Congress is white. Puerto Rico is not.
1
So many comments here dripping with angry emotion, lazy accusation, and perhaps the biggest prize to hoist up high in contemporary public dialog, The Clrown of Victimhood.
SO instead reader, give an account of how much aid has been spent and pledged. Describe to some accuracy the shipments of key supplies and challenges in their distribution. Show what you know about simple basic electrical power generation, transmission and distribution and the some issues in rebuilding a destroyed network, right down to the rural customer.
SPeak some of PR's prior financial picture and debt. THe isle is in hurriance alley: What level of preparation would reasonably be taken in storing emergency supplies, backing up power supplies, and building wind resistant houses?
Pretend you're heading into a school as guest speaker to talk about PR/Maria issues to a sharp seventh grade class. Does this editorial (or any media content) and comments help boost your facts and insights for these alert students, who will have questions?
3
I've been reading through all the comments re Puerto Rico's treatment by the U.S. I don't think you can blame Trump entirely for this situation...it's been going on a long time. And for those of you who say the U.S. shouldn't be responsible for PR because we don't pay Federal Income Taxes (actually we do pay social security, Medicare and unemployment taxes), we became responsible for this island on October 18, 1898, the day we invaded and took over their homeland...they had petitioned Spain for their independence, but never got it. They have fought proudly in every war since World War II, but they can't vote for the Commander in Chief. If you start reading up on Puerto Rican history, and our part in it, you will become enraged at how the U.S. has treated this island and it's people.
But the silver lining in all of this catostraphic destruction is that FINALLY people are learning about this beautiful island and its warm, patient people. I've lived in PR for 27 years, built a business, had a wonderful life, wouldn't trade it for the world. But we are second class citizens and will continue to be until our status changes one way or the other.
The biggest thing that would help in the immediate recovery and for some years, would be a waiver of the Jones Act. This adds 30% to the recovery costs of rebuilding Puerto Rico. This should be a no-brainer.
2
Did anyone really expect the response to the Puerto Rico disaster to be any different than it is? I don't throw the term "racism" around loosely, but IMO, it clearly applies in this case and in much of Trump's campaign innuendo and near blatant rhetoric and in his administration's attitudes and policy decisions.
Acceptance of all this speaks very poorly of the people who voted Trump into office as a "disrupter" – so, because you seek radical change, it's OK to install a 5-year-old racist as president? – and reaffirms the immorality of Trump's actual racist supporters. I thought about saying that it also speaks poorly of many in the GOP, but then there are some decent representatives who should not be labelled that way and for the rest, it is actually not that surprising because of the GOP's cynical embrace of the racist South after '65.
That this is 2017 and we still live in a racist country is undeniable, whether you see it as blatant behavior or in all the more systemic ways it is manifested. Trump is simply more up front about it than others except for his white nationalist supporters, but make no mistake, the US still has a big problem with racism that is not being adequately addressed. It is a disgrace that we still behave this way at the highest levels of government and in response to a major regional disaster.
Why haven't tens of divisions of military personnel been deployed to establish temporary camps with shelters and provisions and to help rebuild?
2
I am Puerto Rican. I came to the US back in the early 60s from the mountain. We came like many other 'immigrants. Only we are not immigrants. We are American citizens. Anyone who has anything to say about Puerto Rico should study its' history as it began first with the Spanish exploiting the island, and then the so-call saviors from the North who saw PR as another Manifest Destiny booty. We have been stripped of every ounce of dignity by big powers who went to the island first for gold, then for free labor. The Spanish killed off the native population, raped the women, and then got beaten by the US in 1898. Corporations of every kind came to the island, first decimating an agricultural society, then with policies that sent thousands to leave the island. Most were forced to become citizens in 1917--just in time to get more cheap bodies for war, and then created rules and laws favoring big Papa. It was a tax haven for the rich, and for local elites to join the pillaging because they wanted to be favored by the powers that be, just like elites everywhere who would sell their own mother for money. Now the island is basically having to start over. I wish PR did not have to depend on the US. It has been a dependency that has stripped the dignity of it's people. But we see real clearly the fact that the US is simply a stepfather who shows no real love for the "children" it inherited. It is time for Puerto Ricans to begin their own road to self determination. No more begging.
3
Sen Inhoff (R) OK. lead the charge to close Roosevelt Roads Naval Base on Puerto Rico because the inhabitants protested the using the island of Vieques
for naval target practice. The invaluable assistance is lost because of the second class treatment of the American citizens on the island.
3
There is no denying the federal gov’t’s response to the humanitarian crisis has been abysmal. For wont of money and politics, the residents of Puerto Rico are forced to suffer when it’s been the political class on the island all along who’ve made them the scapegoats.
5
They want Puerto Rico without Puerto Ricans. This is disaster capitalism in action. Teachers and community members have gotten schools cleared, cleaned and ready for students, and the education head for the island won't let the students come back, insisting that what they need are New Orleans-style reforms (read: privatization).
We have been waging a quiet war against this island and it's people since the so-called Spanish-American War. The island and its people have never been treated fairly or justly by the U.S., and now it's a matter of life and death like never before. It is shameful how the federal government has responded, but even more shameful is the ignorance and carelessness of most American citizens. If this were Connecticut or Iowa, it would be 24/7 on the news, and Trump would already have been impeached. But because this is a colony, with a majority of people of color, we don't give a sh*t.
I appreciate the Times giving some attention to this. But it should be front page, above the fold, every day.
#PRontheMap
4
LOL. As if America cares about brown people.
1
to Neil, did the residents of Texas and Florida have to submit a list?
Why is this a surprise? When you have a certified racists running this country you will end up with racists policies.
2
Why in the world are we paying to put blue tarps on "ruined houses?" If the houses are ruined, it is a total waste. If they are not ruined, it is hyperemoting to designate them as such.
3
Once again, we see propaganda disguised as reporting. You gave yourself away with this one:
“President Trump is probably no more interested in this than he’s been in any of the island’s problems.”
You don’t know that. You just can’t resist getting in your cheap shots at the president. And BTW, how interested are you in the problems of the island? Before this last hurricane, I hadn’t seen many articles in the Times about Puerto Rico. And the only reason they are important to you now is because the disaster gives you an opportunity to slam the government and the president. Puerto Rico is a pawn in your game, useful for your brand of propaganda, and once this present situation dies down, they’ll go back on your own back burner again. Hypocrites.
.
And BTW: If Puerto Rico is such a victim of the indifferent and inhumane US government, why do only about 1/3 of Puerto Rican’s favor independence? Or woulld the Times rather just cut them loose, so they didn’t have to ever again be double victims of hurricanes and our government, and could instead be the authors and instruments of their own destiny? That way, they’d never again have to deal with DC again! How lucky they would be!
4
Corrupt Latino culture. They are a Caribbean place w bad Spanish colonial history and do not appreciate Law and Order and Common Law even after so many years of being a part of USA. Yeah, maybe they would be better off if not part of USA. Check Wikipedia; more money than any other "Latino" country. Hey in NY we have absorbed so many Puerto Ricans from the '50s. No problem. The "island" just can not get it together. Maybe brain drain?
3
In case anyone hasn't noticed, this administration, in both word and deed, is racist.
2
I hate to say this, but you have to wonder: Is Trump hoping people will just leave Puerto Rico and never come back?
So he can use the island as a resort and golf paradise?
I would not put it past him!!!
3
It's a good thing I don't live in PR. Even at 70 I'm too outspoken to be left to type these kinds of replies. I'd be rounded up and locked in a church while the few who think they will benefit from the wholesale buying of land watch it burn to the ground.
1
Puerto Rico isn't a state, it's a territory. Plus, it has been a disaster for decades.
5
The nagging question remains, Is there widespread graft and corruption among the public officials like there is in Mexico? Is it a question of having to bribe everyone to get anything done? This issue came to light when I saw how Puerto Rico chose a relatively new start up company to restore electrical power rather than taking advantage of the FREE MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT among the utility companies.
I get the feeling the President Trump has somehow decided that Puerto Rico is the author of it's own problems and that because the public officials are so deeply embedded in their red tape that he is going to let them suffer.
What other reason could explain how Puerto Rico could chose a start up company to restore electrical power to an island, and this company only has 250 employees. Puerto Rico needs a minimum of at least 28,000 men on the ground to restore their electrical power quickly.
Likewise why didn't the locals leave food rotting on the docks? I think that if the Puerto Ricans demonstrated a greater willingness to help themselves, that President Trump would take a different attitude toward them. The way I see it now, is that their government is filled with red tape and all kinds of inconsistencies which need lots of cash to bribe the officials to get the ball rolling.
