To argue on Puerto Rican Independence, Commonwealth, or Statehood, we must first learn of the history of Puerto Rico. Growing up I was very ignorant about Puerto Rico. It wasn’t till I was in the Navy and got stationed in Puerto Rico did I really find out the small Caribbean island. Although Puerto Rico has an extensive history, I will only give a brief synopsis of it: In November 1493 Christopher Columbus discovered the island of Puerto Rico for the country of Spain. It remained a colonization of Spain until 1898 when Spain ceded the island to the United States after the Spanish-American war. In 1917 Puerto Rican’s became U.S. Citizens, but only 24% consider themselves as American (2000 census). Puerto Rico was also granted its own government and constitution, however, it had to be approved by the U.S. congress. Also Puerto Rico must obey our federal laws. In 1952 Puerto Rico became a “Commonwealth” associated with the United States. Puerto Rico does not pay any federal income tax and yet still receive federal benefits. To make for this, they cannot vote in presidential elections and have no voting representation in congress.
Puerto Rican Statehood has been a hot issue for several years. Currently, there are three views on this issue: Statehood (New Progressive Party or NPP), Commonwealth (Popular Democratic Party or PDP) and Independence (Puerto Rican Independence Party or PIP). In this report, I hope to show each view clearly and back it up with documentation.
VIEW OF STATEHOOD
Statehood supporters "see the United States as a union of 50 sovereign states united to give their citizens the best opportunity to succeed in life. "They believe that Puerto Rico is in a unique position to join this union and partake of the benefits, and responsibilities, of being an integral part of the United States of America. There are economic, social, and political advantages to becoming the 51st state."
PROS OF STATEHOOD
In the economics of Puerto Rico, statehood has many pros. The first is that Puerto Rico will receive taxes from their citizens to build the infrastructure of the state. They will have an open market to trade with all nations that are in alliance with the U.S. With becoming a state, Puerto Rico will enjoy the benefits of America's high per capita income and low unemployment rates.
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...erto Rico will be able to enter into trade agreements with other free nations as it so chooses. Chris Dodd, Bill Bradley, Pat Moynihan, and various members of the CBO, of Yale University and Harvard University, and others comment on the Independence economic model in very favorable terms. Every major financial analyst and economist in both the academic and federal sectors have expressed appreciation and approval to the economic strategy as being fair, equitable and workable.
In a worse case scenario, Puerto Rico will operate under a combined budget of six billion dollars. Puerto Rico would receive revenue from sources such as customs, parks, excise taxes, user-paid tolls, and service fess. That is what several other small, independent nations are doing right now.
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Many politicians have different views on what Puerto Rico should do. Some think that we should become independent, some thing the island should stay the same, but some think Puerto Rico should just become independent. Either way it would benefit Puerto Rico.
Gonzales, Jose Luis. Puerto Rico: the Four Storeyed Country and Other Essays (Princeton: Markus Wiener Publishing Inc.)1-30.
Puerto Rico is the neighbor to the south of Florida. There is a growing population of Puerto Ricans in the United States. There is also a large United States interest in Puerto Rico. It is important to understand the culture of our neighbor should the United States wish to continue a positive relationship as well as globalization. Understanding the superstitions and the proper business etiquette in Puerto Rico can serve as a glimpse into the culture of the island.
Section I,2. Analyze the consequences of American rule in Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Philippines. Did the citizens prosper? Enjoy freedom? Accept American rule? Comment on the consequences for the United States with regard to the statement made by Eric Foner in the text, “Thus, two principles central to American freedom since the War of Independence – no taxation without representation and government based on the consent of the governed – were abandoned when it came to the nation’s new possessions.
Some advantages are Canada would enjoy the economic stability, treaded barriers and tariffs could be abolished. In addition, they could build a nation together, which can improve the way the colonies were governed. To elaborate,the colonies would be stronger and more independent by having a strong central government. With having a central government, they can have more control of the defense, taxation, postage, currency. Plus they can have a bilingual govern, then communication wouldnt be a conflict.
