Published on Apr 20, 2015
UFO enthusiast Reinaldo Rios launched his independent bid for governor of Puerto Rico in San Juan, Monday, by announcing his extra-terrestrial plans for the island, should he be elected.
Equality Is the Issue for Puerto Rico by hadeninteractive
By now, it is probable that everyone concerned about Puerto Rico’s status has seen , read about, and discussed John Oliver’s take on voting rights in U.S. territories.
Julio Ricardo Varela has taken a look at the comic’s point of view in the context of Puerto Rico’s history, with a thoughtful essaythat begins with a reminder of the fundamental inequality between Puerto Rico and the states:
As US citizens, Puerto Ricans can fight on behalf of America in foreign wars, but they can’t vote for the president who sends them there. Theypay taxes, but don’t have a representative in Congress who can vote on how to spend them. It’s definitively anti-American: modern-day taxation without representation.
There is a clear problem here, and it is the kind of problem that Americans usually respond to with the kind of emotional reaction engendered by Oliver’s video. But the essay goes on to point out that many people have written and spoken about the problem, without capturing the hearts and minds of the mainland.
Mainland Americans simply don’t care about Puerto Rico. To them, the island is little more than a West Side Story sideshow, or a weird economic experiment they don’t quite understand.
The lack of knowledgeof mainland Americans on the subject of Puerto Rico is certainly part of the problem, but it shouldn’t be an excuse. Nor should the tactic of encouraging complexity be accepted. The vote in 2012 was clear (54% rejected continuing as a territory and 61% chose statehood from the viable options), but it has become mired in controversy that makes ordinary Americans decide that the whole thing must be more complicated than they realize, and decide that they shouldn’t interfere. It isn’t really that complicated.
This is not about the intricacies of sovereignty, or the unique fashion of politics in Puerto Rico and other US territories. This is about equality, pure and simple—a value any American would understand.
Once we acknowledge this, there is no defense for ignoring Puerto Rico’s demand for statehood.Andrés W. López of the Futuro Fund is quoted in the essay making a very firm declaration:
[T]he Obama administration has officially become the first administration in American history to confront a clear rejection of the territorial status quo from the people of Puerto Rico. The people have spoken, the promise is pending, and our crisis is urgent. The president can resolve it and make history.
After more than a century as a territory, Puerto Rico is now in a position to resolve its status and end the inequality.
The post Equality Is the Issue for Puerto Rico appeared first on Puerto Rico Report.
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Forty additional members of the U.S. House of Representatives have sponsored the bill to make Puerto Rico a State in 2021 if Puerto Ricans vote for the status again since the bill was first introduced by a symbolic 51 members seven weeks ago.
The territory’s resident commissioner in the House, Pedro Pierluisi, is the bill’s lead sponsor. Pierluisi heads Puerto Rico’s statehood party as well as is its official representative to the U.S. Government.
The other 90 come from both national political parties.
The bill would authorize a vote on statehood before 2018. If the vote is in favor of statehood, the bill would require the president of the United States to name a five-member Commission on the Equal Application of Federal Law to Puerto Rico. Two of the members would have to be from the territory.
The panel’s report would be due July 1, 2018.
Puerto Ricans would elect U.S. senators and House of Representatives members and vote for the president and vice-president of the United States in the 2020 elections.
The Commonwealth government would be authorized to use the $2.5 million appropriated by the Federal government 14 months ago for a vote on an option or options that can resolve the question of the territory’s future status for the bill’s vote on statehood.
First Vote for Statehood
In Puerto Rico’s first plebiscite on all of its status options held along with the elections in November, 2012, 54 percent of the vote rejected continuing territory status and 61.2 percent chose statehood among the alternatives.
But the governor and legislature majorities very narrowly elected at the same time disputed the plebiscite and lobbied against Federal action on its petition for a transition to statehood. So, the Obama Administration proposed and Congress passed an authorization for a plebiscite under Federal auspices.
The authorization limited the possible options for the plebiscite to proposals that do not conflict with the Constitution, laws and policies of the U.S. as determined by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The new governor and legislature majorities from the territory’s “commonwealth status” party had initially objected to the 2012 plebiscite because it did not include their party’s proposal for an unprecedented “commonwealth” status. The “commonwealth” proposal had been rejected by the Obama, George W. Bush, and Clinton Administrations as well as by congressional leaders as being impossible for constitutional and other reasons.
Pierluisi led U.S. House and Senate members in sponsoring a somewhat similar bill in the last Congress.
The statehood party members of Puerto Rico’s Legislative Assembly have proposed legislation for a plebiscite on statehood.