Don't forget when Trump built his buildings in New York he was well aware of the corruption and the inspectors who always had their hands out and had to be greased to insure progress.
7
Puerto Rico did not chose the power reconstruction company. FEMA did (and is now not willingly acknowledging it). Sure, look for corruption--but start with the Trump administration.
If corruption was really the problem, or laziness, then the remedy was to mobilize the US military. In no case is it OK to murder US citizens by overheating, dirty water-born diseases, starvation, and lack of power because somebody may have been less than perfect.
I did see the governor of Puerto Rico deliberately lie to be able to say good things about Trump--perhaps more a sign of the dependency--but also a sign of real fear of the wrath of a Trump who could punish. We have seen the reaction of Trump to the truth-telling from the mayor of San Juan, and cannot doubt the fear that this generates in others.
The death toll is certainly vastly higher than the official value. The official value is generated after autopsy of bodies brought to a single location to be examined by a single team in San Juan--and they process only a couple a day at most. Meanwhile, Vox confirmed many hundreds kept in morgues and hospitals, and over 900 cremated shortly after Maria. Why no accurate official report: Trump has bragged about the low total. With no power, little food or shelter, and no sanitation or good water, the death toll is still rising dramatically--and will continue to do so until the island is fit to live in again.
5
There is no such thing as FREE MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT among the utility companies. You have to pay. No utility company is going to pay from their own pocket the disaster recovery expenses of any jurisdiction. Of course, it is still a great advantage to have skilled workers willing to react quickly when there is an emergency. The story we are told is that the utility companies' association asked for a $25 million deposit in advance due to the state of the economy at Puerto Rico and the government did not have it. Then they decided to go with Whitefish because they did not ask for such an advance. The truth will come out after it is investigated, but at least most people at Puerto Rico do believe there is something fishy going on. However, this has nothing to do with the President's attitude since this surfaced later. Let's not forget that he has attacked minorities and said that white supremacists are very fine people before María struck.
And yes, you are right, we were not willing to leave food to rot in the ports. The issue was that there were no enough drivers to retrieve the containers, which of course was true, because a 100% of the island was a disaster area. The drivers, like everyone else, were stuck in their homes or their counties, blocked by debris, flooding and landslides without even a working cell phone to receive instructions from anybody, not that it would make a difference in this case. Many lost everything and had families to take care of.
3
I understand the deprivation that Puerto Rico has been experiencing ...BUT didn't the President himself! say they had brought it all on themselves through lack of preparation and failure to create a strong infrastructure? Correct me if I am wrong about his pronouncements.
3
Correction, not all of it but it was made much more difficult to fix due to the circumstances. You spin what he said.
5
When journalists can easily find evidence everywhere that the United States is class-ridden and race-mad, the historians who follow will be left to consider how we crumbled into our own hot mess.
5
I think part of the problem is how long will the federal government be on the hook for PR? When will they, if ever, become a more self autonomous state?
Or will all of these types of aid given be a permanent feature for PR?
There were so many problems before this hurricane hit that may need to be addressed, including the massive state of corruption that exists.
The people of PR must clean house then start electing those with their best interests. Hurricane Maria was the straw on the power grid's back.
The good thing for these residents is that they have options. They can choose to leave for the mainland and rebuild their lives.
6
FEMA is still in New Orleans 12 years after Katrina.
Puerto Rico has vastly more damage.
Do the math.
2
I rarely fly for obvious reasons but whenever I have had to it’s always been in coach and it’s gotten me where I needed to go. Considering what that was for I’m grateful. Probably the reason first-class is in the front of the plane for all in coach to see is to rub those people’s noses in it. This insecurity of the elite makes me sick.
3
This is all about PR not having any electoral votes. So very sad as the death numbers continue to rise.
12
In your highly biased mind. If it were just that why spend anything. Congress could fix this food issue, it has nothing to do with the president.
1
A NYT article from a year ago titled "How Free Electricity Helped Dig a $9 Billion Hole in Puerto Rico” explains how local Puerto Rican municipalities took advantage of their power company. An historical deal meant that the municipalities were entitled to a certain amount of free electricity, but many municipalities have not paid for any of the electricity. In fact, some municipalities have based their finances on supplying free electricity. They have let private companies locate in municipal buildings so they can have free electricity (for example air-conditioned restaurants and hotels). And, they have built energy-intensive structures, like an ice-skating rink.
The municipalities have charged for use of their structures or otherwise benefitted from providing free electricity, but they have not paid the power company for the electricity. This has allowed the municipalities to keep taxes artificially low, but it has also meant that the power authority did not have the money to upgrade or even maintain its existing equipment. Nor did it have the money to prepare for hurricanes.
Puerto Ricans have been using electricity without paying for it. This left their electric utility with no money to prepare for emergencies. Now the island lacks the electricity to run the water pumps. We are castigating FEMA for not being able to immediately correct this mess. I am wondering how much FEMA can do on this poorly governed island.
11
Corruption, we have several examples here.
4
Say what you will about George W. Bush, when people of faith showed him how AIDS was destroying a generation in Africa, and leaving the next orphaned, he launched the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. What is Trump doing after seeing the homes and livelihoods of fellow US citizens obliterated? Seeking tax relief for golf course owners. Can the GOP fall any farther?
9
Good recognizing that Bush did a lot of good that most don't even know about. Now for PR they need to step up themselves, get assistance from various federal agencies, and charity. If they don't fix their corruption nothing will help them.
3
Perhaps you failed to notice the surnames and skin color of those American citizens in Puerto Rico. It explains a lot just as they explain how we can sit by and watch the Saudis starve the people of Yemen.
9
There has been not enough said about the effects of the Maritime Act of 1920, which in effect forces foreign carriers to ship to US ports on the mainland first, then transfer cargo to American ships, making imports and exports from Puerto Rico more expensive than anywhere in the Caribbean. This has forced the government of the island to take extraordinary measures like the US 936 section of the tax code in order to attract manufacturers. When the 936 section was repealed in 2006 by Bush and the Republican congress, the island's economy died. It has been dead ever since. Why has PR not been exempted from the Maritime Act? The USVI, American Samoa, and Guam are, why not PR? We not second, but third class citizens.
9
There are a few other things that should be noted. The US has been the sovereign in Puerto Rico since 1898. Any problems Puerto Rico had before Maria with its infrastructure and finances the US gave to it or permitted to occur in Puerto Rico. Tens of billions of dollars is less than 2% of the $1.5 trillion tax cut that the Republicans want to give mostly to the wealthy. Puerto Rico experienced a natural catastrophe. What is the rationale for not reducing the tax cut by 2% and helping Puerto avoid a descent into third world? Sould the US permit that it will be to its everlasting shame.
8
Permitted??? PR internally runs itself actually to a greater extent than states. No state would be permitted to own the entire electricity system and being corrupt give electric away to their friends. PR has been a third world area for a long time, they have been propped up by being associated with the US for a long time. No shame to me.
7
Meanwhile.....the Republican Party is working overtime to make sure corporations and the very wealthy receive more and more and more and more. It should make people so angry to watch the "President" of the United States "kiss" the tax swindle bill for the cameras. Remember that pic?
7
So, will Congress muster the courage to help resolve the island's political limbo or will they, beholden to special interests, continue sitting on their hands? If so, when? Because the sooner the better. Ditto for the island's residents. They better rise up and demand resolution to their political status. The sooner the better. Let them be inspired by the Catalonians seeking to shape their own fate. The bottom line is: it's either statehood or independence or nothing. We all know all too well that the present status, Estado Libre Asociado, has failed in apocalyptic terms. In other words, it can no longer be saved (crushed under its own weight as it is). And then came the bankruptcy ..... And then came the storm ...... And then a blank slate because that's all that's left ..... Such a sorry situation.
3
I don't care whether Puerto Rico is a state. It is part of the United States, and its people are in need. That's all that matters. It is disgraceful how they have been and continued to be treated by the U.S. government since the hurricane. Budget cap, ha! That's why we have overrides and emergency bills in Congress. It's unfortunate when we can't help other nations. It's inexcusable when we can't help our own.
12
But we are helping, and following the law is mandatory.
3
"blatantly unjust"? How much money did Puerto Rico contribute to the relief efforts of hurricanes Katrina, Sandy or Harvey? How about the wildfires in CA? The answer is $0 because they don't pay the federal income taxes that fund FEMA. Is it a moral imperative to help people in need, sure. But "unjust", absolutely not.
