm.
RE: RE: The dangerous politics of PR
Are you Miss Cleo? jajaja How would you know?
Statehood, hmm, no, the PNP is officially the statehood party, and they are the ones going crazy and destroying our island now. The pro-independence parties, have been in power in city counciles, and island senate and house, and no corruption scandal have been found against them. The pro-colony party, well Senator Maribel Rodriguez of Arecibo just quit her post for corruption scandals. Now thats a contradiction to your comments. jajaja
RE: RE: RE: The dangerous politics of PR
Independence always. We have survived for thousands of years and would survive independence. People like yourself who are educated would help us survive. Taino forever.
RE: RE: RE: RE: The dangerous politics of PR
Bravo!!! Exactly!
Pursuing your logic leads to contradiction
If one pursues your logic, then it follows that the independence parties should never come to power because that would lead to corruption.
JAJAJA
RE: Pursuing your logic leads to contradiction
Ummmm ok. jajajajajaja! Where did you get that from?
RE: RE: Pursuing your logic leads to contradiction
I never said that political parties in PR that go into power will become corrupt. It is the ethical and moral foundation of the PR political society and society in general, along with the foundation of those political parties that leads some politicla parties to become more corrupt then other. Look at the PNP. Their moral and ethical foundation is garbage. They don’t care for culture, they don’t care for language, they really don’t care for the people. All they care for is one thing. For PR to become the 51st state so they can join the big USA political scene.
The PPD doesn’t care for that really, they want things to stay the same. So they feel, which might not necessarily be true, that they can do what they want withut any reprecussions.
The PIP on the other hand, even though I wouldn’t follow them to Hell, want PR to be independent. Thus, their foundation is to make sure the PR people see them in a good light. It hasn’t necesserily worked, but with all these corruption scandals going on, they seem less corrupt then the others. Don’t say they havent’been power, because they always have a Senator and Representatives in the PR Congress and are part of almost all the municipal councils with atleast one or two representatives there. We also all know that corruption has even happened at the municipal level, all found to be populares or penepés….
we need more analysis
we need more analysis and not the kind you’re presenting here, which is more opinion than an analysis of the facts. for instance, besides the obvious fact that the most politically entrenched parties are those that are “corrupt,” there is the need to examine the political, social, economic, legal and constitutional structures that allow corruption to flourish.
there is always influence peddling, graft, etc. — actually, corruption should also be defined–in some form, for example, in the u.s. but there are always attempts to manage it. bush’s potential enron bomb and clinton’s own problems with whitewater are examples of how one might skirt the issue of corruption but come very close to it. we’re still waiting for the results of enron and what it will mean for bush and cheney.
RE: we need more analysis
Eric, then what’s your opinion on Campaign Finance reform in PR and corruption on the island?
we need an analysis on social problems that are happening in PR with both pro and con sides…
i really ned to know about the pros and cons of statehood and independence in puerto rico. so if anyone knows about htem please email me at hallieyb@yahoo.com. thank you i reeally need it soon.
The dangerous politics of PR
Currently, due to the new wave of corruption in Puerto Rico, that involves quotas those 2 political parties sets, (Partido Popular Democrático and Partido Nuevo Progresista) so that party could raise enough money, has backfired. It first came to light when Victor Fajardo, the former pro-statehood Roselló Administration (1993-2001) Education secretary, and about 15 others stole 4 million from the education fund, and one million of that went to the PNP.
Now, Sila Maria Calderón, La Gobernadora de Puerto Rico, is going to make her second state of the Commonwealth next week, and is planed to speak of Campaign finance reform. The reform, which she supposedly prepared before the Victor Fajardo scandal, states that all finances for political campaigns will be received from public money, as well, as the quotas destroyed.
Now, that seems to be a good idea to lower corruption and big corporation support towards the political parties, and give a financial boost to small political parties, such as Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño, BUT that could also be disastrous. It would increase dependency on USA aid, which of course will finance most of those public finance campaigns, because that is how the PR government sadly works. It also could mean a waste of public money, hundreds of electoral campaigns spending up to $1 million, and loosing, while the people are the ones who are voting against their own money.
