Former Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño recently wrote an article for The Hill reminding readers that “Puerto Rico has voted for statehood…twice.” Does Puerto Rico want statehood? First he called out Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, who claimed in an opinion piece at The Hill that the people of Puerto Rico don’t want statehood. In fact, Puerto… Read more »
The Puerto Rico Statehood Commission went to Washington to put the Tennessee Plan into operation. The seven members of the Commission: Former Governor Carlos Romero Barcelo Former Governor Pedro Rosselló González Former Governor Luis Fortuño Former Senate President Charlie Rodríguez Colón Baseball Hall of Fame member Iván Rodríguez Torres GOP Committee representative Zoraida Fonalledas Brigadier… Read more »
Some Puerto Rico leaders are claiming unfair treatment for Puerto Rico in the new tax bill. Fully understanding the situation, however, requires us to remember the history of corporate tax deals in Puerto Rico. It all started with 936. … Read more »
Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello is committed to making Puerto Rico statehood a reality, now that 97% of Puerto Rico voters have chosen statehood in the most recent referendum in June. The next step toward statehood is for Congress to vote to admit Puerto Rico. Thirty-two U.S. territories have already become U.S. states. After they… Read more »
Back in 1796, the Territory of Tennessee decided that Congress was moving too slowly on granting them statehood. In a plebiscite, 73% of the voters had favored statehood, and they were ready to take on the rights and responsibilities of a state. The people of Tennessee declared the territory to be a state, elected senators… Read more »
Puerto Rico Republican leaders have written to Attorney General Jeff Sessions offering guidance, a historic perspective and a forceful recommendation to exclude a “Commonwealth” option from the ballot for Puerto Rico’s upcoming plebiscite vote on June 11th. What “Commonwealth” Means The proposed ballot, as submitted by the Puerto Rico State Elections Commission, contains two choices… Read more »
The Sun Sentinel, a news site from Palm Beach, Florida, recently posted an editorial titled, “Puerto Rican statehood can wait; economy can’t.” The Sentinel led the piece off with a snappy pronouncement: “Puerto Rico should shed its status as a U.S. territory, either by becoming the 51st state or by establishing full independence. But that… Read more »
The Congressional Task Force on Economic Growth in Puerto Rico has released its final report, recommending legislation in early 2017 to address an impending Medicaid “cliff” on the island as well as an expansion of the federal Child Tax Credit (CTC) in Puerto Rico, a closer look at inequities throughout the federal government and careful consideration… Read more »
Two economists are recommending the creation of federal “Investment Zones” to promote investment and economic growth in underdeveloped communities throughout the United States, including Puerto Rico. Arthur MacEwan, professor emeritus at University of Massachusetts, and J. Tomas Hexner, an economist with a specialty in developing countries, are advancing a proposal that would help economically depressed… Read more »
An article by Ryan Ellis in Forbes has identified the debt crisis in Puerto Rico as “arguably the top issue facing Congress” at present. Ellis reminds readers that Puerto Rico has $70 billion or more in debt which it cannot repay, that the people of Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens, and that the territory may… Read more »
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