8
Obviously there's no excuse for treating 3.4 million Americans this way, especially when the island was already utterly bankrupt for reasons mostly outside its control. I'd suggest not only providing massive aid but allowing (even mandating) the Fed to buy up all of PR's defaulted bonds and immediately suspending repayment and interest accrual until the territory returns to growth, conditional only on a few reforms to fix institutions that were dysfunctional before Maria - e.g. the government-owned power company.
What about inflation? Answer: PR's debt pre-Maria was something in the low to mid $70 billion dollar range. That's less than one month of QE, which operated under principles that were not dissimilar - buying up worthless mortgage-backed securities and the like, transferring it to its own balance sheet at a rate of $85 billion/yr until it had something like $3 trillion of these. I'm pretty sure we can survive one month of QE.
Of course that will never happen, so in the absence of real help, Puerto Ricans should move en masse to Florida or any other swing state. Not only are conditions better on the mainland, they can also vote (just like "real Americans!") to bring down the people who let this happen to them.
7
Outside its control??? How about as the president indicated they declare to be bankrupt and those that thought they were going to be OK will have losses, somewhat the wealthy, and PR people living in the US. You make a bad loan you lose!!!
2
Florida and Texas residents pay Federal income taxes. Puerto Rican’s have voted many many times not to pay Federal income taxes (voted against statehood). For Washington, being politically correct means not saying what I just said. Just follow the money.
7
Shame on America for not helping Americans. Is this some sort of "new patriotism" where you starve citizens for being brown and on an island so far away that Trump says it is hard to get to. Yet he claims a war on North Korea would be a piece of cake although it is thousands of miles farther away. Clearly, a caring President and Congress would see to it that real help had gotten to Puerto Rico by now. The one hope is that one million Puerto Ricans migrate to Florida and the Carolinas and help turn them into blue states. That would be a fitting response to this unresponsive administration.
8
The DEATH spiral of Puerto Rico's economy became a full speed ahead reality after a DEMOCRAT president, Bill Clinton signed the demise of the 936. Trying to frame this disaster by demonizing the current administration is disingenuous.
If you still don't get the full picture of what has happened:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/puerto-ricos-storm-of-misery/
5
I apologize in advance for this bit of "who pays for it":
Approximate Federal Income (2015):
CA (wildfires) - $405B; $10.5K/per capita
TX (hurricane) - $280B; $10.2K/per capita
FL (hurricane) -$177B; $8.8K/per capita
PR (hurricane) - $3.5B. $1K/per capita
We absolutely should help PR, and all humanity to the extent possible. Tough love, any help is charity and not as of right (like insurance policy).
5
Where are your numbers coming from? They might be correct but this being the internet are questionable. For example FPL spent 1.5B on hurricane repairs they are going to get it back by higher rates, no fed money. And PR nor any utility has a free mutual aid system, they pay for the aid they get, PR had no money to do so, and never sends much help either.
3
I would hate to be a child or dependent senior of yours, BrendanMF.
You would probably keep track on a daily basis of how much each mouthful of nourishment you provided cost you. And so forth for every kilowatt of energy, square inch of accommodation, tenth of a mile traveled in the family vehicle, hour of conversation provided on an as needed basis.
Quantification of everything is not only obsessive, exhausting & ultimately meaningless -- in quality of life terms -- is does not even begin to consider the value added by each and every human life that exists within our nation's defined borders (that include PR, the VIslands, Guam & 13 other territories). PR has enormous strategic value & significance in keeping Cuba from ever being a threat to us as a forward base for Russians (whom we have just witnessed doing some serious damage to our political system). PR is a vital maritime transfer point for all sorts of US missions. Sure, it's population is only about 10% of CA's; PR boasts neither Hollywood, nor Silicon Valley, nor Napa. But some of those CA industries do damage to others; PR does no harm! PR's formerly pristine ecosystem is a precious planetary asset we should all care about. If the US won't fund PR's recovery, why not just give the island back to Spain? I am sure the Spanish government would be only too pleased to do a better job than Team Trump, saving Puerto Rico from its chiseling miserly "owners."
2
Republicans deserve payback for their treatment of Puerto Rico. I am favor of a campaign for helping as many Puerto Ricans as possible move to Red States in the U.S. where they can register to vote and pay them back.
7
People need to start reading between the lines. Why didn't Puerto Rico invoke the Mutual Aid agreement with the other public utility companies in the US? They need a minimum of 28,000 linemen to restore power quickly. Yet they chose to hire a start up company for $300 million dollars. What kind of kick backs did this company pay to these public officials who approved the deal?
My best guess is that Trump sees Puerto Rico as another Mexico. An economy filled with graft, greed and corruption and people with their hands out always looking for some cash to ease the problem with the red tape.
As a developer in New York and other major cities I'm sure that Trump has seen this first hand, where the inspectors had to be properly greased to get the job flowing smoothly. Maybe he thinks that the corrupt Puerto Rican Officials are the source of the problem and that's why he's not interested in helping them. That $300 million deal smells to high heaven. Florida and Texas didn't pull as stunt like that. Maybe Puerto Rico thought they could get FEMA to pay the $300 million and there would be some money left over.
Let Puerto Rico invoke the Mutual Aid agreement, get rid of their red tape and start helping themselves more. Then they can ask the Federal Government for more help.
8
If you want that mutual aid they had to pony up money and ability to support those linemen, they did not have that so no mutual aid was possible. Get educated Google is your friend.
3
While it is certainly true that Puerto Rican's themselves bare much responsibility for their dire circumstances, blaming them is much like blaming an overweight person for their heart attack while it is occurring. We treat heart attacks in the USA with whatever is required. Rehab comes later. So it should be with Puerto Rico. Food, water, roads, education and healthcare are 21st century bare necessities, and the Federal response has been completely lacking. We need to help the patient (Puerto Rico) get back on its feet, and then tackle the many problems that persist. To do anything otherwise, is unpardonable.
19
I disagree. For example this paper had an article where a bridge was washed out and people found a way to import resources. How about a rope and wood bridge instead of a concrete one? That could meet most of their needs quickly and cheaply, not as good as a concrete one but when you are poor you don't get the best. Same with say health care, not really essential to those who are healthy.
1
Puerto Rico should be treated the same way Texas and Florida were treated. Period
28
I disagree, they are and should be treated better, the need is more, the ability to fix things is less, and the fixing is much more difficult.
4
it's been seven weeks. to our great national shame.
of course, if we weren't shamed by the president or the nazis or the Alabama pedophile running for senate, it's unlikely this will turn the screw. I despair.
8
And yet Sandy damage is not yet repaired, not to mention Texas and I bet Florida as well. No magic solutions exist. FPL spent 1.5 billion of its money and was much better prepared to fix their grid that was both in better shape to start and easier to fix. No mountains in Fl or Texas to get in the way, no poor roads into the outlying areas either. Much easier and cheaper to address. Not to mention those ocean miles as a restriction. They are getting more assistance, the Army is not fixing the grid in Texas or Florida.
2
Of course Trump is treating PR like a 3rd world country because that's how he sees it. Look what he has said about people with Hispanic backgrounds all through his disgusting campaign. Even a judge. Trump is a prejudiced person against anyone that is different in any way from a white millionaire. That includes women, Hispanics, people of any color but white, people with different sexual orientations, and the poor. So, I'm not surprised.
15
The hurricane only highlights the raw deal Puerto Rico has been getting for decades. They should be either granted statehood or independence. The lack of real congressional representation is literally killing them.
56
Who stops them?Puerto Rican's want it both ways
1
7 weeks - 49 days - after the Devastation of Puerto Rico by Hurricane Maria, a majority of its residents (US Citizens !) have No Electricity ! No Drinking Water !! Even the Landlocked, Poverty-stricken mountain nation of Nepal brought faster, more compassionate Relief to its citizens after a devastating earthquake in 2014. The absence of Compassion for their lesser-fortunate countrymen among the US People & in the US Govt is Most Condemnable. In any democratic country in the Globe, any slackness in urgent Govt Response to its people caught in Natural Calamity is punished by a huge surge in People Protests & Media Condemnation. The US is different. Deplorably different. Inhumanly indifferent.
28
SV: Inasmuch as American aid has been provided to India in the past, do let me know when your government starts sending shipments of aid to Puerto Rico.
4
I'M OUTRAGED That Puerto Rico has been denied food stamps and other emergency aid. In the 80s, there was some talk about food stamp and other programs were excessive. Since then, the budget caps remained unchanged. Why is it that nobody says a word if Walmart's employees receive the largest dollar amount in the US for welfare, food stamps and medicaid, but Puerto Rico is given short shrift. My sense of intense rage and disgust with Trump and his corrupt thugo-kleptocracy grows daily. A Quck Fix for the problem would be to tell Walmart to take over Puerto Rico so that the residents suffering so terribly there with no end in sight will be able to get the same programs as Walmart employees on the mainland. Were Puerto Rico to be known hereafter as Puerto Rico in the Duchy of Walmart, I'm sure that its problems would be solved. Its owners are billionaires, so nobody minds giving them anything they want.