Opponents Fear Vote on Statehood
“Commonwealth” party leaders such as former Governor Rafael Hernandez Colon have opposed a vote on statehood because Puerto Ricans would vote for the status.
Hernandez Colon wants a status plebiscite before the 2016 elections because he thinks it is likely that statehood party candidates will win most offices then and move the territory towards statehood in 2017. His plebiscite would include four options — in addition to statehood, his new “commonwealth status” proposal, independence, and nationhood in an association with the U.S. that either nation could end.
The “commonwealth status” party is split between Hernandez Colon’s proposal and the proposal of some other party leaders for nationhood in an association with the U.S. but with U.S. citizenship.
The statehood bill’s sponsors represent 30 States and all four territories. 75 are Democrats, 14 are Republicans, and one is an independent.
The sponsors are:
Amata, Aumua [R-AS]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Beyer, Donald [D-VA-8]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Bordallo, Madeleine [D-GU]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Brown, Corrine [D-FL-5]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Cartwright, Matthew [D-PA-17]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Castor, Kathy [D-FL-14]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Cicilline, David [D-RI-1]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Clyburn, James “Jim” [D-SC-6]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Connolly, Gerald [D-VA-11]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Conyers, John [D-MI-13]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Costa, Jim [D-CA-16]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Crowley, Joseph [D-NY-14]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Curbelo, Carlos [R-FL-26]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Deutch, Theodore [D-FL-21]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Diaz-Balart, Mario [R-FL-25]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Engel, Eliot [D-NY-16]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Frankel, Lois [D-FL-22]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Fudge, Marcia [D-OH-11]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Gabbard, Tulsi [D-HI-2]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Grayson, Alan [D-FL-9]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Harris, Andy [R-MD-1]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Hastings, Alcee [D-FL-20]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Hoyer, Steny [D-MD-5]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Jeffries, Hakeem [D-NY-8]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Kind, Ron [D-WI-3]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
King, Peter “Pete” [R-NY-2]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Labrador, Raúl [R-ID-1]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Larson, John [D-CT-1]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Lewis, John [D-GA-5]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Marino, Tom [R-PA-10]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Meeks, Gregory [D-NY-5]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Mica, John [R-FL-7]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Murphy, Patrick [D-FL-18]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Norton, Eleanor [D-DC]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Plaskett, Stacey [D-VI]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Polis, Jared [D-CO-2]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Ribble, Reid [R-WI-8]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [R-FL-27]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Ruiz, Raul [D-CA-36]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Sablan, Gregorio [I-MP]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Schiff, Adam [D-CA-28]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Schock, Aaron [R-IL-18]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Serrano, José [D-NY-15]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Takai, Mark [D-HI-1]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Vargas, Juan [D-CA-51]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-23]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Waters, Maxine [D-CA-43]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Welch, Peter [D-VT]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Young, Don [R-AK]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Beyer, Donald [D-VA-8]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Bordallo, Madeleine [D-GU]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Brown, Corrine [D-FL-5]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Cartwright, Matthew [D-PA-17]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Castor, Kathy [D-FL-14]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Cicilline, David [D-RI-1]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Clyburn, James “Jim” [D-SC-6]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Connolly, Gerald [D-VA-11]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Conyers, John [D-MI-13]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Costa, Jim [D-CA-16]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Crowley, Joseph [D-NY-14]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Curbelo, Carlos [R-FL-26]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Deutch, Theodore [D-FL-21]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Diaz-Balart, Mario [R-FL-25]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Engel, Eliot [D-NY-16]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Frankel, Lois [D-FL-22]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Fudge, Marcia [D-OH-11]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Gabbard, Tulsi [D-HI-2]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Grayson, Alan [D-FL-9]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Harris, Andy [R-MD-1]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Hastings, Alcee [D-FL-20]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Hoyer, Steny [D-MD-5]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Jeffries, Hakeem [D-NY-8]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Kind, Ron [D-WI-3]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
