Sunday, June 15, 2014

The Puerto Rico Question: Statehood, Independence, or Neither?

Puerto Rico's status in the Unites States' political sphere is a bit complicated.  It is considered a commonwealth, which means that the people of Puerto Rico are citizens of the United States but they do not have much say in the nation's government.  This has led to questions over the years about what should be done about Puerto Rico, to the extent that there is a group of Puerto Ricans that want to reunite with Spain.  While some still favor the status quo, others are proponents for statehood, and there has been some movement on that front in the form of a resolution in the Senate.

Many proponents for statehood cite the economic benefits associated with becoming a state, especially citing a recent GAO report that projects a favorable impact on the Puerto Rican economy if statehood is achieved.  It also suggests that statehood is both in Puerto Rico's interests as well as the nation's interest, which has been a cause for worry in the past regarding Puerto Rico's status.  The U.S. Government is constitutionally obligated to treat Puerto Rico with less priority that the states, and would have to sink more money into the State of Puerto Rico than they do the Commonwealth. However, the GAO report suggests that increased revenues from the state will ably make up for the extra dollars spent.

Economic benefits certainly are debatable, with some people drawing different conclusions from the same report, but Puerto Rico would likely be better off as a state in the United States rather than on their own, where they would have to pay for national defense and international diplomacy in addition to managing their own national economy.  The independence question is something that both Catalonia and Scotland have considered in recent years.  It would be a bit of a stretch to think that Puerto Rico would be better off on their own rather than aligned with the economy of the United States.  It is likely that remaining with the United States as a state would either better protect, or at the very least not change Puerto Rico's propensity to economic fluctuation, since their economy is dependent substantially on oil for transportation and energy, as well as its dependence on imports.  Puerto Rico has struggled to become fully self sufficient in its history, so enhancing ties with an economic power like the United States would seem to be in it's best interests.

Regardless of the economic situation, the people of Puerto Rico deserve to have something done about their future.  Right now, though they are a United States Commonwealth, they cannot vote in presidential elections and do not have a voting member of congress (they do have one representative to serve their interests, but they are not able to vote).

Whether or not Puerto Rico should become a state is a question best left to the Puerto Rican people, but a decision should be made.  Puerto Rico should not exist in a limbo where they are not independent or not represented in the government of their own country.  It is in Puerto Rico's best interests to force this issue.

Adding Puerto Rico to the Union could influence the politics of the United States significantly, and this is possibly why there has to some resistance to decision making regarding Puerto Rico's status in Washington.  Adding Puerto Rico as a state could well add two Democratic-leaning senators to the U.S. Congress, as well as some representatives, possibly taking representatives away from lower population right-leaning states.  This leaves the Republican Party with little incentive, though the party's platform does support it, to initiate action towards Puerto Rico's admission into the Union as a state.

Irrespective of these effects, Puerto Rico's needs and accordingly, its politics, would affect how the national parties approach certain issues.  Puerto Rico is different culturally and economically to the other 50 states. Namely, Puerto Ricans speak primarily Spanish, where the mainland obviously favors English.

These differences, however, could have a positive effect on the politics of our country. The nation's own demographics are changing, with many more Latinos than there were 20 years ago.  Other immigrant groups are also on the rise.  Adding Puerto Rico to the Union would add some diversity to our country, and hopefully force the political parties to cater to a diversifying nation.  At the very least, it could provide some fresh blood and some new perspective to Washington, a city that badly needs some different opinions on how to run the country.  Puerto Rico might give the United States that opportunity.