13
I understand AND AGREE...but until We the People do something more than complain in the few forums we are allowed to vent in then NOTHING WILL EVER CHANGE
Puerto Ricans have to figure out how to get their act together as they move forward into the 21st Century. More food stamps are not the answer. I agree that Congress has treated the Island and its inhabitants badly. That should come as no surprise. Puerto Rico is a colonial-era relic. It has no power in Washington because it has no vote in Congress and is therefore not a part of either the Democrat or Republican Conferences. It is a powerless waif. An urchin in a Dickens orphanage asking for a little more porridge. That isn't going to cut it.
11
Residents of Puerto Rico are not required to pay federal income taxes on revenue earned in Puerto Rico, unless they work for the government. Perhaps they would get more attention if they assumed the same responsibilities as the rest of the country.
14
Income taxes aren't the only federal taxes in existence, as you surely know. Nor are Puerto Ricans at liberty to decide that they will pay federal income taxes. I hate to point you to something as simple as Wikipedia, but I will. Here's an excerpt: "The Commonwealth government has its own tax laws and Puerto Ricans are also required to pay most US federal taxes, with the major exception being that most residents do not have to pay the federal personal income tax. In 2009, Puerto Rico paid $3.742 billion into the US Treasury. Residents of Puerto Rico pay into Social Security, and are thus eligible for Social Security benefits upon retirement. However, they are excluded from the Supplemental Security Income. The federal taxes paid by Puerto Rico residents include import/export taxes, federal commodity taxes, and others. Residents also pay federal payroll taxes, such as Social Security and Medicare taxes." I've eliminated the footnotes here, but you can see them when you look up the original: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_Puerto_Rico I hope you will tell your friends and associates that Puerto Ricans on the island do, indeed, pay federal taxes, even if most do not pay federal personal income tax.
Only certain residents of Puerto Rico are required to file federal income tax forms.
3
You sound as if you think that Puerto Rico's problems have all be caused by Puerto Rico. I suggest -- strongly -- that you look into the stranglehold that the federal government has had on Puerto Rico, causing the problems that you see today. Our federal government has an obligation to assist with cleaning up the mess that it instigated, beginning all the way back in 1898. Just because Puerto Rico is small doesn't mean that its history will continue to go unheard. Hurricanes Irma and Maria awakened a lot of Americans to the abuses their own government has inflicted on its own citizens in Puerto Rico.
4
Today's Republicans seem to have taken bigotry lessons from no less than Stalin, who expelled ethnic Poles and Ukrainians from the USSR. See Snyder, "Bloodlands."
Today's GOP considers Puerto Ricans not to be full Americans, but rather a lesser form of life. The few honest ones will actually admit it!
12
Maybe they should ask for help from the Clinton Global Initiative/Foundation. It worked so well for Haiti.
9
Some hear argue that Puerto Rico should go it alone, but I think there is better argument for making it a state with full representation.
9
In FY2015, Texans paid 279mm in federal taxes ($10,408 per capita); Floridians paid 177mm ($8762 per capita). Puerto Ricans citizens paid $3.5m ($1015 per capita). Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory similar to American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the USVI. The Federal Government is under no moral obligation to "rebuild Puerto Rico"; its citizens can resettle anywhere in the United States.
8
...and they should all resettle in "electoral college districts" that Trump carried...
Puerto Rico is a part of the USA just as New York is. We are not a country that decided who gets what emergency aid based on the taxes they have paid. Out=r governmental system is based on the whole country helping everyone. Puerto Ricans are citizens just like you New Yorkers are. By your rational, we Californians should have veto power over any federal monies spent in New York since we pay more money to the Federal Government than you do.
3
Your definition of "moral" is odd.
Puerto Rico has been my adopted home for 37 years. My husband and I arrived here in 1980 as two young professionals on an adventure and were enchanted by the Isla Encantada. We have raised two children here, one of them adopted, and they are now productive adults and the parents of five lovely Puerto Rican grandchildren.
We continue to work as professors at Catholic University in Ponce, PR. The treatment of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria has been shameful. Puerto Ricans are wonderful and patient people. There have been multiple efforts of neighbor helping neighbor and stranger helping stranger.
Two days after the hurricane, the people in my urban neighborhood were helping each other clear out fallen trees, pick up debris, feed the elderly and poor in the area and are continuting to do do.
So please, put these wonderful American citiizens on my adopted island on the list for rapid and adequate help.
63
I was a student at CUPR in Ponce.
PR would have done better if it remained under Spain. Look at the canarie islands.
I mean, please, Trumps opinions about Mexicans...imagine how he feels about Puerto Rican’s!!!
President baboso...
Viva PR !
1
This "Let Them Eat Cake" (if they can find any) approach by the Trump Administration is one of the most callous, inhumane, anti-American acts I can remember. These are our fellow citizens. We must do better than move on and give the Administration another pass. It smells of the white nationalist racism that is central to the Trump base; and to be blunt it stinks. If this is what Make America Great Again really means, then it does look like ethnic cleansing that is deporting Hispanics, keeping out Muslims, denigrating African-Americans--both football players, Congresswomen, and others, and ignoring, even starving, Puerto Ricans. This is beyond "benign neglect;" it's criminal negligence born of bigotry.
40
The low number of comments on this article versus others proves the point as well.
15
The Trump administration will starve and ignore Puerto Rico, allowing it to wither until the land can be had for pennies, at which point it will be turned into a vacation paradise by multination hotel corporations.
25
“ … We cannot keep FEMA, the Military & the First Responders, who have been amazing (under the most difficult circumstances) in P.R. forever!” he tweeted a month ago.”
What a toxic thing for a president to say to those who are suffering. His tone would be different were these victims not Hispanic and not brown.
17
"What ye do to the least of my brothers you do unto me." Aren't most of Trump's heads of the different cabinets and Pence himself Christians?
What a joke.
18
Yes they are CHiNOs . Christians in Name Only. It is not a joke. It is deadly serious - criminal in fact. And it is killing people. I call them all treasonous - both by their bigoted and murderous actions and decisions and by their complicity in silence. It is hard to see what is Great about America nowadays. Yet there is hope.. Real people with real honest values that include Christian Charity (a value extoled in olden days but nearly gone today - except for some notable examples) will overcome and resist this bigoted blight. We will elect better leaders. We will learn and teach our children compassion - and true patriotism. The patriotism that extends to all Americans of all colors, economic status, orientations, political views, and religions or secularisms. America must be the land of the free and the inclusive - the welcoming and the brave who have the courage to step up and fight tyranny - both foreign and domestic. We face domestic tyranny here - its name is racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, and elitism - and its enabler is Donald Trump. The pushers of this hollow and twisted caricature of a bigoted America are free under our American system and they will always have a right to push their disgusting narrative. But they are not America. They are not the true and the brave who love the land of the free. The are twisted hateful people who just happen to be Americans. We are evolving for the better. They are dinosaurs in power now but change will come.
Restoring Puerto Rico’s pre-storm electrical system, which was outdated and malfunctioning, is idiotic. Just after World War II, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rebuilt Germany’s obliterated system, not to the original but to the new 240-volt grid, way beyond what America had and still does not have. Why are we taxpayers and Puerto Rico wasting millions on this incompetence?
11
You're right. This time, the Army Corps should rebuild it to THOSE standards
1
I'll tell you why. Because the goal for PR is to have it vacated the more easily to buy up land and build corporate profit makers. As if everyone over 35 does not know this.
2
Puerto Rican politicians, if they are at all astute, will use the Hurricane Maria disaster to finance recovery from the Puerto Rican Political and Economic Corruption and Incompetence disaster. It is right that we help make the people of Puerto Rico whole, but at a price; the corrupt politicians and administrators who got Puerto Rico in this predicament, witness Whitefish, must go. Else we are throwing money we borrow from the Chinese down a rathole.
4
This comes as no surprise. Puerto Rican people are brown skinned and speak with an accent. So what treatment could be expected of an administration that built its creds on bigotry and xenophobia?
19
Trump should take a page from how President Xi of China treats islands!
What a failed so-called ‘leader’ - to inflict torture on people, devastated by a natural disaster!
