Part of the problem is there are an enormous number of U.S.Taxpayers that have no idea how much we already have spent in Puerto Rico and continue to spend there, every year.
Here are some examples:
The U.S. Taxpayers have shelled out $2 BILLION DOLLAR$ for an 18-mile-long electric urban train for the San Juan Metropolitan Area that will begin operation in 10/2003. They'll call it the 'Tren Urbano'.
The U.S. Taxpayers have paved over 14,000 miles of roads, super highways and tollroads in Puerto Rico.
I guarantee that they're everything the U.S. Department of Highways and Transportation builds everywhere else in the United States.
The EPA has funded BILLION$ of dollars of water and sewer projects around the island.
We maintain 16 National Parks on the islands.
We have 17 military facilities there and a VA Hospital.
The U.S. Post Office loses mllions in Puerto Rico delivering their mail, because they charge the same rate as if the packages were being delivered in the continental United States.
We've built them 12 airports. I'm not sure how many dams and bridges, but it's alot.
FEMA gave them $2 BILLION after hurricane George and $1 BILLION after Hortense.
We give them $13.5 to $16 BILLION for Medicare, Social Security, Student Loans and Foodstamps.
The DEA, FBI, Federal Courts, U.S. Marshalls, IRS, HUD, FEMA, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and every other alphabet soup of Federal government organizations you can name spend millions and millions more and employ thousands and thousands on the island.
I believe that nuclear power in Puerto Rico would be more of a danger to the USA than North Korea, Iran and Irag having it.
We have actual States, that don't threaten to throw our military out every day, that need this money. And you know what? Those States deserve it more, because their citizens pay income, sales and property tax.
There are still children that go to bed hungry every night in the USA.
That begs the questions, just what in the hell are we doing in Puerto Rico and why???
Great news! I'll have to look up details on that, but modern, efficient mass-transportation will certainly be beneficial to Puerto Rico.
The U.S. Taxpayers have paved over 14,000 miles of roads, super highways and tollroads in Puerto Rico.
Not true, Puerto Rico only has 14,400 km of roads TOTAL. (Source) That's "kilometers", not "miles". A kilometer is only 0.6 of a mile, so Puerto Rico only has 8640 miles of roads.
IMHO, it is a similar exageration to claim that the U.S. Government pays for all the roads. Puerto Rico DOES have it's own local government and sources of revenue. Don't know why you'd exagerate and suggest that the federal government pays for everything, but I think you are.
That begs the questions, just what in the hell are we doing in Puerto Rico and why???
Sheeesh! For all the "facts" you've come up with as to what we supposedly spend, you have no idea of the historical relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States?
Do a little more research on the Web, my friend. That info isn't hard to find.