If Campaign Finance reform is going to take place, it better be sustainable to all criticism and backfires, because in PR politics, money and power is everything, and toying with that is a dangerous game.
business as usual
calderon notwithstanding, it’s important to look at campaign reform as it has come down to us from los federales. in light of the number of corruption cases linked to the pnp, it would seem that the pro-statehood party is a mere cover for corporate optimization and dominance — not that it hasn’t already existed. and has not the pnp taken its cues from washington which is currently steeped up to its nose in a major corporate scandal involving, as is slowly materializing, key cabinet members and perhaps the president himself. influence peddling, lobbying efforts and outright bribes are not foreign to the american political system and, like it or not, we are a part of it.
in addition, it’s important to further reflect on the american way of remedying or at the very least attempting to manage the level or degree of corporate and governmental complicity. there are many lessons to be learned from the enron scandal, including who ultimately gets the short end of the stick.
anyway you cut it, the people, the taxpayers, the wage-earners, are going to pay through their depleted 401k plans, their investment and income losses, their unemployment. this is to be predicted, like an old marxist cliche. however, the guidelines set forth by the u.s. government and whatever resources the calderon administration can avail itself of will directly shape and direct what campaign reform will be in Puerto Rico.
RE: The dangerous politics of PR
You haven’t said what’s “dangerous” about the politics of money and power. And how is that different from the U.S. and any other country?
Nothing, my dear, can be closed to “all” criticism, especially when one is serving a multiplicity of interests. In fact, criticism can be good, depending on how it is allowed to help shape policy. What most people fail to understand is that Calderon and others are on crossing into unknown territory. There has never been any form of campaign reform–and in a colony at that! It’s almost contradictory or oxymoronic to think that a colony could have campaign reform, if you think about it. That is why the Commonwealth position is so fascinating from a political economic perspective. What is to be done or what is realistically reformable? On the other hand, if Puerto Rico were an independent country one could probably kiss campaign reform to the winds. Am I mixing metaphors here? Probably. There would not be any campaign reform in an independent Puerto Rico to speak of.
Statehood? Hmmm.
RE: RE: The dangerous politics of PR
Are you Miss Cleo? jajaja How would you know?
Statehood, hmm, no, the PNP is officially the statehood party, and they are the ones going crazy and destroying our island now. The pro-independence parties, have been in power in city counciles, and island senate and house, and no corruption scandal have been found against them. The pro-colony party, well Senator Maribel Rodriguez of Arecibo just quit her post for corruption scandals. Now thats a contradiction to your comments. jajaja
RE: RE: RE: The dangerous politics of PR
Independence always. We have survived for thousands of years and would survive independence. People like yourself who are educated would help us survive. Taino forever.
RE: RE: RE: RE: The dangerous politics of PR
Bravo!!! Exactly!
Pursuing your logic leads to contradiction
If one pursues your logic, then it follows that the independence parties should never come to power because that would lead to corruption.
JAJAJA
RE: Pursuing your logic leads to contradiction
Ummmm ok. jajajajajaja! Where did you get that from?
RE: RE: Pursuing your logic leads to contradiction
I never said that political parties in PR that go into power will become corrupt. It is the ethical and moral foundation of the PR political society and society in general, along with the foundation of those political parties that leads some politicla parties to become more corrupt then other. Look at the PNP. Their moral and ethical foundation is garbage. They don’t care for culture, they don’t care for language, they really don’t care for the people. All they care for is one thing. For PR to become the 51st state so they can join the big USA political scene.
The PPD doesn’t care for that really, they want things to stay the same. So they feel, which might not necessarily be true, that they can do what they want withut any reprecussions.
The PIP on the other hand, even though I wouldn’t follow them to Hell, want PR to be independent. Thus, their foundation is to make sure the PR people see them in a good light. It hasn’t necesserily worked, but with all these corruption scandals going on, they seem less corrupt then the others. Don’t say they havent’been power, because they always have a Senator and Representatives in the PR Congress and are part of almost all the municipal councils with atleast one or two representatives there. We also all know that corruption has even happened at the municipal level, all found to be populares or penepés….
we need more analysis
we need more analysis and not the kind you’re presenting here, which is more opinion than an analysis of the facts. for instance, besides the obvious fact that the most politically entrenched parties are those that are “corrupt,” there is the need to examine the political, social, economic, legal and constitutional structures that allow corruption to flourish.
there is always influence peddling, graft, etc. — actually, corruption should also be defined–in some form, for example, in the u.s. but there are always attempts to manage it. bush’s potential enron bomb and clinton’s own problems with whitewater are examples of how one might skirt the issue of corruption but come very close to it. we’re still waiting for the results of enron and what it will mean for bush and cheney.
RE: we need more analysis
Eric, then what’s your opinion on Campaign Finance reform in PR and corruption on the island?
we need an analysis on social problems that are happening in PR with both pro and con sides…
i really ned to know about the pros and cons of statehood and independence in puerto rico. so if anyone knows about htem please email me at hallieyb@yahoo.com. thank you i reeally need it soon.