Puerto Rico has been an unincorporated territory of the United States since July 25, 1898.The United States invaded the Island in retaliation for the explosion that occurred on the U.S.S. Maine, a battle ship docked off San Juan. The U.S. invasion forces entered through the Town of Guanica, which is on the southern-middle portion of the Island of Puerto Rico, not far from Ponce. Puerto Rico was conferred U.S. citizenship in 1917 and Puerto Rican soldiers helped to fight World War I shortly after citizenship was given. Some 15,000 Puerto Rican Soldiers were summoned to duty and 9,000 died on the European theatre. In World War II, more than 150,000 soldiers from Puerto Rico served in the War that commenced for the United States at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. More than 30,000 died on the battlefields. In 1950-1953, the United States went to War with North Korea, and more than 80,000 Puerto Rican soldiers answered the draft! Some 50,000 lost their lives.
During the War in Vietnam, the U. S. Officially reported that 70,000 soldiers dies on the battlefields. More than 20,000 of those who died, came from Puerto Rico. More than 150,00 additional soldiers were drafted from Puerto Rico for the Vietnam War which began in 1959 under President Eisenhower, and ended under President Gerald R. Ford in 1975. That War extended to five presidents (Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon , Ford). I too was drafted.
I respectfully venerate and honor the solemn memory of all those soldiers who lost their lives as a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom for the United States.
Since 1898 and until 1946, Puerto Rico's governors were appointed by the President of the United States. One of those governors was Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. who governed the Island from 1929 until 1932. Since the inception of the Social Security system in 1936, Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico have paid over 2 Trillion dollars to the U.S. Treasury's Social Security fund. Puerto Rico's U. S Citizens have never been free loaders nor do they get a free ride on subsidies, as many bigots in the U.S. including well intentioned but ignorant persons denounce, along with numerous news organizations who make such false claims when they remember the subject of Puerto Rico on a broadcast. Puerto Rico's U.S. citizens also pay federal taxes on cell phones, rum, exports to the U.S. mainland, and they pay these various federal taxes to the tune of 2 billion dollars per year!
That's not a free ride! More than 300,00 Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico also pay federal income taxes because they are federal employees of the Postal Service, Coast Guard, Air Force, Navy, Army, Marines, Defense, CIA, Federal District Court, in short, every federal employee pays federal income tax. It's not a free ride! Puerto Rico has had a non-voting Resident Commissioner in the U. S. House of Representatives since 1898. This unique Member of Congress gets elected every 4 years, and as a Member, gets Congressional privileges that only Congress confers, not necessarily rooted in any federal law. As Congress is solely vested and rightfully so, with monitoring itself, it alone can give privileges to the Resident Commissioner that can go outside our Constitution. In this unique situation, in January, 2007, when the Democratic Party took official control of the Congress, house Speaker Nancy Pelosi conferred on the Resident Commissioner and all Territorial Delegates, the right to vote on the House Floor
when floor votes really count to enact legislation. That vote is voided, however, if the delegates' votes including that of the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico does break a tie.
Prior to Speaker Pelosi's innovative decision of inclusion, Puerto Rico's Resident Commissioner could vote in Committees, but not on the House floor.
Do I believe the District of Columbia should have a voting member in Congress? Yes! Should it have 2 senators? Yes. It is a question of fairness and equity. The World and times have changed. We must adapt to these times, and so must Congress. Should the U.S. Virgin Islands have this privilege too? Yes. So should Guam, and American Samoa, and all the other territories of the U.S. like Wake Island, the Marshall and Northern Mariana Islands.
As the Resident Commissioner is a member of Congress by a call of protocol and courtesy conferred and rightfully extended to him by Congress, the Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner is exempt from federal campaign fund raising laws and IRS laws, even if the IRS disagrees.
The Resident Commissioner's salary and staff is paid by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico's taxpayers. Congress itself, kicks in office space, and a congressional amount, but these funds come from a discretionary allocation that is part of the Speakers' legislative privilege (which is lawful and correct), which comes from a general fund not generated by U.S. Taxpayers money. I surmise that monies collected from foreign embassies doing business here, in the form of rent, or fees, is used for this purpose.
Puerto Rico's 3. 5 million workers in Puerto Rico who are not federal employees do not pay federal income taxes, but they do pay Commonwealth income taxes. Approximately 500,000 Puerto Ricans are seniors living on social security benefits, and disabled workers as well.
Commonwealth-status was conferred on Puerto Rico on July 25, 1952 after the voters in Puerto Rico chose this new form of autonomy in a new relationship with the United States. Commonwealth-status was approved jointly by Puerto Rico and the United States Congress, and then-President Harry S. Truman stated at that time that "Puerto Rico enters into a new relationship that is not colonial, and is a bilateral compact with the United States".
