Puerto Rico Statehood

Puerto Rico should become the 51st state because nearly 54 percent, or 922,374 people, wanted statehood. Even three American Presidents Gerald Ford, George Bush I, and even Reagan supported statehood. Also “For me, being a U.S. citizen is a lot more than carrying a passport,” says Caraballo-Sandoz. “I’m very hopeful that one day we are going to be a state of the Union.” The people of Puerto Rico deserve better than the way they are being treated. Puerto Ricans

I will be discussing how the country of Puerto Rico’s impact of resource scarcity, issues with boundary delineation, separatism and sovereignty issues, poverty, migration, legacies of colonialism and imperialism, global climate change and its impact. The once poor nation of Puerto Rico now seems to be a stepping stone for trading in the Caribbean. With its location in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico is a major asset for shipping lanes. One of the main reasons the U.S. wanted to take over this land. Its geographical location is important in helping to move resources around the world, as well as keeping an eye on Cuba. The economic system of

Puerto Rico’s major political division is the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), which supports commonwealth rank for the island; has been the leading political party since 1940. The PPD was

Some opponents may heighten the acceptance of Puerto Rico into statehood to the acceptance of a debt-ridden Greece into the European Union—a copious financial burden on the collective economy—and therefore, would not be beneficial to the U.S. economy. In ironic opposition to such somewhat reasonable paranoia, and potentially malicious comments, it is mainly U.S. investors and entities who continue to buy and hold the majority of Puerto Rican debt, taking advantage of Puerto Rico’s legal inability to default on their debt as a way to fundamentally guarantee various creditors regardless of the territory’s economic state (Meacham). The U.S. can eliminate the potential of corporations taking advantage of Puerto Rico’s economic status by making new laws and regulations, thus forcing corporations to pay corporate taxes not previously paid. The influx of federal taxes would help offset the balance of debt created by statehood, and an increased flow of tourism would also benefit not only the mainland, but also the island as it is a decently sized proportion of the island’s economy (Lilley). According to a study in 2005, about 40% of the Puerto Rican population aged 25 to 44 have earned an associate’s degree or a

The federal government controls all international trade for the commonwealth and it does not consist of much. Fortunately for Puerto Rico, it is considered to be one of the most beautiful places in the world to visit so the tourist attraction of the island is tremendous. However, because most of the jobs in Puerto Rico are government jobs, there is no real inspiration to aspire to be something greater than a government employee. This is where, thankfully so, social role models in the form of professional baseball players and others comes in to play a significant role as they represent hard work and autonomy.

military control was to end, Puerto Rico would use the monetary system of the U.S., Puerto Ricans did not have to pay federal taxes, Puerto Ricans were not U.S. citizens, and the governor was to be appointed by the President and Congress but there would be a two-chamber legislature. Downs vs. Biddell was the Puerto Rican reaction to the Foraker Act. The Jones Act 1917, advocated by Munoz Rivera, granted U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans, election of legislators, introduced the draft system, issued a Bill of Rights, and granted male suffrage. Balzac vs. Puerto Rico in 1920 was the reaction to the Jones Act asking for the same rights as Hawaii and Alaska. However, the efforts did not prove to be a success.The right to elect their own governor was granted in 1947. Munoz Marn, son of Luis Munoz Rivera, was the first elected governor in 1948. Three distinct ideologies on Puerto Rico’s status emerged in the 20th century Independence, Commonwealth, and Statehood. In plebiscites on the island, the Puerto Ricans have chosen to maintain commonwealth status. Operation Bootstrap 1940’s planned industrial progress. This was the turning point in Puerto Rico’s economy. The project gave protection to U.S. markets, gave tax exemptions to industries, and gave Puerto Ricans jobs. The results were more jobs, better sanitation, a rising middle class, role of women, and added money to the

A congressional advisor said it should be America’s primary goal to implement in Puerto Rico “an effective administration, that simultaneously provided the largest degree of self government” (Fernandez 20). Puerto Ricans were highly inexperienced in government, as the American forefathers had been a little more than a hundred years before, but were hopeful in their ability to adjust and grow.

