Posted on 03/29/2003 6:59:31 AM PST by 4Freedom
Gov. Calderon said Thursday that she has "temporarily" postponed moving forward on the status issue because of a lack of consensus between the island's three political parties and the U.S. war with Iraq.
"I have temporarily postponed this subject, in light of, first, that a consensus was not achieved with current leadership, and, secondly, because of the war and other situations compelling the U.S. Congress, which at this time would make an approach by one or two [political] parties unproductive," Calderon said.
"I understand that until the people of Puerto Rico go before the U.S. Executive and U.S. Congress in a united manner, there always will be an excuse for the U.S. government not to face this issue," Calderon said at a news conference prior to the ground-breaking for a $90 million expansion of a Baxter plant in San German.
New Progressive Party President Carlos Pesquera, who has refused to participate on Calderon's tri-party status commission, said earlier this week that he is now willing to meet with Calderon and Puerto Rico Independence Party President Ruben Berrios on the matter. When he spoke this week, Pesquera recommended that a referendum on the status issue be held next year.
Although the governor linked her delay on pushing status forward to the war, Calderon said that she won't necessarily wait until the war ends before again picking up the island's status issue. But she would not specify when she will take her next move.
"Situations are not eternal, the leadership of [political] parties changes, thank God, and peace will come thanks to God, so we will see at what moment we can retake this issue," Calderon said.
The governor attacked former Gov. Pedro Rosello's plan to make status a priority if he is reelected governor in 2004.
"[Rosello's pushing forward on island's status is] precisely why we lost Section 936, precisely that," Calderon said.
Potential NPP gubernatorial candidates Pesquera and Rosello are not the only ones who have recently sought to resume local discussion of Puerto Rico's status. The Ateneo Puertorriqueno last month issued a resolution that calls on the Legislature to begin status talks between Puerto Rico and the United States.
The resolution says the Legislature should "invoke the people of Puerto Rico's right to have the island's status framed unequivocally in a status that is consistent with the principles of democracy, and as such, one that is not colonial nor one that is subject to the Territorial Clause."
Calderon said she had not read the resolution but said that to push status forward, the three political parties must be willing "to sit down at a table and reach an agreement in a civilized manner on the procedure on how we are going to do this."
The governor noted that she first started efforts to unite the three parties on the subject when she took office in 2001.
Puerto Rico presently receives $18.8 billion plus in U.S. Taxpayer's cash, each year, has 1,000's of high-paying federal jobs that shouldn't be there and 1,000's of U.S. private sector jobs that are there because of the Section 936 'Tax Scam', that the U.S. Congress had the good sense to put an end to, that Calderon is always crying about losing. Ai bendito!
Independence for Puerto Rico would be in the best interest of the U.S. Taxpayers and their families. IMO, we can't give the ingrates in Puerto Rico their independence fast enough.
Now, might not be the best time for Puerto Rico to dare the U.S. Congress to give them their independence and cut them off without one red cent of the $18.8 billion plus in federal hand-outs they receive every year.
'Might not be prudent.' ;^)
Puerto Rico receives $1.3 billion from the U.S. Taxpayers, each year, for Food Stamps. They allow their recipients to withdraw 25% of that money in cash ($325 million) that can be spent on anything they want. For instance, illegal drugs.
Do either of you know, if Food Stamp recipients stateside are allowed to do this, as well?
Do you agree, Brian?
We can't afford to do it much longer.
Oh, and that $2.5 billion dollar Urban Train we're building for them, too.
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