It was President Harry S. Truman who also decreed that the colonial period for Puerto Rico was to end, by allowing Puerto Rico to elect its' own Governor by the popular will of the voters. Truman took the bold step of appointing the very last Governor by naming a then-revered figure of Puerto Rican politics, Mr. Jesus T. Pineiro as the first Puerto Rican governor under the U.S. flag in 1946. Truman decreed, and Congress unanimously agreed that Puerto Rico had the inherent right to elect it's own Governor, and in November, 1948, then-Puerto Rico Senate President (Alberto) Luis Munoz-Marin (1898-1980) was elected the first Governor of Puerto Rico. Puerto Ricans use the maternal surname along with the paternal surname like this:
In Luis Munoz Marin's name, his father's surname is Munoz, and his mother's surname is Marin.
You would address him as Governor Munoz Marin , but never as Governor Marin.
In other words, when addressing someone in Puerto Rico in a formal setting, you would call them by their fathers and their mother's surname in that order, as in Maria Perez Rivera.
She can be Srta. Perez Rivera, but never addressed as Srta. Rivera.
This Latin American tradition rightfully venerates and honors all Mothers whose name should be our maternal surname as in, for example Johnny E. Rivera-Matos. Matos would be his Mother's surname. the "E" would be some middle name, which in the United States is often the Mother's surname but not always so, as in Helen Mary Whitson. Helen would be her first name, but Mary might be a baptismal name given to her, or the name of a Grandmother that is memorialized this way.
You would address him as Governor Munoz Marin , but never as Governor Marin.
In other words, when addressing someone in Puerto Rico in a formal setting, you would call them by their fathers and their mother's surname in that order, as in Maria Perez Rivera.
She can be Srta. Perez Rivera, but never addressed as Srta. Rivera.
This Latin American tradition rightfully venerates and honors all Mothers whose name should be our maternal surname as in, for example Johnny E. Rivera-Matos. Matos would be his Mother's surname. the "E" would be some middle name, which in the United States is often the Mother's surname but not always so, as in Helen Mary Whitson. Helen would be her first name, but Mary might be a baptismal name given to her, or the name of a Grandmother that is memorialized this way.
There are 4 million U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico today. This beautiful Caribbean Island measures some 110 miles in length and approx. 38 miles in width.
I was not born in Puerto Rico. I lived there in 1974-78, again in 1981-83, and in 1986 or a few months. I worked in the former Ramey AFB at the Coast Guard station area. I learned the language and have always been grateful for the experiences I had in Puerto Rico and for the wonderful friends who became endeared to me as I am to them. I have a deep love for Puerto Rico. Statehood would be good for Puerto Rico. Under statehood, Puerto Rico would be assigned 10 Members to the U.S. House of Representatives and 2 U.S. Senators. The House members assigned to Puerto Rico would be taken from the delegations of the large population states, such as California and Texas, meaning, these states would lose those seats. The majority of the new House members from Puerto Rico would likely be Democrats by a probable ratio of 7 out of 10 members. Puerto Rico would compete with every other state on an equal footing for federal dollars. A transition from the current Commonwealth status to statehood could take up to 16 years, given that Puerto Rico is an organized un-incorporated territory of the United States and not subject to the Territorial Clause It must first become an incorporated Territory of the U.S. That territorial status period and transition would allow for the drafting of a new Constitution, anew legislature, a new governor under territorial status, incorporation of all federal laws, and federal income taxes to be paid by all 4 million U.S. citizens. English would become the official language of the state government.
Under the current Commonwealth-status, Puerto Rico would remain an un-incorporated territory and would have just one delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives. Puerto Rico could elect to send on its' own, more delegates to the House, and to the U.S. Senate, but it would likely have to have a Constitutional Assembly in Puerto Rico to decree this in it's Commonwealth Constitution. Congress does not have any problem with Puerto Rico sending more delegates under Commonwealth-status. In fact, Congress has no power to prevent the sending of more delegates. Under such a new Commonwealth treaty, this would enhance Puerto Rico's visibility and clout in the Congress and in the United States' media. Also under Commonwealth-status, Puerto Rico would continue to use Spanish as the official language of government with English being used as the need arises, which is every day and in every way. Puerto Rico uses both languages equally.
Under independence, Puerto Rico would become a sovereign republic. A transition could take about 20 years from the current status to full independence from the United States. Puerto Rico could have it's rightful role in the World theatre.
Puerto Rico has held local plebiscites in regard to its' status, and in 1967, 1993 and 1998, Commonwealth-status emerged victorious. It is interesting to note that the last 2 plebiscites (1993 and 1998), were conducted under an aberrational-obsessed statehood-Governor who did everything in the "trick" book to tilt the referendums toward statehood, and he still lost.
However, that decision rests solely with the people of Puerto Rico in a Plebiscite that should be financed and sanctioned by Congress, and should be self-implementing, with Congress abiding the results, even if Commonwealth were to win again on a narrow margin. The Statehood option is likely to win the next plebiscite.
What do you think about statehood for Puerto Rico, or continued Commonwealth, or Independence? Let me know.
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