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The
Island of Puerto Rico is the home of 3.8 million American
citizens. The island is approximately 3,500 square miles
(100 by 35 miles) of mountains, foothills and plains,
featuring some of the most beautiful tourist attractions
in the Caribbean, including its beaches, mountain vistas,
tropical rain forests, and warm tropical climate. But
Puerto Rico is much more. It is a complex society of
peoples of predominately Spanish origin, but with enrichment
from many others including mainland Americans, immigrants
from Europe, Blacks from Africa and native Indian populations.
Its economy is multidimensional and sophisticated, relying
in part on tourism and agriculture, but more so on the
manufacture of goods and services for both home consumption
and export, primarily to the United States mainland.
In
1898, Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States
as a result of the Spanish American War. The U.S. also
took the Philippine Islands and Cuba as war prizes.
Cuba was soon given its independence. The Philippines
were granted their independence after the U.S. took
them back from the Japanese after World War II. But
there was no great rush towards independence in Puerto
Rico. The majority of Puerto Ricans, many of whom had
resisted the Spanish occupation of the island, wanted
and expected to receive full U.S. citizenship soon
after the occupation. But they were not granted that
privilege until passage of the Jones Act in 1917.
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School Children in Old San Juan
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This
act extended the rights of citizenship of a qualified,
limited nature to Puerto Ricans. They enjoyed protection,
but not equal political rights. Still, they could attain
a U.S. passport and travel internationally as well
as to the mainland United States where many emigrated
to gain a better life. But the Puerto Rican people
were not permitted to enjoy full political rights by
taking part in national decisions. They had no voting
representation in Congress, and could not vote for
President, a situation that still exists today.
In
1951, the U.S. Congress gave Puerto Rico further autonomy
by allowing it to adopt its own constitution, which
it did the following year. Under the leadership of
Governor Luis Munoz Marin, leader of the Popular Democratic
Party, a new strategy for economic development was
launched. Called Operation Bootstrap, the economic
plan was anchored by federal tax incentives that promoted
U.S. business investment on the island.
It
also consisted of an aggressive program of infrastructure
development, and usage of the Puerto Rican government
as employer of last resort. The final pillar of the
program was encouragement of out-migration to the mainland
for the many Puerto Ricans who could not find work
at home.
Puerto
Rico is a "commonwealth" of the United States.
Its official name is the Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto
Rico (Free Associated State of Puerto Rico). But in
fact, the United States Government under the territorial
clause of the U.S. Constitution controls Puerto Rico.
Although significant local autonomy has been delegated
to Puerto Rico by the U.S. Congress, and claims to
the contrary, Puerto Rico is in fact a dependent territory
of the United States. It is indeed controlled by a
distant power, in a dependent relationship. This is
the definition of a COLONY.
As
a territory, Puerto Rico governs itself internally
with a large measure of autonomy roughly equivalent
to a state. It has three branches of government,
an executive and legislature, both popularly elected,
and an independent judiciary system.
Politically,
Puerto Rico elects its local officials from political
parties that reflect local attitudes toward political
status of the island, vis-à-vis the United
States. The Popular Democratic Party (PDP) advocates
the current political status of the island, or variations
on that theme. The Independence Party (PIP) advocates
independence of the island from the United States.
The New Progressive Party (PNP) is the standard bearer
for statehood, and full political and economic integration
into the United States. Other smaller parties exist,
but generally do not poll measurable numbers during
local elections.
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Shipyard in San Juan.
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Many
island politicians are also members of the stateside
Democratic and Republican Parties, and each of those
two parties has its own Puerto Rico organization.
For example, both parties have their own "state" Chairman
and committee persons, and each sends a delegation
to functions of their respective National Committee
and can vote at the National Conventions every four
years.
Political
similarity with the various states, however, ends
there. The rights of Puerto Ricans as citizens are
severely circumscribed. Puerto Ricans cannot vote
for President, nor are they fully represented in
Congress. They can only select a non-voting representative,
just as any other U.S. territory that has a seat
in the U.S. House of Representatives. Instead of
the six votes they would have in the House based
on their population, they have none.
Puerto
Rican individuals and businesses do not pay federal
income taxes. The business exemptions, provided under
Section 936 of the U.S. Tax Code, were one of the
pillars of the economic development of the island.
For years this program was very helpful in building
the economy of Puerto Rico from what at one time
was known as the "poor house of the Caribbean," to
one of the highest standards of living in the Latin
America and Caribbean region. In the meantime, the
U.S. taxpayer continues to support the island with
billions of dollars per year. Many predict the gap
to widen with the dilution of federal tax incentives,
unless the political status of the island is changed.
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