They pay federal tax, social security, and Medicare but they do not pay personal income tax. They can receive the same financial benefits of Americans. In recent years Puerto Rico has been voting on if they want to become a state, its own independence, or remain a commonwealth state. The most recent vote showed that the people of Puerto Rico want the island to become a state. If the vote passes, Puerto Rico will receive adequate amount of support from the United State government. For example, the recent hurricanes to devastate Puerto Rico. The United States government has not given the island the proper support to help rebuild. There were over three million American citizens without power. It has been estimated to take six months for every person in Puerto Rico to receive power. Also, Puerto Rico is in a massive amount of debt. This stems back to their constitution. Since Puerto Rico promises to pay back all debt before they pay for their public services. If they become a state then the debt owed to the United States will disappear. Also, they will be able to receive a bail out from the government to help with any other debts. Overall the Puerto Rican people have been facing hardship and no independence since Christopher Columbus arrived on the island back

Puerto Rico should become a state because the United States has made it dependent on its aid. Puerto Rico started off as a colony of Spain and became a territory of the United States after the United States won it from Spain. Through statehood, Puerto Rico could see its economy getting better, the right to vote in major elections, and other benefits that come from being a state.

Personally, I don't believe Puerto Rico will ever attain Statehood. With that said, I cannot rationalize anyone in their right mind wanting a bankrupt, corrupt, crime ridden Third World hell hole as a State. Not only is Puerto Rico a dangerous place to visit, it's an enormous drain on U.S. taxpayers, and Statehood would only make it worse. :/ Nevertheless, has anyone ever wondered why they never vote for independence? That is one of their options and always has been, yet it not considered ever! Why? They would have to deal with their own debt rather than sucking the teat of the United States to keep them

There is a lot of considerations to make when coming with an opinion on making Puerto Rico a state for the United State, but only one key element that people should keep in mind is that the majority of Puerto Ricans support statehood at all. Some people think that it is a bad idea for PR to become a state for the US because it might increase poverty and crime state in the US, culture loss, and it might cause some kind of resentment. Puerto has already been under the United State for so long, so why not just make it an official

The intention of this essay is to demonstrate to a vision rational, concordant political leader to the Puerto Rican, American and worldwide reality. It responds to the necessity that to the statehood it is necessary to imagine it and to expose it with all the evidence available, since many Puerto Ricans, including many political leaders, do not know like defending it or exposing it before the peculiar ones or our adversaries.

My final paper is about a primary source from pages 342 to 344 in the textbook from Norman Pietri. In 1966 delegates from many countries gathered in Cuba in part of the Tricontinental Conference of African, Asian, and Latin American Peoples. The conference is similar to the Alliance for Progress, created by John F. Kennedy to meet in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Just like the Alliance for Progress, the Tricontinental Conference of African, Asian, and Latin American Peoples delegates speak upon their country and other countries. In the Alliance for Progress, Ernesto Guevara spoke on behalf of Cuba about the United States’ plan to imperialize.

As well all know Puerto Rico is under a debt crisis of 70 billions of dollars , the fiscal position is unsustainable, the population is falling, and there is no growth. All those 4 issues are the responsible of how the situation is going in the island. More than 4 billion in annual tax revenues fund debt service and are not available for public service.The total public debt of Puerto Rico has nearly doubled over the past decade.The accumulation of debt accelerated when the island’s government began borrowing no to invest in infrestucture , but to cover budget shortfall. The biggest controversy during this crisis is that Puerto Rico can not declare in bankruptcy that’s why the United States will create a new federal law called PROMESA signed

Apart from a low corporate tax rate – which on it’s own does not imply the label “tax haven” – country has to be well-governed, which includes an efficient and respected government, political stability, rule of law, and the control of corruption. Small islands with a population below 1 million are also highly favorable jurisdictions because they often lack natural resources and hence depend on foreign investors. MNEs such as Google, Apple, Amazon and Starbucks have long ago discovered the advantages of such small island economies. Yet, this paper also shows that tax haven do not have to be located in some remote islands with sandy beaches – but they can also be in any respectable country of the European Union. Many successful MNEs, for example, use financial regulatory loopholes in Ireland, Luxembourg or the Netherlands to avoid paying their fair share of