8
The worst of all of this when articles are posted about the food money even in this nation those that stand in line are leaches on our society according to the comments by many. Why is it ok for businesses to get corporate welfare and taxpayers are seen as freeloaders. Throw me My One Roll Of Paper Towels . It was all that was needed to clean up all the mess these storms caused. We are were losers but Puerto Rico did get it worst. Shame on us.
10
Thank you Times but please allow more op eds on the Puerto Rico crisis to be printed. The acclaimed author of "Hamilton" has set up a program to help Puerto Rico. On a much smaller scale practicing theater folks of Off Off Broadway such s The Playwrights Sanctuary are attempting to aid what should have been our 51st state. Playwright Dr Larry Myers of St John s University was helping at the Avenue C Manhattan firehouse donation center and penned in a playwriting jihad "Puerto Rico Magick." Dr Myers Sanctuary is mentoring others to address, process and create new resistance theater works to counteract the apathy regarding Puerto Rico.
3
please tell or at least suggest that citizens leaving Puerto Rico fly to north Dakota and utah and Oklahoma and Indiana, there is work everywhere in mainland USA !!!
5
Trump's decision matrix:
1. Are they white?
2. Can they vote for me?
Zero for two Puerto Rico.
23
Out of sight, out of Trumps mind. How terrible the plight of forgotten prisoned Puerto Ricn people. Lord, we the people hope for their well-deserved rescue. When? How?
4
I'm hoping that a few hundred thousand Puerto Ricans migrate to Florida. Then promptly register to vote. And turn the state blue.
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I totally agree with you. Also consider Texas. with 64 electoral votes, unfit and lying Trump will not be re-elected.
1
You are wrong. The white Christian Republican government is treatng Puorto Rico as as THIRD Class, not second class. Even third world countries do not discriminate their emergency support because of religion or nationality. If the white America does not want Puorto as a "burden" hey should just divest it, make it an independent nation. then may be UB and other nations including the Chinese will help them.
10
You make a good point: If Puerto Rico were a sovereign nation, it would be receiving aid from many other countries, including the EU. China and Latin America. Puerto Rico would be free to trade directly with the whole world and there would be no Jones Act. Puerto Rico would have learned to be more self-reliant, it would be producing more of the things they consume. Everything is more expensive in Puerto Rico, even bananas, when you enter a supermarket there. The fact is Puerto Rico is a Latin American and Hispanic nation, only ruled by the US since 1898. Citizenship was granted to them in 1917, so that Puerto Ricans could be recruited as soldiers in World War I. Now there is no other immediate solution but to help them get on their feet and rebuild the island.
2
The RIGHT and CORRECT long-term strategy for the island, benefiting all of us on the mainland, is to grant this island full STATEHOOD. This will ensure its citizens are treated equally by the Federal government and receive full legislative representation in Congress. The island is a tremendous resource for all Americans, and offers real opportunity for our nation.
"Let them eat cake."
4
Why are 3.5 million American citizens living in Puerto Rico treated worse than 8. 8 million foreign aliens living in Israel?
How did Puerto Ricans vote in the last American Presidential and Congressional elections?
What influence did Israelis have in the last American Presidential and Congressional elections?
How did 6 million Christian Muslim Arab Palestinians under the dominion of 6.1 million Israeli Jews by occupation, blockade/siege, exile and 2nd class citizenship vote in the last Israeli elections?
Why are Puerto Ricans living in the wake of Hurricane Maria being treated as badly as black New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina?
6
Perhaps the reason God didn’t descend a huge trpical hurricane down on Egypt’s pharaoh as one of the plaques to change his mind about letting the Jews go free was because they’re not naturally indigenous to that region. That would explain a lot about the injustices you just pointed out.
This is a Trumpian led disgrace of enormous magnitude. He feels no shame at his lack of actions in this regard, preferring to toss paper towels in stead of taking the proper action to fill up food baskets and repair power lines. His Congressional leaders, especially Ryan, the Republican leader of the House-isn't it the Peoples' House (except when they are Puerto Ricans), are equally to blame. A bunch of "Despicable's" in all the senses of that adjective.
11
The administration’s response to the horrific damage ands desperate needs of Puerto Rico - following a deadly hurrican - has been abominable!
This Editorial is a bit late but totally on target.
Are homeowners in Houston or Florida being asked if they have debts - prior to receiving aid? I doubt it!
Puerto Rico has long been denied representation and statehood. I’m not advocating the latter, but if it’s a territory, then we on the Mainland (keeping it as a mere territory) are remiss in not providing every necessity for an island that was all but wiped out by a horrific hurricane.
Caritas of Puerto Rico guarantees that every penny donated will go for hurricane relief. You won’t waste even a penny.
But our federal government is showing its heartlessness in so many ways. And this is an abomination!
7
There is plenty of aid going to Puerto Rico. Puerto Ricans are not American Citizens. THEY DO NOT VOTE IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS. That means they are not US Citizens. They DO NOT PAY FEDERAL INCOME TAXES. FEDERAL INCOME TAXES GO TO SUPPORT American Citizens. They are not able to collect FEDERAL SSI benefits (which is welfare) an Unearned federal payment in Puerto Rico. The country's infastructure and electrical power were in disaray before the storm. Puerto Ricans have had the luxury of living la vida loca on a beautiful island fueled by Tourism and no cares about anything else.
AMERICA will provide and provide my tax dollars are being wasted helping PR. They do nothing for America but travel back and forth. Work in America while bragging about building homes and helping families in their country. PR.
Use and abuse America like everyone else. They should not say the TERRIBLE things they do about our country, I don't see ANY benefit coming our way. Puerto Ricans are TAKERS not contributors to America at all. They are only here for their own benefit. NOT AMERICAS benefit. TAKERS and I am sick and tired of having to watch my words and be politically correct. What about the 74 billion dollars of bond debt to America. Where is the money. Like I said, living La Vida Loca and I am sick of it. Leave America alone. You want Citizenship status and rights but its only a one way street. You dont want the obligations that come with being a citizen but you do want the benefits.
6
PUERTO RICANS ARE ALL AMERICAN CITIZENS!
Please sit down and write that 100 times. Then send it to The NY Times!
1
When you compare the food stamp relief to Florid v Puerto Rico, you might have included population and per capita relief numbers. That would be more helpful
2
this is a national disgrace. these are our fellow human beings,not to mention our fellow citizens.racism has been deeply carved into the cornerstones of the Whitehouse and the capitol building.this is not just sad, but repugnant.
2
These are also our fellow Americans!! US citizens all!
2
Once again Mar a Logo got 70 visa for foreign workers for the upcoming season. The reason being that no US workers would take these low paying jobs. I am sure that there are 7000 Americans would jump at these jobs. Puerto Rico, USVI? Helloooo.
3
Actually I see the big picture here as discarding the DACA and substituting the PR who will have to start all over at the bottom; the ideal solution to dealing with stable, home-owing, workers making middle class incomes. In 20 years the PR will have arrived at the same stability the DACA now have and will be facing their own replacement. Returning to PR an impossibility as the land will all have been bought up by corporates and hotelized.
America, the land of the 20 year plan where only the appearance matters.
I️ hate to point out the obvious, but while Puerto Rican's are indeed American citizens, they don't pay Federal Income taxes. Florida and Texas have capable governors and were prepared for the storm. The governor of Puerto Rico and the Mayor of San Juan did not prepare. Incompetent and corrupt politicians ran the Puerto Rican economy into the ground long before the storm
6
Hate to break it to you Dan, but PR is an island. They did everything they could to prepare for this storm and it was not enough. They couldn't evacuate the entire island. I'm not sure what the current governor of PR could have done differently given that the economic issues plaguing PR have been years in the making and contributed to by US policy towards PR.
2
Disturbingly -- an NPR report on the treatment of Hurricane victims first by Insurance companies who minimized their claims and then by the corrupt adjusters hired by FEMA..the payments to the adjusters equaled those to the victims. These scandals need to be widely reported. Yeserday, trying to deal directly with an insurance company to get a return of $$ for a premium I no longer need.. I learned all about the middle man. The company USLIC issuing Liability insurance required that the Allstate agent not myself deal with him. MIDDleMEN INDEED. Sheesh. BTW why not call for SOLAR panels all across the island.. Those, generators, cisterns and people would NOT NEED the GRID. but hey what would Wall Street do? Crocodile tears. Houston knew it was in for huge floods .. ( For the sake of the developers-- new housing starts = strong economy supposedly -- no attention paid to flood plain issues and asphalting over land needed to absorb water during torrential rain which they had already had. Key West covered with trailer homes... Guess again what will happen with high wind. NYC subways, tunnels often flood with torrential rain.. but Sandy was something else.
