Free Republic

Madison, Wis., may be the austerity debate’s central front, but San Juan is an important, if overlooked, battleground. For the past three years, Governor Luis Fortuño has been the Caribbean’s Scott Walker — and like Walker, he’s under siege. When Fortuño began his term, Puerto Rico was an economic mess. Fifteen percent of the island territory’s labor force was unemployed. Facing a $3.2 billion budget deficit, Fortuño implemented deep cuts, slashing public jobs and salaries across the board. The government unions erupted. Thousands of public workers protested Fortuño’s reforms on the streets of San Juan. And in five months, when...

But there is another intriguing possibility. Luis Fortuño is the 51-year-old governor of Puerto Rico, whose four million people have all been U.S. citizens since 1952, making their governor eligible to become vice president. Mr. Fortuño made history in 2004 by being elected the island's lone delegate to the U.S. House as a conservative and followed up that feat in 2008 by being elected governor with the largest margin of any predecessor since the 1960s. His party not only won control of the legislature by historic margins but also won the power to name three supreme court judges, giving that...

(English-language translation) Santurce - Scores of police officers, including the Tactical Operations Division, continue to surround Minillas Government Center allegedly to take security measures following an incident involving Governor Luis Fortuño, according to statements from Consumer Affairs Secretary Luis Rivera Marín. Security in the place is so tight that reporters were not granted access to the government complex's parking area, forcing members of the press to park on the highway and thus block sidewalks and access ramps for the disabled. "You already know what happened to the Governor, so this is not speculative. We have to ensure security and integrity....

(English-language translation) In an attempt to begin reducing spending to balance the current budget, Governor Luis Fortuño met yesterday with the Economic Development Council, which is composed of members of his own cabinet, to emphasize the need to reduce spending in all public agencies by 10%. This reduction will have to be implemented immediately as the Governor ordered last week in an Executive Order, as well as the recommendation to not fill 30% of the vacant positions of trust. Office of Management & Budget (OGP) Director María Sánchez Bras indicated that the measures will be temporary because there are only...