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I am puertorrican too and agree with you in all you say except one thing. You said:
"There are just as many people demanding statehood as demanding independence."

Truth is there are (and always have been) more puertorricans that want the statehood than those tha ask for independence. The sector for independence HAVE NEVER BEEN a majority . Election after election, they have been in the minority. When special elections have been call to settled the matter, time after time tha majority of puertorricans have voted to remain part of the USA. My father served in the army all his life from 18 years to retirement. We are as americans as any native of the states because there is no such thing as puertorrican citizenship. We are born americans citizens.

Right now, here in the states from coast to coast, we are having the hippies peaceniks on the streets with their nonsense all around, that does not make every american a peacenik Does it? Well this is the same thing. There are morons everywhere.

You're right, Minty. I corrected that statement up above after I looked up the results of the most recent vote. My father also served in both the Marines and the Air Force.

As to a comment made elsewhere about a conservative supporting statehood: while I have no strong preference on the matter, my grandfather is a perfect example of a staunch conservative who strongly supports statehood. Why? Because he happens to love this country and everything it stands for and would like to see PR become a full-fledged active part of it. I can think of one large piece of southern territory that didn't always feel that way but still enjoys statehood now.

Truth is there are (and always have been) more puertorricans that want the statehood than those tha ask for independence.

The primary political split in Puerto Rico is not between the independentistas, who are negligible, but between those that want statehood and those that want to continue as a territory.

The ones that want to remain a territory are looking for a kind of autonomy, under the US flag, that most states would have if the 9th and 10th ammendments were honored. As I said, independence is no more an issue there than it is in Texas. People talk about it over a beer, because its fun to rail against Washington. But the real Texas independence crowd is a handful of nutjobs that no one listens to.

In Puerto Rico, its college professors and students, who as I say have no intention of giving up their own citizenship. They may try and talk you out of yours, but they tell people that it will be possible to be independent and retain US citizenship. Which means, obviously, they are not serious people. Its a thirty minute flight to Santo Domingo; most Puerto Ricans know what life is like out from under the US flag. They appreciate it more than, say, your average mainland school teacher.