Posted on 06/13/2022 1:55:13 PM PDT by Ebenezer
(Translation)
Attorney [and political commentator] Iván Rivera stated that the Puerto Rican Independence Party [PIP] has done damage to the independence [cause].
"The PIP has done enormous damage to the independence [cause] with those alliances and associations (with the socialist sector) since this is an eminently capitalist island [which] does not believe in a socialist project, although there are people within the government and the Legislature here who behave like socialists," he said.
"[The PIP] has never presented an economic project based on a capital-based economy taking advantage of the relationship with the United States and the funds that are available in Puerto Rico. Eighty-five percent of the money generated in Puerto Rico is generated by American interests in the island," [Rivera] added.
What Rivera is saying has not been a secret for a while, but someone had enough sense to openly admit it.
Puerto Rico ping
Cut em loose anyway.
See Post #4
there are people within the government and the Legislature here who behave like socialists
Isn’t something like 60% or more of the inhabitants, collect some type of government check? The whole island is socialist for waiting on the government.
And to think, after the clowns that were running the place completely and totally dropped the ball after the hurricane that swept the island, in addition to being brought up on charges, IIRC, thousands fled to Florida and other parts of the US, never to go back.
Not much different than Haiti when you think of it. Beautiful island. Should be printing its own money with tourist dollars and they can’t get out of their own way.
So let’s just take over the whole Caribbean then.
PR has always gone the opposite of Cuba - whereas Cubans were firebrands for independence from the 18th century on, PR remained loyal to the crown until the US received PR as a bonus prize in 1898 - it also helped that Cuba was much more economically developed than PR with a larger middle and professional class.
PR could consider being a freely associated state like Palau, ie getting all the benefits of independence while being under the protection of the US military.
I say total independence. Make them an offer they can’t refuse: a $20/hr minimum wage for all U.S. contractors. A potential US penal colony(full employment). There’s room. Dump incarcerated US Puerto Ricans there. A fast-track school system for the really bright ones.
Put ourselves in the position to pull the plug should they demand the Mother of all Agreements.
The people of Palau were not Americans, Puerto Ricans are. The Congress has no authority to take an American’s citizenship.
Best option would be status quo if nobody has the stones for independence.
They do have the stones for independence, at least in their hearts. I’d like to do away once and for all the prospect of 2 senators. In the meantime we should restore the Hawaiian Monarchy. Get rid of those two by hook or crook the same way we took over.
Ok, what about the ones buried in Arlington?
Puerto Rico is an integral part of the United States, and has been for over 100 years. You don’t just “cut ‘‘em loose”.
Give Puerto Rico back to Spain for free, as long as they take AOC.
I lived in PR for several years in the early sixties and during that time there was a plebiscite - remain as commonwealth, statehood or independence. The independistas only received less than one percent of the vote. Remaining the same was clearly the most popular.
The Independence party was small but pretty violent, blowing up communication and transmission towers and causing as much havoc as they could. They received support from Castro.
We do have to remember that your die-hard independentista in Puerto Rico wants full independence with none of the trappings of a protectorate, especially having to depend on “los Yanquis” for the island’s defense needs.
PR can look at Hawaii as their best case scenario - an economy dependent on the military and tourism (with PR getting less of the former as there is a smaller military presence than in HI), with the same high cost of living and corrupt politicians that they had as a territory. There will be no replay of “Operation Bootstrap” as that was a (rather expensive) relic of the Cold War.
Nicaragua just invited Russia to deploy troops on their soil. It might mean nothing or it might mean a lot.
If we gave PR complete independence we might come to regret it. For the most part the people there pushing for independence are precisely the kind of people who would see Russia or China as a good counterweight to the US. And if China can buy the elite in Washington, buying a few politicians in San Juan would be child’s play.
Either Russia or China would love to see the U.S. close the naval base in Guantánamo, Cuba in order to step in and “fill the void”.
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