King, Peter “Pete” [R-NY-2]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Labrador, Raúl [R-ID-1]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Larson, John [D-CT-1]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Lewis, John [D-GA-5]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Marino, Tom [R-PA-10]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Meeks, Gregory [D-NY-5]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Mica, John [R-FL-7]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Murphy, Patrick [D-FL-18]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Norton, Eleanor [D-DC]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Plaskett, Stacey [D-VI]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Polis, Jared [D-CO-2]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Ribble, Reid [R-WI-8]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [R-FL-27]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Ruiz, Raul [D-CA-36]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Sablan, Gregorio [I-MP]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Schiff, Adam [D-CA-28]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Schock, Aaron [R-IL-18]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Serrano, José [D-NY-15]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Takai, Mark [D-HI-1]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Vargas, Juan [D-CA-51]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-23]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Waters, Maxine [D-CA-43]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Welch, Peter [D-VT]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Young, Don [R-AK]
(joined Feb 4, 2015)
Butterfield, George “G.K.” [D-NC-1]
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
Cárdenas, Tony [D-CA-29]
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
Clarke, Yvette [D-NY-9]
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
DeLauro, Rosa [D-CT-3]
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
Farr, Sam [D-CA-20]
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
Green, Gene [D-TX-29]
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
Israel, Steve [D-NY-3]
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
Johnson, Henry “Hank” [D-GA-4]
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
Perlmutter, Ed [D-CO-7]
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
Scott, Robert “Bobby” [D-VA-3]
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
Stefanik, Elise [R-NY-21]
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
McGovern, James “Jim” [D-MA-2]
(joined Feb 25, 2015)
Mooney, Alex [R-WV-2]
(joined Feb 25, 2015)
Tsongas, Niki [D-MA-3]
(joined Feb 25, 2015)
Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1]
(joined Mar 4, 2015)
Price, David [D-NC-4]
(joined Mar 4, 2015)
Thompson, Bennie [D-MS-2]
(joined Mar 4, 2015)
Thompson, Mike [D-CA-5]
(joined Mar 4, 2015)
Walz, Timothy [D-MN-1]
(joined Mar 4, 2015)
Capuano, Michael [D-MA7]
(joined Mar 18, 2015)
Carney, John [D-DE]
(joined Mar 18, 2015)
Cummings, Elijah [D-MD-7]
(joined Mar 18, 2015)
Doggett, Lloyd [D-TX-35]
(joined Mar 18, 2015)
Fattah, Chaka [D-PA-2]
(joined Mar 18, 2015)
Hahn, Janice [D-CA-44]
(joined Mar 18, 2015)
Jackson Lee, Sheila [D-TX-18]
(joined Mar 18, 2015)
McNerney, Jerry [D-CA-9]
(joined Mar 18, 2015)
Schrader, Kurt [D-OR-5]
(joined Mar 18, 2015)
Wilson, Frederica [D-FL-24]
(joined Mar 18, 2015)
DeGette, Diana [D-CO-1]
(joined Mar 19, 2015)
Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR-3]
(joined Mar 25, 2015)
Castro, Joaquin [D-TX-20]
(joined Mar 25, 2015)
Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5]
(joined Mar 25, 2015)
Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ-7]
(joined Mar 25, 2015)
Grijalva, Raúl [D-AZ-3]
(joined Mar 25, 2015)
Lowenthal, Alan [D-CA-47]
(joined Mar 25, 2015)
Speier, Jackie [D-CA-14]
(joined Mar 25, 2015)
Capps, Lois [D-CA-24]
(joined Mar 26, 2015)
Langevin, James “Jim” [D-RI-2]
(joined Mar 26, 2015)
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
Cárdenas, Tony [D-CA-29]
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
Clarke, Yvette [D-NY-9]
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
DeLauro, Rosa [D-CT-3]
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
Farr, Sam [D-CA-20]
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
Green, Gene [D-TX-29]
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
Israel, Steve [D-NY-3]
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
Johnson, Henry “Hank” [D-GA-4]
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
Perlmutter, Ed [D-CO-7]
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
Scott, Robert “Bobby” [D-VA-3]
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
Stefanik, Elise [R-NY-21]
(joined Feb 12, 2015)
McGovern, James “Jim” [D-MA-2]
(joined Feb 25, 2015)
Mooney, Alex [R-WV-2]
(joined Feb 25, 2015)
Tsongas, Niki [D-MA-3]
(joined Feb 25, 2015)
Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1]
(joined Mar 4, 2015)
Price, David [D-NC-4]
(joined Mar 4, 2015)
Thompson, Bennie [D-MS-2]
(joined Mar 4, 2015)
Thompson, Mike [D-CA-5]
(joined Mar 4, 2015)
Walz, Timothy [D-MN-1]
(joined Mar 4, 2015)
Capuano, Michael [D-MA7]
(joined Mar 18, 2015)
Carney, John [D-DE]
(joined Mar 18, 2015)
Cummings, Elijah [D-MD-7]
(joined Mar 18, 2015)
Doggett, Lloyd [D-TX-35]
(joined Mar 18, 2015)
Fattah, Chaka [D-PA-2]
(joined Mar 18, 2015)
Hahn, Janice [D-CA-44]
(joined Mar 18, 2015)
Jackson Lee, Sheila [D-TX-18]
(joined Mar 18, 2015)
McNerney, Jerry [D-CA-9]
(joined Mar 18, 2015)
Schrader, Kurt [D-OR-5]
(joined Mar 18, 2015)
Wilson, Frederica [D-FL-24]
(joined Mar 18, 2015)
DeGette, Diana [D-CO-1]
(joined Mar 19, 2015)
Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR-3]
(joined Mar 25, 2015)
Castro, Joaquin [D-TX-20]
(joined Mar 25, 2015)
Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5]
(joined Mar 25, 2015)
Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ-7]
(joined Mar 25, 2015)
Grijalva, Raúl [D-AZ-3]
(joined Mar 25, 2015)
Lowenthal, Alan [D-CA-47]
(joined Mar 25, 2015)
Speier, Jackie [D-CA-14]
(joined Mar 25, 2015)
Capps, Lois [D-CA-24]
(joined Mar 26, 2015)
Langevin, James “Jim” [D-RI-2]
(joined Mar 26, 2015)
The post 91 in U.S. House Have Sponsored Statehood Bill appeared first on Puerto Rico Report.
