The State of Puerto Rico

Published: July 27, 2002

More than three million Americans -- some 800,000 of
them New Yorkers -- have roots in Puerto Rico, but to
many other Americans the island is an enigma, a place
where they are likely to take their passports, which are
not needed, but not a knowledge of Spanish, which often
is. So it comes as little surprise that as Puerto Rico
marked a milestone this week with official fanfare
attended by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and a New York
City contingent, there was little notice of the event on the
mainland.
It was the 50th anniversary of the commonwealth, a status
conferred on Puerto Rico to allow self-government and end its
days as a colonial prize won by the United States in the
Spanish-American War. And while cannons boomed and
music and dance made for a festive party, the relationship
being marked is showing signs of strain.

With its mix of limited benefits and obligations of United

States citizenship, the commonwealth status has endured by
default. Several nonbinding plebiscites the island has held
over the years have failed to produce an acceptable alternative.

The ambivalence is significant in Puerto Rico, where political

and civic involvement permeate the lives of its 3.8 million
people. A thundering drum roll of rallies, car-mounted
loudspeakers and personal canvassing regularly result in voter
turnouts of about 80 percent. On an island of strong opinions,
the status debate generates much shaking, sometimes even
violence, but not much movement.

Puerto Ricans born on the island -- like those born on the

mainland -- are United States citizens. Island residents pay
Social Security taxes, but no federal income tax. They cannot
vote in presidential elections and they have no vote on the
floor of Congress. While the island has a Constitution and self-
government, Washington controls matters involving defense,
transportation, communication, immigration and foreign
trade.

As a commonwealth, Puerto Rico retains its Spanish language

and culture, even as it blends in American life. But the limits
of the status quo -- in which Puerto Rico does not get the full
benefits of statehood nor the advantages of fuller sovereignty
-- have been blamed for creating a situation where the per
capita income is lower than that of any state in the Union. Tax
breaks given to American companies that set up shop overseas
are being phased out for Puerto Rico, many companies have
left and unemployment is in double digits. Anger at the United
States found a flashpoint in recent years on the Puerto Rican
island of Vieques, used for target practice by the Navy.
Tempers barely cooled when President Bush announced last
year that the Navy would withdraw in May 2003.

Now Puerto Rico is looking for a new deal. Its governor, Sila
Calderón, wants more sovereignty and economic opportunity,
including control over foreign trade, but statehood advocates
refuse to join her efforts to reach consensus on a proposal for
change. So she is showing Puerto Rican political muscle
elsewhere, heading a drive to register all eligible voters among
Puerto Ricans living on the mainland, many of them in New
York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida. All that will help
to get the attention of members of Congress, who must
approve any change for the commonwealth. But the first step,
a re-examination of what is best for Puerto Rico, must begin
there. And so far, that kind of introspection has been limited,
tortured and inconclusive.