BTW all those do-good in developing countries American (tax exempt and tax- deduction) foundation.. Mr. Gates, Clinton, etc. time to hep an undeveloped part of America. (where you are getting those nice tax deductions and good publicity. Koch dollars? donde?
3
Nearly 40% of the Puerto Rican population is already on food stamps. This is more than twice the level of any state in the United States.
At what point should Puerto Rico, a failed Democrat experiment in spending money you don't have,be held to account for its demonstrated governmental incompetence?
8
If there had been lots of millionaire and billionaires who donated to Trump's campaign things would be a lot different. What can Puerto Rico do for Trump? Nothing, therefore Puerto Rico is not worth bothering about. Shame on Trump
4
Residents of PR pay no federal income tax on income earned in PR. Probably merits a mention in this editorial.
2
Many on the mainland pay no taxes.
Should we treat them like second class citizens too?
What has happened to our country?
7
I understand how that is an issue, but there's also taxation without representation because PR doesn't have a voting member of congress. There should also be a mention of the higher level of military service. And how the government makes decisions on Puerto Rico without their input. The repealing of a tax law in PR (which I think shouldn't have been there in the first place) that allowed companies to pay lower taxes by moving to PR. When it was repealed it led to an exodus of companies, thus damaging the PR economy.
3
And yet I read in the New York Times' neediest funds cases section, about an elderly Russian immigrant who's been here for 5 years and receiving all kinds of federal aid in the form of social security payments, disability payments, food stamps, etc. Meanwhile, these American citizens, who have sent men to fight in all our wars, are treated like this. Disgusting on both counts.
6
The anger I feel when I see the electrical power lines hanging loose everywhere in San Juan is what I want you to feel. That a Nurse from Whitefish Montana had the gall to accept the task of taking care of the electric power that runs the washing machine at my 93 year old aunt, is so indecent! That no one in the Federal Government has thrown her and her husband in jail, that they are still robbing my 93year old aunt of her hard earned pension dollars, is indecent. I cannot be silent. What is being done to Puerto Rico today is as indecent as the invasion that took place in 1898.
8
My heart goes out to all fellow Americans now trapped on a devastated island.
As a citizen I am ashamed of my country!
3
Trump's disaster mismanagement is far worse than that of Katrina. This is not bureaucratic fumbling but malicious hypocrisy. Texas and Florida are important voting states; Puerto Rico is an island with American citizens who are primarily Hispanic, one of Trump's most frequent target groups.
Maybe the military in PR can maneuver things better but we just saw Kelly aggressively intervene to try to deport more protected immigrants due to obvious bias.
God bless the people in Puerto Rico and those dying due to malicious neglect. There will be a reckoning someday for this. It is a human disaster now that is completely man made. Trump doesn't care about brown, black, poor or female citizens.
5
Only racism permits our Republican President and Congress to deny FOOD to Puerto Rico. Only racism and GREED prevent Puerto Rico relief from the bad loans banks made. Only parasitism prevents 3.5 million citizens from full citizenship that States enjoy.
Democrats should rush to PR rescue. Demand loan forgiveness, statehood and food.
3
This is what happens when you don’t lavish praise on the President.
2
This, of course, is a totally unfair analysis of Puerto Ricans as "second class citizens." Puerto Ricans are definitely US citizens with different standing in our laws, but it is a role that has worked to their substantial advantage. They pay no US income taxes on their earnings, unless they are US government employees, yet largely retain the right to access US wealth distribution programs like food stamps. The relationship with the US has been hugely beneficial to Puerto Rico, transforming it from one of the poorest Latin American nations under Spanish control, to one of the wealthiest under US administration. Which is why Puerto Ricans have repeatedly balked at independence from the US when that option has been presented to the them in electoral referenda.
But if you only highlight only the aspects of this relationship that work to the disadvantage of that island, you can manage to present a negative picture of the US, as the Times has done here.
15
Its an arrangement that has worked to the advantage of the US who makes PR citizens purchase all of its goods from US ships and higher prices than anywhere else in the US.
5
That is an easy analysis to make if you are in Oregon. Here in Puerto Rico people are suffering and dying. And many of those of us fortunate enough to jave a roof overpur heads and clean water are doing our part where FEMA and the local government cannot or have not yet reached.
I do not think that folks on the mainland have fathomed how urgent the situation in Puerto Rico really is...
3
Chuck French, Please read your history. You mention nothing here about the military and the fact that Puerto Ricans have fought overseas for the US since US citizenship was conferred on all Puerto Ricans. The same fate that has befallen the rust belt and industry going abroad for cheaper labor and more profits hit Puerto Rico after the very considerable tax breaks were eliminated for US companies doing business and manufacturing in Puerto Rico...Yes, Operation Bootstrap expanded the Puerto Rican middle class. Yes, there was tourism that served as a substitute for a supplanted agricultural base (which was a mistake), and yes there were many that migrated to the US mainland and became full-fledged US citizens. Puerto Ricans voting in the US, will be the GOP's nightmare, particularly in Florida, as Puerto Ricans will soon outnumber the Cuban populations there. And Puerto Ricans do pay taxes, perhaps not Federal income taxes, but countless other taxes, and they are taxed heavily under the conditions of the maritime exclusive rules attached to the Jones Act. Are you , like many others before you, suggesting that this lack of empathy for US Citizens is justified in some way, and folks should be left to die in over-heated hospitals and darkened homes and flooded streets and rivers? Is this what all of you who bring up the tax question supporting...an abandonment of its own people? If it is, then say it loudly and clearly, and show your true lack of caring for other Americans.
I'm writing this as one who lives in PR and loves the island, but who also sees how Puerto Ricans themselves are perpetuating these problems. Yes, PR is treated unequally--because it is unequal! PR is a territory of the USA, not a state. But Puerto Ricans have not voted convincingly for statehood, and that is what is holding us back. This latest hurricane disaster shows plainly that Puerto Rico is and will always be dependent on the USA. So, we need to vote for equal treatment by voting for statehood! Now, many say that the US congress will "never" approve statehood for Puerto Rico, but "never" is a long time, and, in any case, we Puerto Ricans haven't seriously tried. I believe that if a strong consensus for statehood was registered at the polls, we could at least begin convincing congress to grant statehood. But, without that consensus, complaints of unequal treatment are hollow. The problem is, many Puerto Ricans want it both ways: they want support from the USA, while still enjoying semi-autonomy, and that's why they have to settle for grudging, unequal support.
29
Trump is treating Puerto Rico like a third world country whose aid has been cut from his budget. The majority of Americans have become second class citizens under Trump and his elite regime. At the same time Puerto Rico has become the forgotten Americans as there is a "big, big ocean" separating them from the mainland.
Foreign aid and individual states and citizens have stepped up to help, but Trump has ignored them as his entire agenda is all about Trump and the privileged class in America. We live in a Trump world where his Cabinet and most of his Congress operate without a conscience or a soul for that matter.
10
How long can it take for that money to get there? This is emergency funding of a federal program and I would assume people already have SNAP cards and the rest ready for the direct deposit of this additional $.
If we need more congressional action, tear them away from those endless tax talks and let's get this done, including a mandate to get the money there within a week.
Depriving fellow Americans of adequate food is never acceptable, especially after an already formidable disaster. Or let's just send MREs or cargo ships full of more nutritious food and give it to people in need, paid by my taxes. Let's stop making people stand at the ATM and then at the grocery and then not have enough to buy what they need (and without refrigeration, food purchases are harder anyway, not even sure how you feed a family).
Sure there will be some fraud and there is some waste and maybe PR has too many food stamps pre-hurricane, but there won't be pre-hurricane times there for a year or more. Get PR back to some decent standard of living. This is disgraceful.
38
Donate to Caritas of Puerto Rico. They guarantee every penny will go for assistance.
You won’t waste a cent. So don’t waste any time donating!
The Trump administration's treatment of Puerto Rico is outrageous. However, since FEMA is now transporting displaced Puerto Ricans to the mainland, it is, in fact, depopulating the island while adding to an unemployed refugee population in Florida, New York and other places where the displaced have relatives or friends. Not a very good solution.
2
I am in Florida now and beg to differ .Puerto Ricans doing fine in Central Florida and escaping a terribly run place.
2
I'm getting tired of all this complaining from the island.
These people pay no US taxes. Restrictions had to be put on the Food Stamp (SNAP) allotment because a majority of citizens were eligible for them. These people paid their taxes to the government of Puerto Rico which wasted the money at a level that meets or exceeds the percentage the US federal government does. Municipalities didn't pay their electric bills for such things as ice skating rinks. The government owned power company still uses imported oil to run its generators just as it did when I lived there 1971-1975. Conversion to gas or even nuclear should have taken place long ago. The power company needs a top to bottom audit to find out just where all the money went.
