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Guam I understand - it gives US a military foothold in East Asia. But what does US get out of Puerto Rico?
Most Puerto Ricans don't pay federal tax, and just the opposite the federal govt gives Puerto Rico annual financial support. So what good is Puerto Rico to US?
Most Puerto Ricans don't pay federal tax, and just the opposite the federal govt gives Puerto Rico annual financial support. So what good is Puerto Rico to US?
Neither do most people living in Republican states ... few of which contribute anything to the US Treasury. Ever see a list of the states most dependent on Federal handouts? Texas is literally the only Republican state that isn't a net drain.
What good is Missouri or West Virginia to the US? We don't need coal mines anymore, what do we need West Virginia for? I don't know ... yet for some reason we New Yorkers have to prop up their failed governments and subsidize their low taxes. And we do so without complaint because we recognize that that's how a UNION works.
Neither do most people living in Republican states ... few of which contribute anything to the US Treasury. Ever see a list of the states most dependent on Federal handouts? Texas is literally the only Republican state that isn't a net drain.
What good is Missouri or West Virginia to the US? We don't need coal mines anymore, what do we need West Virginia for? I don't know ... yet for some reason we New Yorkers have to prop up their failed governments and subsidize their low taxes. And we do so without complaint because we recognize that that's how a UNION works.
Some pay more some pay less, hard to be 100% even; important thing is everyone in the states pays.
But PR people pay nothing. I think that's different. I would really enjoy paying no federal tax.
"I would really enjoy paying no federal tax."...would you also enjoy being treated like you were a beggar, or worse when you needed federal help...think Hurricane Maria....
"But what does US get out of Puerto Rico?".......For decades, the US operated a Naval base in PR...Roosevelt Roads
Some pay more some pay less, hard to be 100% even; important thing is everyone in the states pays.
But PR people pay nothing. I think that's different. I would really enjoy paying no federal tax.
I assume PR is like US Virgin Islands (where I currently live, but for only 8 more months thankfully), in that wage earners pay the same amount of income tax as they would if they worked in the actual US, but those tax dollars are paid to the territory's government rather than to the federal government.
So it's incorrect to envy us for paying "no federal tax" or that we "pay nothing." Granted, it doesn't go to the US Treasury, but we are certainly paying the same tax rate.
Regarding the original question, I do find myself wondering what benefit the US derives from having USVI as a territory. In the year and a half that I've lived here, it's clear most of the locals do not like or appreciate the US. They do not like to have people move here from the states. They don't like tourists from the states, but tolerate them for the economic benefits.
I'd love to see the US give USVI their independence, and let them try to manage on their own without the massive amount of monetary aid from the US. If Puerto Ricans hate the US in a similar way, I'd happily grant them independence too.
We keep up Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands for the strategic location--in case of war. St. Croix has a huge oil refinery feeding the entire Western Caribbean too.
It's all about our Navy, and having them stashed 1000 miles closer to potential targets.
We keep up Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands for the strategic location--in case of war. St. Croix has a huge oil refinery feeding the entire Western Caribbean too.
It's all about our Navy, and having them stashed 1000 miles closer to potential targets.
Just FYI, that refinery (formerly Hovensa, now Limetree Bay) has not been operational since 2012. It has been in the process of being rebuilt since 2018 (that's why I'm here) and is expected to be running in about 2 more months. It will be a huge help to the economy of St Croix (it was formerly a whopping 60% of the entire island's GDP) but not to the USA. And most of the locals hate that it is reopening.
However much Puerto Rico "costs" the US, it´s worth it. Having crowded island territories with higher unemployment and poverty levels than the Mainland is a wet dream for military recruiters. Seriously, the numbers are so high coming from these places. Puerto Rico is state #51 in terms of so many things being shipped in from the Mainland and consumed by the locals. All the US chain businesses are there-- US shipping companies make a killing on the place. For however Americanized places like Costa Rica or the Dominican Republic are, there simply isn´t the same staggering business relationship between countries like them and the US.
Educated Puerto Ricans who move Stateside are a great help to the local, state and federal governments. This is of course to the detriment of the island´s own services, but bilingual teachers, firefighters, medical professionals, police officers, etc. are in high demand and they´re always being recruited to come over. I´d even dare to say that other Hispanic groups in the US (especially those who are undocumented and/or with little English skills) owe a debt of gratitude to those Puerto Ricans who serve Mainland communities.
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