Puerto Ricans will have more opportunities as a state and it would bring more federal help for PR. As a state, Puerto Rico will rise from the poverty since they are below the poverty line and American statehood could be the answer to many of the problems the Island is facing. Zach Patton, author of ¨Does Puerto Rico really want to be the next state?¨ writes, ¨Puerto Rico 's economy is in crisis. The territory of 3.7 million residents is now in the seventh year of a persistent downturn, a recession that 's much deeper--and broader--than the one on the mainland...Roughly 45 percent of Puerto Ricans live in poverty, three times the national rate. More than a third of the territory 's residents are on food stamps. Unemployment last year topped 15 percent¨. Proving that Puerto Rico could be beneficial not only financially but in many other aspects in which both Puerto Ricans and Americans can
Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth of the United States which makes it easy for natives to travel back and forth. Puerto Ricans first began to arrive in the United States to fill the work void left but those who went on to fight in World War I. Operation Bootstrap was a series of projects that attempted to turn Puerto Rico; a known agricultural economy to one that would concentrate on industrialization and tourism. Puerto Rico enticed many U.S companies with tax exemptions and differential rental rates on industrialized properties and so the shift in the economy had commenced. The shift however did not help the high unemployment rate on the island. Rather than having to deal with the droves of people seeking work they noticed the active recruitment of Puerto Rican workers by U.S. employers. The government began to encourage the departure of Puerto Ricans to the U.S. by requesting the Federal Aviation Administration to lower the airfares between Puerto Rico and the United States. This was an attempt to ch...
Thesis: I am here to day to convince the class, why Puerto Rico deserves to be a state, by explaining the faults in its health care, declining financial status, and their limited involvement in the government
The Spanish empire in the Americas faced huge political, social and economic problems in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The empire was stretched to its limit politically and socially with the threat of an uprising from the slave population in its empire. The economy also played a major role and the outlook was just as bleak for Spain with the American colonies drifting towards independence.
“Puerto Rico is a self-governing commonwealth of the United States and is not subject to the imposition of tax levies by the continental United States except for Social Security, workman’s compensation and several additional labor benefits” (Sennholz). So, the apparent question is, why is Puerto Rico such a poor country? To be perfectly honest, their lack of...
Latin American Independence was the drive for independence from Spain and France by the Latin American people. There were many contributing factors that ultimately led to the uprising of Latin American colonies. Europe's strong hold on the economic and political life of Latin America, was creating friction between the Latin Colonies and the European nations. Eventually, this would become enough for the Latin American people and the drive for independence from France and Spain would begin.
In Puerto Rico, the majority of the population, about two-thirds of the inhabitants, are Roman Catholic. This dates back to when the there were Spanish colonies present during the 15th century who were Catholic. Although Catholics hold the majority, Protestants account for one-fourth of the population. Protestants date back to 1898 when missionaries came from the United States to Puerto Rico. Even though Catholics and Protestants hold the majority of the population, the Constitution guarantees freedom for all faiths. Some people are non-religious (2.3%) or another religion (3%). Some islanders ascribe to espiritismo (spiritualism) and others practice Santeria, an Afro-Caribbean belief system brought to Puerto Rico from Cuba. There is also a small Jewish community.
Although it was never intended to be, the acquisition of Puerto Rico resulted in Puerto Rico becoming a colony of the United States, vis-a-vis the laws Congress passed and the nature in which the United States tried to "Americanize" the island. Puerto Rico was a colonial government in the hands of Spain, and although the Puerto Ricans hoped that with American invasion, more freedom would be granted. Unfortunately that did not change when the United States assumed control of the island. The social, economic, and political atmosphere greatly changed as well, and those changes were not necessarily for the better or better than what the Puerto Ricans had while under the control of Spain.
1. "The Internet Classics Archive | Phaedo by Plato." The Internet Classics Archive | Phaedo by