The investors who bought $70 B. in bonds deserve to take a haircut. They lent knowing well that the island could not pay the money back but counting on the US to bail PR out so they wouldn't lose money.
The people are guilty in electing members of the oligarchy that has always ruled the island and promising but never delivering. Their dependence on the US government is as much its fault as theirs. They've never been able to develop any economic system of their own based on responsible behavior and methods and now we see the results of this relationship in which the US government treats Puerto Rico with contempt for being needy and coming to the well too often.
6
I agree with almost everything you've written, EXCEPT your call for natural gas or nuclear power. Solar is a far better alternative. Since the storm, I converted my house to solar and am running everything just fine totally off-grid, since the grid is down. While SOME large generation plants will be necessary for quite a while, many homes and businesses could convert to solar, and this would be a tremendous boost to the local economy and a hedge against future hurricanes.
6
Americans in distress need assistance. Any argument about taxation and investment is for another time. Restore electricity and basic resources. More disgraceful performance from an unfit and incompetent GOP white house.
5
Check this out. Here is another writer saying that we should let Puerto Rico drown and let older and infimed people and people without power and water die. Here it is again, NY Times readers, the "they don't pay taxes" gambit. Always front and center. So people in this situation should not complain? You, my fellow Times reader, are "tired of all of the complaining." And so you propose cutting loose all of those Americans. Perhaps you should ask the Korean Vets or the Vietnam Vets that question. This is the kind of mean spirited thinking that has supported Trump like response to this natural disaster. There were many uninformed people who built very nice homes in flood prone areas before Harvey. Many real estate people made a lot of money. Should we say that these folks were stupid and should be punished for suffering the loss of life and property or do we lend a hand? This is a humanitarian disaster that has now been unfolding on the island for more than a month now, and all we get from readers like you are complaints and discharge your duty as a fellow citizen. Wait a minute, maybe you do not see the islanders as fellow citizens. Or do you?
1
I would go further: when we finally get the 45th president in the White House, that president has a duty to unilaterally declare Puerto Rico a free and independent state, with the right to declare bankruptcy, form a military, etc., and continue offering both the current level of help and all other needed help until the island refuses.
We have no right to continue to "possess" a country as a spoil of war without allowing it the full rights of that country, any more than Russia has the right to seize Crimea. (It became an "Estado Libre Asociado" amid UN scrutiny of it and other colonies.) Since Congress can't (or won't) end the referendum-vote charade, or honor the last ones (the most recent saw US-statehood win but also a boycott from many voters), or even allow a bankruptcy declaration, the President must take up their job to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution by freeing that jinni from its political lamp.
3
Hold on, now! Puerto Ricans are American citizens, so shouldn't it be up to THEM what status they should have? Believe me, most of us in Puerto Rico decidedly do not want independence! If given a two-way choice between Statehood and Independence, Statehood would win by at least 80 to 20, and probably 95 to 5.
Thank you for proving my point.
Of course it should be up to the citizens, and as long as Congress refuses to respect the will of Puerto Ricans (stated in referendum, and obvious otherwise), the US holds it against its will (and international law!) and must let go until they respect that will.
When an empire, and now one ruled by a mostly-white-male-GOP government, doesn't even acknowledge multiple legitimate referendums held over the years, that's not representation. That's rape.
The final status of Puerto Rico should be resolved once and for all, no two ways about it. Having said that, as a Puerto Rican who has family living in the WORST hit parts of the island, I can say this: Additional Food stamps solve nothing when you can't find food or water, or it's very limited. The majority of the people has to rely on non-perishable food. It's a steady diet of canned or dry food, if you rely only on electricity for cooking. Maria was the last nail in the coffin for an economy that had been crippled since President Clinton signed the demise of the 936. Add to that the debt piled on the people by the island politicians, the closure of the Roosevelt Roads Navy base, which was a result of the Vieques protests, with the loss of over $500 million a year to the direct local economy, plus the closure of the Aguadilla Air Force base. Had they been open, the story would have been different. Then, there's the Jones Act. Just tell me what kind of logistical miracle is going to supply drinking water, and feed 3+ million people at the snap of a finger, when faced with a devastated, already crumbling infrastructure. There's PLENTY of blame to spread around. If everything has been because of U.S. neglect, why is it that La Perla, a shantytown that is within WALKING distance from both the San Juan City Hall, and La Fortaleza (governor's residence) has been so neglected? The first question I asked my sister BEFORE the hurricane hit was: Do you have ENOUGH food and water?
3
.Well, you said it in your first sentence: it's all about political status. PR has no chance unless it becomes a state.
Well, you know La Perla has been neglected since forever. That's nothing new. In the 1980s, La Perla was a den of crime and poverty with a massive HIV infection rate. It is actually improved from what it was. I appreciate everything you've brought up in your post; however, be very careful about mistakenly ascribing federal decisions to anyone but federal decision-makers.
2
@Holly, so, by your standards of judgement, La Perla residents can just go an F themselves, since their neglect is, as you say "nothing new". By that same token, then, the current administration doesn't owe them squat, since they are human beings of a lesser quality? Is that your position? "Dens of crime and poverty" can be found ALL over the continental U.S..
Editorial Board does not explore whether the lack of additional food stamps actually resulted in people going hungry. Was there actually food on the island that people were unable to purchase? Thought issues were distribution of food, water, no power, etc.
2
Massive suffering deserves a massive response. By our federal government and by everyone with human compassion.
We must let Congress know the urgency of allocating funds and manpower immediately.
Puerto Rico, we care!
6
I have all the compassion in the world for the people of Puerto Rico. I am willing to pay more - my per capita share In taxes - so we can rebuild their island, pay off their debt and then see Puerto Rico declared an independent country, responsible for it own destiny. I do not want to see it become the 51st state. The playing field was never level.
Then let US resolve for the future never to colonize other nations. Puerto Rico should not have been made a commonwealth territory after the Spanish-American War. It was just greed on the part of American business interests; it's only the prospect of future economic gains there and a cheap supply of ready labor domestically that encourage us to preserve the status quo.
But we broke it - now we have to fix it. Sooner is better; yesterday was a good time. I never went hungry. No American "citizen" should either!
Chevy
South Hadley, MA
5
Sorry, Chevy, but most of us do not want independence. Had the US stayed out of PR in 1899, maybe PR could have become a successful independent nation, but its far too late fore that. For better or worse, PR is dependent on the US, and the only fair move forward is statehood.
Wrong, Chevy, the RIGHT policy to follow is statehood for Puerto Rico. This will grant fellow citizens the full legislative representation they deserve, and expand our interests in the key Caribbean region. We have A LOT more to benefit from by granting full statehood to the island.
Compare this situation with with Hurricane Katrina in 2005, where Bush was clearly held to blame (as were some local and state officials) for the inept response in Louisiana. Perhaps it's the vastness of Trump's ineptitude on so many different fronts that makes it hard to focus on just one failure or travesty. But part of the issue also lies in the lack of visibility: the TV news media have long since moved on, Puerto Rico's problems have faded into the background, and Americans aren't exactly marching in the streets to demand help for the island.
1
Making sure that people are fed is a priority and Congress should move quickly to temporarily lift the cap on food stamps. But the real question is whether we should pour recovery funds into Puerto Rico, handing over billions of dollars to a local government that is utterly incompetent. Depopulation of the island was well under way before Hurricane Maria, and people will continue to leave for greater opportunities on the mainland. A program that assists families with relocation, as opposed to rebuilding, would be a better use of taxpayer dollars.
3
One day the people of Puerto Rico may have the pleasure of paying federal income taxes, the grand daddy of all taxes that the rest of the citizens of the USA have the pleasure of paying. At that point they can really expect to be equals.
All of the articles that say the people of Puerto Rico pay federal taxes generally leave out the fact that they don't pay federal income tax. The Island has shown it'self to be a world wide example of fiscal irresponsibility as well as full of political and fiscal corruption. It really should be put under military rule, rebuilt with federal dollars and then fair and free elections can take place, with the old political class outlawed from going back into power. Oh, plus they need to pay federal income tax to pay back the billions of dollars that are going to be poured by US Citizens into their territory.