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The U.S. Could Oust Puerto Rico’s Governor by hadeninteractive
A recent Huffington Post article recognized that the Federal government could remove the governor of Puerto Rico from office — although there is no real chance that it would use the power.
The blog post was prompted by online petition to President Obama to oust Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla (“commonwealth status” party).
Obama White House staff have promised to respond to such petitions that are endorsed by at least 100,000 names within a short time period. The anti-Garcia Padilla petition surpassed the minimum.
The White House has not yet responded … and should not be counted on to do so.
The United States authorized Puerto Ricans to elect the territory’s governor in 1948, 50 years after taking Puerto Rico from Spain and after appointing previous governors.
The Federal government and Puerto Ricans agreed on a constitution for the territory in 1952, which also provided for the election of the governor.
Because of the authorization for a locally-elected governor and the approval of the territorial constitution, the president of the United States can no longer remove Puerto Rico’s governor from office. The laws, however, can be changed by another law.
Charles R. Venator, a political science professor at the University of Connecticut’s Institute of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies, was quoted in the report as explaining, “[B]ecause Congress has not changed the territorial status of Puerto Rico since 1900, it is possible to make a theoretical argument that Congress has a plenary power to intervene in local Puerto Rican affairs and remove the governor.”
It can, of course. It might have to, for example, to transfer ownership what constitutionally is a possession to another nation — just as Spain transferred Puerto Rico to the U.S.
The article continued by noting that the issue “brings up the thorny question of whether the island is officially a territory at all. The land was never formally incorporated following its annexation.”
By “a territory” it meant a territory that is a permanent part of the U.S. — which Puerto Rico has not been made. Such territories, “incorporated territories,” are territories that have been clearly destined for statehood.
Instead, Puerto Rico is a territory that has not been made a permanent part of the U.S, a “non-incorporated” (or “unincorporated”) territory. This means that it can become a nation as well as a U.S. State — or a territory of another nation.
The petition to President Obama asserted that Puerto Rico needs an impeachment process. In fact, it does, included in the territorial constitution.
Puerto Ricans can also change their governor through elections, which are held every four years.
The Huffington Post said that Gov. Garcia Padilla’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the petition.
The post The U.S. Could Oust Puerto Rico’s Governor appeared first on Puerto Rico Report.
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Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi announced that fewer than two months after it was introduced, the Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Process Act has obtained 90 cosponsors. The bill, H.R. 727, was filed by Pierluisi ...
Puerto Rico statehood is a topic that many people are split on. It is not easy to determine if Puerto Rico statehood is the solution to many problems or only the start of larger issues. Puerto Rico is officially a self-governing territory that is not a ...
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Pros and Cons of Puerto Rico Statehood | Navajo Code Talkersby navajocodetalkersadmin
This is problematic and worrisome for many people who believe that Puerto Rico should be granted full statehood. What kinds of effects would take place if this happened? Who would benefit the most and who would suffer?
 Washington Times |
Status of gay marriage in Guam, US territories
Washington Times The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston said Tuesday it will await that decision before scheduling oral arguments in the Puerto Rico case. The island's Justice Department previously has defended the laws in court, but local Justice Secretary ... How is gay marriage fight in Guam similar to Alabama's situation?AL.com A guide to the gay marriage dispute in US territory of Guamseattlepi.com Guam Attorney General Orders Gay Marriage to Move ForwardABC News all 373 news articles » |
The Prison Called Cuba
The Moral Liberal The U.S. had been involved with Cuba from the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898 when Spain ceded Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam for $20 million. We stayed in Cuba until it was granted independence in 1902 as the Republic of Cuba. and more » |
Six years ago, Puerto Rico passed a law that invalidated all existing birth certificates and required people born on the island to obtain a new "security-enhanced" certificate. U.S. officials said the new birth certificates would thwart the illicit sale or theft of old certificates so undocumented foreign nationals could no longer use them to obtain U.S. passports or driver licenses.
