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Once known as one of the most over populated places on the planet, Puerto Rican popultion is now in free fall. It dropped from 3.8 million in 2000 to 3.5 million in a recent count. Most folks think the reason is a brain drain, leaving behind a mass of uneduacted, unemplyable poor who are highly dependent on drugs, food stamps and any entitlement they can get.
Most educated Puerto Ricans are heading for NY, NJ, Ill, Florida, Texas, Ohio, Mass. Penn and California, where they can easily find jobs in well paid professions serving the Non English speaking illegals.
According to studies, what's happening is not a brain drain, its more like a circulation of brains because Puerto Rico produces so man university graduates that the ones that leave are quickly replaced.
Nonetheless this is not the full story. Fertility rates are are dropping like lead bricks. Fertility rates were once 6.4 in 1932, they've gone down to 1.7, in 2011 lower than the 2.1 needed for population replacement. In fact the majority of Puerto Ricans now live on the U.S mainland.
Among the most elated by this news are the statehooders. If they present a petition for admission to the Union within a few years, our numbers of representatives has gone down. We now won't have more representation than 27 states , it's more like 25, giving us a better chance of acceptance.
Puerto Ricans are voting with their feet. They want the benefits and privileges of being in a state of the Union. They want the better salaries, better quality of life, better opportunities for their children.
The PNP better get their act together and deliver. If they were really smart they should have sent a petition to Congress on November 9th 2008. These pointless neverendums offer too many choices, and too much confusing & ambiguous political lingo for any one particular option to garner a majority vote.
The question they need to ask is simple, forget about statehood, commonwealth, free association/"ELA Soberano", independence, permanent union, national union, etc and instead ask:
Quote:
"Do you desire the full rights, benefits, and obligations of United States citizenship the same as those held by the residents of the states of the Union? Yes or No"
I think we have too many people on the island, so that's a welcome change. The only thing I don't like about PR becoming a state is that we'll be inundated with so many snowbirds from the Northeast and the Midwest that the coasts of Puerto Rico might become one giant stripmall and housing subdivision. Look at what happened to Oahu and southeast Florida, don't think it can't happen down there. I dread the day that happens, it's already crowded enough
*The censuses from 1765 to 1887 were taken by the Spanish government. (Since 1910 Puerto Rico has been included in every decennial census taken by the United States.)
PS: If Puerto Rico's current population is in "free fall" we should all stand up and cheer!
The coming plebiscite in November will ask Puerto Ricans:
1- Do you want to continue as is, without any polical change. Business as usual.
2- Do you to want to change the present status and set the ball rolling, be it Statehood , Independence or Free Association. The present Commonwealth status is not a option with number 2.
If number one wins, everything will continue and the Commonwealth party will be very happy.
If number two wins , Puerto Ricans will send a clear message to Congress and the world community that we want a change from the present situation.
The status problem will be put on Congress' lap.
The problem with all this is that it's the worst time to make a petition for statehood. With the Tea Party gaining strenght, a statehood petion might be dangerous for statehooders.
We might vote for statehood in large numbers on the island but a conservative Congress might offer something else.
You know what's really ironic? The current batch of PNP leadership are almost all Republicans - Fortuno, Thomas Rivera Schatz, Jennifer Gonzalez, Jorge Santini, Hector O'Neill, etc. Only the Congressional Delegate Pedro Pierluisi is a Democrat. The Rossello's are also Democrats but they seem to having a bit of a hissy fit with Fortuno at the moment. Carlos Romero Barcelo is basically a DINO (Democrat in Name Only).
I just can't get over it, we have some extremely hard core conservatives in this group and the TEA Party hears Puerto Rico and automatically assume Democrat majority. It's things like this that really make me hate the TEA Party morons. Puerto Rico statehood is something that could help the Republicans with Hispanic voters and they are squandering it over some silly fears
Within Puerto Rican politics statehood is associated with the Republicans while Commonwealth is associated with the Democrats. Look at how Alejandro Garcia Padilla and the PPD are constantly worshiping and bowing down to Obama ...
You know what's really ironic? The current batch of PNP leadership are almost all Republicans - Fortuno, Thomas Rivera Schatz, Jennifer Gonzalez, Jorge Santini, Hector O'Neill, etc. Only the Congressional Delegate Pedro Pierluisi is a Democrat. The Rossello's are also Democrats but they seem to having a bit of a hissy fit with Fortuno at the moment. Carlos Romero Barcelo is basically a DINO (Democrat in Name Only).
I just can't get over it, we have some extremely hard core conservatives in this group and the TEA Party hears Puerto Rico and automatically assume Democrat majority. It's things like this that really make me hate the TEA Party morons. Puerto Rico statehood is something that could help the Republicans with Hispanic voters and they are squandering it over some silly fears
Within Puerto Rican politics statehood is associated with the Republicans while Commonwealth is associated with the Democrats. Look at how Alejandro Garcia Padilla and the PPD are constantly worshiping and bowing down to Obama ...
I don't know where the myth of Hispanics backing statehod comes from. Most Hispanics are divided into their own nationalistic worlds and illegal problems and Puerto Rican statehood is the least thing they care about.
U.S. P.R's know that island Ricans look down on their uneducated, 24/7 dancing bros from the U.S. They see island Statehhoers as a mass of Hispanic tea partiers with a twist. The rational of Statehood on the island is welfare and food stamps, a.k.a. entitlements. Without this statehood feelings would drop like a lead ball.
The rational of Statehood on the island is welfare and food stamps, a.k.a. entitlements. Without this statehood feelings would drop like a lead ball.
While there is no doubt that some incorrectly view statehood as a larger meal ticket, it's not likely your statement represents the majority opinion. For the majority of "Statehooders" their motivation is to have the same voting rights of any other US citizen and true representation in Washington DC.
Most Puerto Ricans recognize the island is at a crossroads and many believe taking the direction toward statehood will result in reconstructing (where needed) PR's infrastructure, commerce and educational system etc..
While there is no doubt that some incorrectly view statehood as a larger meal ticket, it's not likely your statement represents the majority opinion. For the majority of "Statehooders" their motivation is to have the same voting rights of any other US citizen and true representation in Washington DC.
Most Puerto Ricans recognize the island is at a crossroads and many believe taking the direction toward statehood will result in reconstructing (where needed) PR's infrastructure, commerce and educational system etc..
Wishful thinking. Ask any "Juan de los parlotes' out side the metro area and they'll say we want statehood for the benefits. "Sin ellos nos morimos de hambre"
The shtick about rights and liberty is held by a few hardliners and right wing university students. When Puerto Ricans are asked if they are willing to give up Spanish, NO! they quickly say.
Check it out when you talk to regular people in the plazas and supermarkets.
However its not Puerto Ricans who will decide our fate even though 100% vote for statehood. Its the U.S. congress and the way it looks I'd say there may be surprises no matter what any one wants.
Excluding the AM Radio junkies and the Tea Party nobody "reasonable person"would ever expect Puerto Ricans to give up the Spanish language. But I would hope that public schools would be funded properly so they could teach english at a more proficient level. Of course buy-in from the student and family has to there too but there's no reason that being truly fluent in "english" should be available to only those who can afford private school.
Ilusiones, tal vez.
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