Puerto Rico should be 51st
Editorial: We believe Puerto Rico’s statehood is up to its citizens.
The United States acquired Puerto Rico after what Teddy Roosevelt famously called a “splendid little war” in 1898.
The Spanish-American War was over in 10 weeks. The ensuing battle over Puerto Rico’s relationship with the U.S. is still raging on the island and in Washington D.C.
It’s past time to resolve the not-so-splendid state of affairs.
Congress has been fighting over a bill that would provide funding for states hit by natural disasters. The big hang-up is how much the hurricane-ravaged “country” of Puerto Rico should get.
Yes, we know Puerto Rico is an unincorporated U.S. territory, not an independent nation. We’re just not sure the Trump Administration realizes that.
“That country,” is how White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley referred to it last week during an MSNBC interview.
As the funding battle heated up, Rep. Darren Soto filed legislation that would admit Puerto Rico as America’s 51st state. The bill has its flaws, not the least of which is it would ignore anti-statehood sentiments on the island.
Soto deserves credit, however, for forcing the issue of statehood. After 119 years in territorial limbo, Puerto Rico’s status should be resolved once and for all.
Should it be a state, a nation or remain a territory?
We favor statehood, and the Trump Administration’s attitude illustrates why.
Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, have been since 1917. They pay some taxes, but not all. They receive some U.S. benefits, but not all.
They can serve in the U.S. military but are not allowed to vote in U.S. elections if they live on the island. Their representative in Congress can introduce legislation but is not allowed to vote.
The half-in status makes it easy to dismiss Puerto Rico’s needs and our country’s obligations. Look no further than the 2017 hurricane season.
The federal response to Maria lagged behind the all-hands-on-deck reaction to Irma and Harvey. Almost 19 months the hurricane, thousands of Puerto Rican homes still have blue-tarped roofs. Electricity remains spotty in many areas.
Do you think things would still be so bad if Puerto Rico had a star on the U.S. flag?
Maria relief has become a major trigger for Trump. He railed last week against “grossly incompetent” Puerto Rican officials and Democrats who have held up relief funding for Midwestern states because they said it didn’t have enough aid for Puerto Rico.
“Cannot continue to hurt our Farmers and States with these massive payments, and so little appreciation,” he tweeted.
The president needs to be reminded that a Puerto Rican fisherman is just as much a citizen as a Nebraska farmer. But Trump isn’t completely wrong in his overall assessment.
There is plenty of governmental incompetence in Puerto Rico. That partially explains how the island is saddled with about $75 billion in debt.
But government incompetence was a problem in 2016, and Trump the candidate supported statehood.
Now he’s against it, a stance that goes against every president — Republican and Democrat — in the past 50 years. Republicans even made Puerto Rican statehood a plank in their 2016 party platform.
Democrats did not, citing the lack of consensus on the island. That raises the key question in this debate.
Does Puerto Rico want to become a state?
It’s long been a central issue in the island’s politics. Five non-binding referendums have been held on statehood, and it was voted down three times. The fourth vote in 2012 was indeterminate due to confusing phrasing on the ballot.
In a 2017 plebiscite, 97 percent voted in favor of statehood. But the opposition parties boycotted and there was only 23 percent voter turnout.
Those who favor independence rally around self-determination and Puerto Rico’s rich culture. About 95 percent of households speak Spanish as a first language.
With its history and sociology, Puerto Rico feels far more like a distinct nation than any of the current 50 states ever will. A lot of people would rather the island strike out on its own than be assimilated by Uncle Sam.
We believe statehood would bring more reliable government and spur investment in Puerto Rico. And we’re not talking Samoa or Guam or the Northern Mariana Islands here.
This U.S. territory is 1,240 miles closer to the mainland than Hawaii. Its connections are well established.
There are an estimated 225,000 Puerto Rican voters in Florida alone. An ALG Research poll released last week showed that 80 percent of them think Puerto Rico should be granted statehood
It would be a win-win for the island and the mainland, but the wishes of the Puerto Rican people must be respected.
Soto’s bill would make Puerto Rico a state 90 days after Congressional approval and the president signs the legislation. Given Trump’s current mood, Cuba might become a state before Puerto Rico.
Soto initially said the 2017 plebiscite legitimized his bill. Now he favors another one during the 2020 election that would simply ask “Statehood: Yes or No?
“Ultimately, this question must be answered,” Soto said. “What’s clear to me is that statehood or even possibly independence are viable options, but the territorial status is untenable.”
He’s right about that.
“We need action for Puerto Rico,” Soto said.
That’s because, whatever the people decide, one thing has become obvious: A century-plus of being treated like secondclass citizens is long enough.