"PR has a legislature, doesn't it? Does it conduct business in English? What about the courts? Is English taught in the schools as the basic language or a second language"?
The Puerto Rico legislature has conducted business in English, but it normally does so in Spanish. There's no prohibition as to what language to use. Would you believe that the PR Senate President is named Kenneth McClintock?
"I don't advocate treating PR any differently than other states, but what I don't want is another Quebec situation in our country."
Quebec is nearly half of Canada, in territory and population. There's just no comparison.
"Do most Puerto Ricans speak English. I must admit that all that I know speak English (most from the military)."
I wouldn't go as far as saying that most Puerto Ricans speak English, but it is a mandatory and primary subject, along with Spanish, in all schools. Whether people use it or not is another matter. But, for instance, I have many continentals in my company that have lived here for years and have never had to learn Spanish. This is in the San Juan metropolitan area.
"Why don't PR people want statehood?"
Close to 50% of the electorate favor the pro-statehood party. The other bigger block of voters who support the status quote get nearly the other half. These people are the biggest obstacle. It is my opinion that they just want to keep the IRS out of their lives. I, of course, have no lost love for the IRS but this is not a matter of taxation. We are already taxed by the "federales" (social sec, medicare, unemployment). This is a matter of civil rights. Four million Americans live under an apartheid system, ruled at the whim of Congress.
"Apartheid system"?
Cut the melodramatics. The choice for the Puerto Rican voter has been clear in several elections and the majority of Puerto Rican voters have spoken:
Prefieren que Puerto Rico sea un estado libre asociado SIN impuestos en vez de que Puerto Rico sea un estado de los EEUU CON impuestos o que sea un estado independiente. Tambien entra el tema de la perdida de la cultura (como paso en Hawaii) si Puerto Rico es nada mas que otro estado de los EEUU o la perdida de los beneficios de ser estado libre asocido si Puerto Rico es una republica independiente.
No le heches la culpa a los americanos por las deciciones que han hecho la mayoria de los puertoriqueños por su propia voluntad.