In addition, all photos listed here are part of the public domain. According to the latest articles onPuerto Rico making the rounds in the U.S. mainstream media in the last months, Puerto Ricans are really Living la Vida Loca ...
 The Guardian |
Cuba-US thaw brings fate of cold war-era fugitives on the island into focus
The Guardian Morales was a bombmaker for a Puerto Rican nationalist group which claimed responsibility for a January 1975 attack on a New York tavern in which Connor's father and three others were killed. Nobody was ever charged over the bombing of the Fraunces ... and more » |
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These troubles in the territory may be part of what's on New York Fed President William Dudley's mind. Reuters reports that the official, who oversees Puerto Rico, recently said that the bankruptcies in Detroit and Stockton ...
Puerto Rico Debt Default Measure Lacking Support, Lawmaker Says
Bloomberg (Bloomberg) -- A constitutional amendment that would allow Puerto Rico to default on its general-obligation debt lacks support, a top-ranking commonwealth lawmaker said. Puerto Rico'sconstitution gives those bonds the first claim on the general fund ... |
Today's action on the GO rating results in a downgrade of the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) senior lien revenue bonds to 'B' from 'B+' and maintained on Negative Watch. However, it does not .... Fitch believes that the ultimate success of efforts to put the Commonwealth's finances on a sustainable path will be dictated by the performance of the economy, while at the same time efforts to reform public finances could support economic development. Puerto Rico's ...
 The New Yorker |
The Puerto Rican Problem
The New Yorker Puerto Ricans could have been forgiven for thinking the same was true of the island generally. It had been one of the great postwar economic-development success stories, turning itself from a poor, largely rural society into a manufacturing powerhouse ... and more » |
Televisión Dominicana Launches on Choice Cable in Puerto Rico
Business Wire (press release) MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On March 27, Televisión Dominicana, the official television network for the Dominican community living the U.S. and Puerto Rico, launched on Choice Cable, one ofPuerto Rico's leading cable and high-speed internet providers ... |
 Bloomberg |
Puerto Rico Utility Creditors Offer $2 Billion Capital Plan
Bloomberg (Bloomberg) -- Bondholders of Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority are offering a plan that would inject $2 billion into the junk-rated utility to modernize facilities and repair its finances. The authority, known as Prepa, is negotiating an ... Bondholders offer Puerto Rico power company $2B to boost finances ...Fox Business Bondholders offer $2B boost for Puerto Rico power companyNew Zealand Herald Puerto Rico power company wins extension with creditorsKansas City Star all 55 news articles » |
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A group of U.S. bondholders on Wednesday offered to invest $2 billion in energy production and other measures that it said would help improve the finances and infrastructure of Puerto Rico's powercompany amid fears it will ...
 Huffington Post |
Puerto Rico approves law to crack down on tax evasion
New Zealand Herald SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) " Puerto Rico's governor has signed a law that requires service providers to accept at least two different types of payment in a push to crack down on tax evaders. The law applies to anyone requiring a license or legal ... Puerto Rico vs. China: My Email to Apple CEO Tim CookHuffington Post all 6 news articles » |
Puerto Rico's economy is sinking fast. S&P, Fitch and Moody's downgraded Puerto Rico debt. Puerto Rico bonds are facing potential default or restructuring. If Puerto Rico bonds were a runaway train in some Hollywood ...
 MiamiHerald.com |
How to resolve Puerto Rico's fiscal crisis
MiamiHerald.com Together with the faltering economy, the size of the debt and the junk bond status of government credit have brought comparisons to the situation in Greece. But we might have a potential model for effective action in Puerto Rico closer to home — in ... |
 Washington Free Beacon |
Feds Consider Puerto Ricans Disabled Because They Speak Spanish
Washington Free Beacon “We found the Agency did not make exceptions regarding the English-language grid rules for claimants who reside in Puerto Rico, even though Spanish is the predominant language spoken in the local economy,” the OIG said. The audit said a person ... How to resolve Puerto Rico's fiscal crisisMiamiHerald.com Why Are So Many Young Puerto Ricans Leaving Home?VICE News all 3 news articles » |
 VICE News |
Puerto Ricans Getting Disability Checks Because They Don't Speak English
Investor's Business Daily (blog) The IG's office says it couldn't get a definitive number on how many Puerto Ricans made it on disability using this excuse, because the Social Security Administration "lacked sufficient management information" to provide it. In other words, 218 is ... Why Are So Many Young Puerto Ricans Leaving Home?VICE News Lack of English meant Puerto Ricans got disability benefitsWPEC all 38 news articles » |
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Expansion of Disability Fraud Under Obama: Puerto Ricans ...by noreply@blogger.com (Mike Mish Shedlock)
MISH'S Global Economic Trend Analysis .... The US Social Security Administration has been offering disability benefits to Spanish speakers living in Puerto Rico based on their inability to speak English, despite Spanish being the territory's primary language. The US Social Security Administration [SSA] has been handing out disability benefits to Puerto Ricans due to the fact that they only speak Spanish. This is despite the fact that Spanish, one of the US territory's two ...
