Puerto Rico Status
One of the main issues in Puerto Rico today is the problem of status. Currently, Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth, or an organized incorporated territory. Under Commonwealth, it has control of its internal affairs, has its own constitution, flag, anthem, and elected governor. According to Senator of Puerto Rico Charles Rodriguez, "the reality is that this status, supported strongly by powerful American corporations who benefit from it financially, is that its simply another form of old fashioned colonialism." The three status options for Puerto Rico approved by Congress are independence, associated republic, and statehood. Puerto Ricans today face the problem of choosing the option out of these three that would be the best one for their country. I understand that the wisest decision Puerto Ricans can make is to vote for statehood since it would benefit greatly in almost every aspect of our lives. Becoming a state would give Puerto Rico the opportunity of improving its economic situation. Many people argue that if Puerto Rico becomes a state, we would have to pay Federal income taxes and therefore we would have to pay more money to the government than we do now. But what they don't know is that, since we don't pay Federal taxes, Co
Quiros, Samuel. "Language is not who I am". Pg. 1-2. Rev. 17 Sept. 1999. 23 Oct. 1999. < http://www.puertorico51.org/option/statehood/language_is_not_who_I_am.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ s. Therefore, by becoming a state we will be helping prevent the total disappearance of our culture and ways. ere to vote for a candidate for Presidency, the actual candidate would come to us to try to gain our vote and he would have the initiative of trying to fulfill our needs. Right now Puerto Ricans have what might be called a second-rate citizenship. Congress can revoke our American citizenship at any time. We have the right for some privileges, but the most important thing of all, which we don't have, is the right to vote and choose what's best for our future and to have the security that these rights which we posses are not going to be taken away. Another disadvantage of not being a state is that we are not politically equal. Currently, Puerto Rico is represented a Resident Commissioner in Congress. This commissioner has voice but no vote in the House of Representatives. The Territorial Clause, Article IV, section 3 of the U.S. Constitution states, "The Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations respecting the territory or other property belonging to the United States." In other words, any type of laws or proposal for Puerto Rico must be within a moderate Constitutional structure. By becoming a state Puerto Rico would gain the right to vote in Congress by gaining 6 representatives in the House of Representatives and 2 senators in the Senate. After all, if these decisions are going to affect us, we might as well vote for them. Not only that, but we would also gain the right to vote for the President, which in my belief is a right that has been deprived from us for too long. If we w!
Some common words found in the essay are:
Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans, Spanish English, North Americans, Puerto Rico's, House Representatives, Puerto Rican, puerto rico, Alaska Hawaii, United States', Rico United, puerto ricans, oct 1999, gain vote, puerto rican, becoming puerto rico, becoming puerto, puerto rico united, article iv, associated republic, currently puerto rico, iv section, section 3, clause article iv, article iv section,
Approximate Word count = 1509
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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