Puerto Rico Deserves Its Up Or Out Vote
I have long supported Puerto Rican statehood. But residents deserve this binding vote on statehood or independence.
Legislation create a binding referendum over the status of Puerto Rico advanced through the House of Representatives yesterday:
The U.S. House passed a bill Thursday that would allow Puerto Rico to hold the first-ever binding referendum on whether to become a state or gain some sort of independence, in a last-ditch effort that stands little chance of passing the Senate.
The bill, which passed 233-191 with some Republican support, would offer voters in the U.S. territory three options: statehood, independence or independence with free association.
“It is crucial to me that any proposal in Congress to decolonize Puerto Rico be informed and led by Puerto Ricans,” said Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, which oversees affairs in U.S. territories.
The proposal would commit Congress to accept Puerto Rico into the United States as the 51st state if voters on the island approved it. Voters also could choose outright independence or independence with free association, whose terms would be defined following negotiations over foreign affairs, U.S. citizenship and use of the U.S. dollar.
While I take umbrage with Raúl Grijalva’s description of this bill as a bill to “decolonize Puerto Rico” since Puerto Rico can hardly be considered a colony, I do agree with the idea of giving Puerto Rican voters the opportunity to participate in a binding vote over their status.
I have long been a supporter of Puerto Rican statehood. I have been to Puerto Rico. It is a beautiful island with a relatively modern economy. that has the highest gross domestic product in Latin America.
Is it perfect? Absolutely not. The gross domestic product is lower than any other state. The government, both at the state and local levels, is hopelessly corrupt. The economy is incredibly dependent upon tourism and imports to survive.
But let’s also look at the bigger picture here.
Puerto Rico has 3,285,874 million people living within its borders, all of whom are United States Citizens. Puerto Ricans are already paying federal taxes, they are serving in our military, they are contributing to Social Security, and they are receiving federal largesse. They just can’t get to vote on any of that stuff since they are not a state, have no representation in Congress, and have no vote for the President of the United States. Statehood will bring Puerto Rico more into the tent of the United States and should bring better oversight.1
Independence? That creates a whole series of nightmares for the United States. There will be economic complications due to a split. There would be an ecological issue as the U.S. would be turning National Park Service and National Forest Service properties over to the Puerto Rican Government.
But the biggest issue would be a foreign policy issue. And I’m talking about China. China has been investing in the Caribbean for years trying to curry favor with these nations. Considering Puerto Rico’s lack of major industrial development, need for infrastructure investment, and need to create economic partners, it would be a ripe opportunity for China to step in and become Puerto Rico’s biggest ally. I’m sure China would give them a good price for their help, and they would probably be more than delighted to take over the Fort Buchanan military installation once the U.S. vacated it.
That’s the most likely alternative to statehood: a Chinese economic ally on former U.S. territory, complete with military installations a thousand miles from Florida.2
A third option would be “independence with free association” which is a status that the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau currently have:
Under the compact, the US federal government provides guaranteed financial assistance over a 15-year period administered through its Office of Insular Affairs in exchange for full international defense authority and responsibilities.
The thing with free association though is the massive scale. Those three counties in free association with the United States have barely 200,000 people combined. That’s less than the population of San Juan by itself. I can’t imagine that the people of the other fifty states would be keen on funding the social services of a completely independent country of over three million people.3
With all of that being said, I think the people of Puerto Rico should be given the opportunity to make their decision. The peace and prosperity of statehood or the uncertain feature of independence. Give them the choice, and let’s hope they make the right one.
For those of you ready to grab your pitchforks because I’m for Puerto Rican statehood and against D.C. statehood let me remind you that Puerto Rican statehood is not forbidden by the Constitution.
if you want some more things to worry about: https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/03/14/china-latin-america-military-pla-infrastructure-ports-colombia/
Most people also couldn’t find Puerto Rico, Palau, the Marshall Islands, or Micronesia on a map much less are aware of the U.S.’s current responsibilities for them.