Why Chapter 9 for Puerto Rico is a bad idea
The Hill (blog) The economic and financial situation in Puerto Rico continues to worsen, and the weakest link in the debtor chain is the island's electric company, a state-owned monopoly known by the acronym PREPA which owes mainland bondholders and bank creditors ... |
Is Puerto Rico on the Brink of Economic Disaster? | Global ...by Timothy Alexander Guzman
However, one of the solutions proposed by Puerto Rico's Governor Alejandro García Padilla is a VAT initiative supposedly to “lower tax rates” for 800,000 small businesses and individuals. The new tax will be based on ...
 New York Times |
Treasury Officials Increase Efforts With Finances of Puerto Rico
New York Times Antonio Weiss, the former Wall Street banker who became a top adviser to the Treasury secretary this year, has made two trips to Puerto Rico in recent weeks. Kent Hiteshew, who runs the Treasury Department's office of state and local finance, has also ... She's Independent but don't call her pretty: Meet Puerto Rico's newest ...Fox News Latino all 2 news articles » |
Chinese business delegation seeks investment opportunities in Puerto Rico
Fox News Latino A group of investors from China is touring southern Puerto Rico in search of businessopportunities. "Our relationship may be quite fruitful," Li Shutang, who leads the businessmission, told Efe. "We are looking for investment opportunities to ... |
Puerto Rico Set to Become Medical Tourism Hub
Huffington Post As I've said before, Puerto Rico's legitimacy as a major destination for business is often tarnished by its unfortunate fiscal deficit. Business media outlets' fixation with the island's debt has completely overshadowed Puerto Rico's unprecedented ... |
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Puerto Rico's dilemma
The Hill (blog) These are crucial weeks for the fragile economy of Puerto Rico, a United States territory. The current administration of Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla (D) is pushing hard for the implementation of an Added Value Tax of between 12 and 16 percent to ... and more » |
SAN JUAN – A group of investors from China is touring southern Puerto Rico in search of businessopportunities. “Our relationship may be quite fruitful,” Li Shutang, who leads the business mission, told Efe. “We are looking for investment ...
DORADO, Puerto Rico (Reuters) - Hedge fund manager Robb Rill grins. He has just had word that U.S. financial regulators have finally closed Puerto Rico's ailing lender Doral Financial, a stock he has been shorting for the past six months.
"Doral is no more," he tells staff in his office, its marble desk tops, dark wood furniture and leather chairs more reminiscent of a New England country club than a Puerto Rico beach town.
Rill is one of a cohort of money managers from the mainland who moved to the U.S. territory lured by tax breaks introduced in 2011 to boost the flagging economy and betting against a troubled local bank may not be what the authorities had in mind.
To be sure, Rill's fund played no part in the lender's downfall and its business plan focuses on investing in tech and financial firms. But the Doral transactions serve to symbolize Puerto Rico's challenge of ensuring that the tax breaks spur enough economic activity to reverse years of decline.
Almost four years on, the economic payoffs still appear elusive.
The government says nearly 900 individuals and firms have moved under the tax relief program, creating 7,000 jobs.
So far, however, economic data and those with a front row view of the territory's economy - real estate brokers, investors and lawyers dealing with cross-border transactions - have yet to register a significant upswing.
"We are starting to see some activity - not huge, it's very slow," says Fernando Toro, a real estate agent at Cushman and Wakefield in San Juan, about interest in rental office space.
Mark Leeds, tax partner with international law firm Mayer Brown, says interest in the tax breaks only picked up last year.
"I have not seen a rush toward this," he said. "For whatever reason it doesn't seem to be for everybody."
SMALL DOLLARS
Strict residency conditions, which include spending half of the year on the island and selling or leasing home on the mainland, discourage some individuals. The precarious state of government finances and fears that tax rules could change again, seem to keep bigger firms sidelined, lawyers and brokers say.
