Why Puerto Rico is not a US state

I favor statehood for Puerto Rico. The people of Puerto Rico should have the right to determine their own political future. When the people of Puerto Rico make a clear decision my administration will stand by you. It may seem that US politicians support Puerto Rico's right to decide its future and would even welcome Porto Rico as a US state, but their words have yet to turn into action. This might not be surprising considering that when Hurricane Maria hit the island, 46% of Americans didn't know Puerto Ricans are American citizens. But they are. More Americans call Puerto Rico home than 21 US states, but being a US citizen in Puerto Rico is not the same as being a US citizen stateside. Puerto Rico is an American Commonwealth and one of five inhabited US territories. The island became a US territory when Spain conceded colonial control after it lost the Spanish-American war. The federal government gave Puerto Ricans American citizenship, their own Legislative Assembly, and governor. Like other American citizens Puerto Ricans can serve in the US military and are subject to drafts. And like other American citizens Puerto Ricans also pay most federal taxes. But unlike other citizens who face taxation, Puerto Ricans don't have federal representation. The island gets to send one politician to Congress to advocate on behalf of its residents, but they don't have a vote. This means Puerto Ricans can't vote on issues that affect the island such as limited funding for Medicaid or food stamps, as well as a broader economic policy. And while Puerto Ricans on the island can vote in the presidential primaries, they can't vote for the president. Puerto Ricans have voted several times on their status and referendums. Early on an ample majority of Puerto Ricans supported a Commonwealth over statehood or independence. You don't want to be a state and you don't want to be independent, you just want to go on living in the middle. In the middle, no. In the Commonwealth. Puerto Ricans today are divided on the status of the island. The latest referendum shows large support for statehood, but the turnout was historically low. But no matter what polls and votes show, referendum results are non-binding, because Puerto Rico can't become a state without approval from Congress and Congress has largely ignored Puerto Rico's status, but as the island struggles to recover from Hurricane Maria the issue is becoming harder to ignore. Puerto Rico's economy started tanking when Congress phased out tax incentives designed to attract investment to the island. Paired with fiscal mismanagement, the island's debt started to grow. To reverse Puerto Rico's financial decline, a board appointed by Congress imposed harsh austerity measures that reduced health and education spending on the island. As opportunities lessen, Puerto Ricans are relocating to mainland US. The population is shrinking on the island and their political influence stateside is growing. Once permanently living in a US state Puerto Ricans can actually impact federal politics. Puerto Rican statehood advocates want five House Representatives and two Senators in Congress, while Commonwealth supporters are fighting for increased parity without sacrificing their national identity. But despite political efforts, it seems that Puerto Rico will continue to belong to the u.s. without really having much of a say.

Channel: Vox

Views: 2,198,174

Keywords: puerto rico, us, politics, Statehood, citizenship, history, Vox.com, vox, explain, explainer, puerto rican, hurricane, hurricane maria, united states, america, central america, natural disaster, disaster relief, 2017 hurricane, 2017 hurricane puerto rico, 2017 puerto rico hurricane

Id: 8EOxtY3M6Co

Length: 3min 55sec (235 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 25 2018

Reddit Comments

[u/[deleted]]

Luis Muñoz Marín is the reason Puerto Rico is a commonwealth.

[u/gar37bic]

Reasonably balanced, mostly. A little tilt toward statehood, as usual asserting how not being a state prevents PR citizens from being able to influence legislation that affects the island, without discussing the advantages of non-statehood. :)

[u/sacundim]

This is a very poor video, but absolutely typical of English-language media coverage of Puerto Rico, which has good ol' Manifest Destiny and American exceptionalism as unstated premises. When you view things from that angle you get:

• Puerto Ricans get represented as if they were just another American minority, instead of a nation under the colonial rule of the United States.
• Puerto Rico gets represented as if it was just a piece of land—a "territory"—instead of (again) a nation under the colonial rule of the United States.
• American citizenship is presented as something that was "granted" to Puerto Ricans. More generally the United States' 120 years of colonial rule over Puerto Rico are portrayed as an act of benevolence.
• Statehood gets portrayed as if it was the natural end state of Puerto Rico, and the question then becomes why Puerto Rico isn't a state yet.
• Puerto Rican voices are conspicuously absent from the discussion. It's Americans talking to other Americans about Puerto Ricans, who somehow didn't get an invite to the conversation. (Or sometimes a token Puerto Rican did, and he's of course Lin-Manuel.)
• Basic facts about Puerto Rico are completely left out of the discussion. Like its language, culture, history, who are its main political parties, what positions do they hold, what do they respond to the other parties' positions, etc.