"What we're talking about right now is very small dollars and a very nominal piece of the overall GDP of the island,"
Todd Hagerman, a spokesman for the Government Development Bank in Puerto Rico says.
The government expects each new company to create 30 jobs on average, but Hagerman says most firms that have moved are small businesses, with the exception of call centers that employ hundreds and flatter the overall jobs count.
However, he voices optimism that the tax program would gain momentum, echoing its chief architect Alberto Baco, who says the number of new jobs it brings will double this year and 82,500 more will be added to the $100 billion economy over the next five years.
Yet so far the island, which has been in an out of recession for the past nine years, lost 36,000 jobs since 2011. Between 2010 and 2013 twice as many Puerto Ricans left for the mainland than in two decades to 2000.
The tax program that covers financial services firms, other companies that export services and wealthy individuals offers a flat 4 percent corporate income tax, and exemption from capital gains tax and certain interest and dividends taxes.
The territory counts prominent hedge fund manager John Paulson among its investors and supporters, although he has not taken up tax residency there or moved his firm to the island. Paulson, who redeveloped San Juan's five-star Vanderbilt hotel is investing in commercial real estate and called Puerto Rico the "Singapore of the Caribbean."
But Paulson, who manages $19.3 billion in assets, is hardly representative for 509 individuals and 346 firms that have taken advantage of the tax incentives through the end of 2014. Most of the hedge funds and traders on the island appear to be relatively small outfits trading in public markets, such as Rill's sub-$100 million fund.
Based in Dorado, a resort town outside San Juan, the fund has a local staff of eight, which is already a significant contribution to the local economy, Rill says.
"We are picking up people in the professional class that are outstanding that otherwise simply wouldn't have any opportunity," Rill says.
Rill says his firm is looking at launching a fund focused on local investments after Puerto Rico last year introduced tax breaks for private equity investments on the island.
A $4.7 million KPMG study that Puerto Rico commissioned to guide its tax overhaul criticized the tax breaks as "inordinately complex" and suggested scrapping the incentives for individuals and linking corporate ones to economic activity.
Nick Prouty, a Puerto Rico-based real estate investor with $500 million worth of projects on the island, says it badly needs more capital, but it is equally important how that capital will be put to work.
"Will these people make investments in Puerto Rico or will they sit in Dorado and trade?"
(This story corrects names in penultimate and first paragraphs)
(Reporting by Edward Krudy; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
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· · · ·
 Reuters |
Puerto Rico woos the rich but so far gains little
Reuters But the Doral transactions serve to symbolize Puerto Rico's challenge of ensuring that the tax breaks spur enough economic activity to reverse years of decline. Almost four years on, theeconomic payoffs still appear elusive. The government says nearly ... |
Edward Kleinbard, a professor of law at the Gould School of Law of the University of Southern California, served as chief of staff of the Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation.
Now that you’ve created the next great app and your investment in your startup is worth a billion dollars, at least on paper, it’s time for a really difficult challenge: how to cash out without paying capital gains taxes anywhere in the world?
With no U.S. or Puerto Rican tax on much investment income of new residents, U.S. citizens now can pay zero tax on capital gains.
For several hundred affluent Americans over the last couple of years (including Toby Neugebauer, a key financier to Ted Cruz) the answer has been to establish a principal residence in Puerto Rico, and spend 183 days a year there.
The commonwealth is an unincorporated part of the United States, and its residents are U.S. citizens. Nonetheless, the United States treats Puerto Rico as a foreign country for tax purposes. And, unlike the case of U.S. citizens residing in genuinely foreign countries, the United States does not impose any federal income tax when U.S. citizens who are residents of the island earn income from Puerto Rican sources.
Puerto Rico can tax its residents, but in a move to attract affluent Americans to take up residence there, the island in 2012 adopted Act 22, which basically exempts most investment income of new residents from Puerto Rican tax.
What all this means is that capital gains arising after relocating to Puerto Rico are exempt from taxes everywhere in the world. A taxpayer’s built-in (unrealized) capital gains at the time of his relocation (like our hypothetical billionaire’s paper gains on his startup company) require a bit more patience, but after 10 years the only tax on sale is a 5 percent Puerto Rican capital gains tax on those pre-relocation accrued gains.
And what billionaire looking to save hundreds of millions of dollars in capital gains taxes will not be able to afford to be patient? He is not required to spend all his time on the island, and he is as free to travel within the United States and around the world on his U.S. passport as much as the next U.S. citizen. For those days his tax lawyers command him to be present in Puerto Rico, well, how hard a lifestyle is it, choosing between beach and poolside?
The law here is clear, and the only risks are
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· ·
Stop Letting the Rich Move to Puerto Rico as a Tax Haven
New York Times The law here is clear, and the only risks are political (that Congress or the Puerto Ricanlegislature amend their respective tax laws to close down this loophole). But the costs of rolling the dice on the politics are minimal for a superaffluent ... and more » |
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 PanAm Post |
Puerto Rico Bleeding Doctors to US Mainland
PanAm Post Luis Dávila, a lawyer and leading political commentator in Puerto Rico, told the PanAm Post that the example of the doctors is no different to other groups of Puerto Ricans that have chosen exile during the island's current “great depression.” “They ... and more » |
Could The Federal Government Remove The Governor Of Puerto Rico by The Huffington Post News Team
"Unless Congress revokes the 1947 and 1952 laws [Puerto Rico's Constitution], the president (acting on behalf of Congress) does not have the power to remove the governor," said Charles R. Venator, apolitical science ... "However, because Congress has not changed the territorial status of Puerto Ricosince 1900, it is possible to make a theoretical argument that Congress has a plenary power to intervene in local Puerto Rican affairs and remove the governor.".
However, the thesis made no mention of the uprising on Oct. 30, 1950, in response to the move to make Puerto Rico a Free Associated State of the United States, the political status that was finally approved in 1952 and which continues to this ...
Politics. Puerto Rican Residents Entitled To Disability Benefits Because They Don't Speak English. 18.9 k. Tweet this article. Share this article. By Karen Eisenberg, Sat, April 11, 2015. A large number of Puerto Rican residents have reportedly been classified as ... The Washington Post reports that “auditors identified 218 cases between 2011 and 2013 in which the Social Security Administration granted disability status to Puerto Rico residents because of the existing guideline.”.
Treasury Officials Increase Efforts With Finances of Puerto Ricoby By MICHAEL CORKERY and MARY WILLIAMS WALSH
The efforts indicate that the island’sfinancial problems, which have been simmering for years, are reaching a critical point.
The Many Faces of Puerto Ricoby By LUISITA LOPEZ TORREGROSA
Gallery openings, vibrant restaurants, hotel development and preserved examples of the old way of life play well together in Puerto Rico.
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 Channel 4 News |
Report: Cuba Backs Hezbollah, Narcoterrorists, US Fugitive Killers
Newsmax There is also William Morales, "the master bomb-maker of the Puerto Rican separatist group FALN, which set off 140 or so blasts around the United States during the 1970s and 1980s, killing at least six people," according to the research organization. Raúl Castro: 'Cuba will continue to defend the ideas for which our people have ...Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal Our AmericaDaily Times all 1,415 news articles » |
 Ottawa Citizen |
U.S. officials, Royal Canadian Navy to announce details of record drug ...
Ottawa Citizen OP CARIBBE is an ongoing international task force aimed at drug interdiction and countersmuggling operations in the Caribbean sea and along the pacific coastline of North, Central and South America. Image By; Cpl Blaine Sewell MARPAC Imaging ... and more » |
 Forbes |
Obama Is Using Cuba To Counter Russia, Iran, And China's Growing Influence ...
Forbes After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, US foreign policy shifted and gave little to no priority to the Americas with the exception of countries like Mexico and Canada, and neighboring sub regions such as Central America and the Caribbean. Since then, South ... |
 The Gate News |
Puerto Rico exports its addicts to Chicago
The Gate News The men told me they were from Puerto Rico. They were addicted to heroin and they ended up in Chicago because someone in Puerto Rico drove them to the airport and put them on a plane with a one-way ticket to Chicago. They were promised a great ... |
 Liberation |
Speech by Raúl Castro at the Summit of the Americas
Liberation I thank all the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean for their solidarity, which enabled Cuba to participate on an equal footing in this hemispheric forum, as well as the President of the Republic of Panama for the invitation to attend he so ... What Cuba means for homeland securityFederal Times (blog) Obama travels to Jamaica, Panama to improve relationsAmsterdam News all 283 news articles » |
Originally posted on TIME:
Its effects can be as potent as crystal meth, bath salts or cocaine. It causes people to act erratically, uncontrollably and dangerously. It’s called flakka, and it’s the new designer drug hitting the streets of Florida.
In recent weeks in Florida, this new drug has led to a man trying to break down the door to a police station, a man impaling himself while trying to scale a fence, and an armed and naked man shouting about hallucinations from a rooftop, CBS reports.
The health effects of taking flakka, which can be injected, snorted, smoked or swallowed, can be dire.
“We’re starting to see a rash of cases of a syndrome referred to as excited delirium,” Jim Hall, an epidemiologist at the Center for Applied Research on Substance Use and Health Disparities at Nova Southeastern University, told CBS. “This is…
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