4
While its true that PR politicians have royally ripped off the creditors and the US government, they also ripped off most of the citizens in PR. True, the average citizen was somewhat complicit because they consistently ignored the pillaging of the public treasury, but the US Federal government is also to blame because they failed to exercise their oversight role. So, to now lay this at the feet of the PR citizens would be unjust. My solution: let the creditors take a hair cut of say 40%; let the Federal government pick up another 40%; and ask the people to pay the rest. Probably about right with respect to the responsibility. Oh, and put some of those crooks in prison while we're at it.
The lack of any political clout in Washington will always hobble the Commonwealth regardless of hurricane damage.
1
Puerto Rico ought to be the shining star of the Caribbean, with American "ownership" and the wonderful advantages that one would think would accrue from US investment and Federal support. Instead it is a cautionary tale for the world making plain that the US is just about old-fashioned naked imperialism.
2
The Times Editorial Board has failed to do its homework. Emergency generators (powered by diesel and gasoline) were used from the outset to ensure that hospitals had power and that medicines that had to be refrigerated were preserved.
The magnitude of Maria makes comparisons to other great storms difficult. The typhoon that hit the Philippines several years ago, Mitch in Central America in the 1990s come to mind. It is hard to recognize that Maria did more damage to Puerto Rico than Katrina did on the Gulf Coast.
Many of the problems that Puerto Rico has encountered post-Maria have effectively nothing to do with POTUS Trump. The poor financial management and the failure of the practically bankrupt Public Utility to do basic maintenance contributed greatly to what Maria ultimately wrought.
The Army Corps of Engineers is moving as fast as it can to deal with what is realistically unprecedented in the Western Hemisphere. I wish that we could wave a magic wand and to promptly restore the infrastructure in Puerto Rico. The reality is that by the first anniversary of Maria, a more hardened, more hurricane-proof infrastructure will be in place. Let's tell the truth and let's be patient.
1
In two recent decisions the US Supreme Court was clear. Congress has plenary power over Puerto Rico. That means that nothing the local government does means anything, unless approved by the US Congress.
This is the very definition of a colony, but does anyone in Congress care? Does it embarrass the State Department that we maintain the last colony in the world? Does Nicki Haley give firebrand speeches at the UN about a US plan for decolonization? Has Mitch McConnell declared it time to end this charade and propose statehood for Puerto Rico?
Hurricane Maria simply laid bare this wound to the people of Puerto Rico that has been festering for years. We cannot be a democracy and a colonizer. If congress doesn't want to spend the money to support its colony than it needs to decolonize and either grant statehood or complete independence.
3
If Puerto Rico is to have anything better in its future than it has now, then it must either become a separate and sovereign nation or our 51st state. Being neither, as must be clear by now, does not work.
5
Expecting trump or the republicans to spend money on anything that doesn’t directly increase the wealth of the top wage earners and corporations is a sadly unrealistic. These are the same people who have left the CHIP program expire, without regard to the health of millions of children in the United States. They care nothing for humanity unless it lines their pockets while destroying not only others lives but the environment. The press needs to have these issues front and center asking questions about it daily in press briefings, running pictures in newspapers, magazines and online. Nothing will embarrass trump or the republicans to help in a constructive way. Only voting out this swamp beginning in 2018 will change things. Unfortunately for Puerto Rico that doesn’t leave much hope.
1
Thank you NYTimes for keeping Puerto Rico in the news. Abandoning these citizens speaks to the loss of soul of this country. Greatness comes from supporting a just system for all and that is something this US administration has been walking away from. If Puerto Rican Americans still won’t be allowed to vote to help determine their future let’s encouage them to move to a state, NY or FL say, and vote their interests from there.
what's needed is a progressive tax, all progressives should be voluntarily taxed at double the normal rate so their progressive programs can be paid for. presto problem solved
2
And those, imamn, who are from states that are not "progressive" should turn down their share of taxes that those in progressive states ahare with those who do not carry their own weight. And those who want to support a corporate tax cut, should increase their personal tax rate by 10 or 15 percent.
Balance in these United States, please. Caring also is something that we should encourage not abandonment.
Kudos to Mr. Trump for stepping in and saving countless Puerto Rican lives. That was with American tax payer funds and Puerto Rica should be ever grateful considering they dont pay a dime in Federal taxes.
5
Did you actually read this article???
What part of Puerto Rico not receiving more generous and swifter food relief, and the fact that they are American citizens did you fail to understand???
1
I do not dispute the fact that the island took a direct hit from a cat 4 hurricane and that the people are suffering and are displaced. Perhaps some additional help would be in order.
That's no excuse, however, for the island to be in such bad shape economically before the hurricane, as well as most of the states. I've never understood why any state, or country, should spend more that it takes in. I understand that you can borrow, but unrestrained borrowing is terrible policy. Some states, perhaps including Puerto Rico, are head over heels in debt (New Jersey, Illinois) and are likely to find themselves in bankruptcy as well. You call them victims, and you're right, but they're victims of irresponsible and inept government leaders who can't say no to runaway spending, borrowing, and being unprepared. I'm real sorry if this offends your sense of progressiveness.
States, the US, and Puerto Rico should adopt sustainable budgets and have a healthy disaster fund - like Florida.
2
This can come as no surprise to anyone. More indignities and inequities will certainly train upon these citizens in the months to come.
And now I hear they are airlifting people out to New York and Florida. Can you imagine the rude awakening it will be to have been relocated to the harsh winter environs of New York after living your entire life in a Caribbean climate?
When I was watching the World Series it struck me that it will take so much longer for Puerto Rico to host an event of that caliber compared to how Houston rebounded so fast after its hurricane.
1
Puerto Rico is smack down in the path of potential hurricanes.
What has Puerto Rico done in the last 50 years to prepare?
Why rebuild anything there, to be destroyed by future hurricanes?
3
Puerto Rico rejected statehood. The onus is theirs. The Puerto Ricans gambled on the commonwealth and lost.
3
Time to file a section 1983 class action lawsuit for violations of civil rights and basic human rights. The depravity and racism of this “administration” knows no bounds. Every American should call their legislators and demand action for PR. I commit to calling once a week and to continued donations of supplies and money.
1
This Congress cannot get behind even basic decency such as health care for infants or the disabled, so the plight of Puerto Rico is hardly important to the typical Republican legislator, warm and comfortable in fully electrified homes, counting pennies like Scrooge.
1
The tragedy of Puerto Rico is a classic lesson in avoidance of the welfare state. Puerto Ricans have been citizens since 1917. While they do not vote, their interests have been more than fairly represented IF you consider big government as a positive. PR's do not pay Federal Income taxes yet receive the same benefits as other citizens. Because of its relative poverty, their are a massive net consumer of federal government support far in excess of their tax payments including Title I, Federal highway funds, Medicaire/Medicaid, etc. Of far greater consequence, the territory status of PR allowed it to borrow tens of Billions of $ which it squandered. In previous years, Federal programs allowed companies to locate in PR and avoid paying federal taxes to drive the local economy. Once again an opportunity lost as the moment these federal subsidies were lifted, the value of the local workforce, infrastructure,etc was not enough to keep companies local. Finally, in recent years PR's government enacted a tax regime that largely allowed US citizens who spent 183 days in PR to almost entirely avoid federal and state taxes. It was aimed to bring billionaires to the Island. No State has this option. Net, net, mismanagement, corruption and waste have been profound and transfer payments through Federal programs has done nothing to build a thriving self-sufficient economy. Instead, we have created a collapsing welfare state, in debt with its population fleeing.
3
Trump and the GOP see Puerto Rico as 'Sea Mexico.' Why would on think they would have any desire to help? Besides, they don't don't get to vote in federal elections.
It isn't just Trump, Puerto Rico has been ignored by everyone in Washington for a long, long time, in both parties. Why do we have a colony if we're a Republic? Why can't they join the Union like Alaska and Hawaii? Why restrict their shipping? Why keep them there all alone as some sort of forgotten stepchild even in the best of times? That we can feed them now is beyond question, that we aren't is cruel in a way that seems to come only froma desire to punish them for being different, and yet they are what we have made of them. We invaded and took control, we created their limbo status quo. We govern them. And now we punish them because Trump enjoys it? I can't think of any other reason to do it. It isn't that he's a racisy that surprises or that he's such an open racist, but that he's a sadist and such an open sadist. This will notend well, unless it awakens Puerto Rico to take on Washington and remain a thorn in its side until it finally gives them equal status.
It is amazing how this editorial like so many others, that proposes to seek a humanitarian response to a national tragedy instead conjures up hateful vitriol. Why does it matter to people that people work off the books in public housing projects? Talk to me when you truly live in poverty. Poor people pay taxes. Colonial citizens pay taxes. Or did you forget the dispute that founded this nation? Puerto Ricans, my people, are tired of having to defend our American citizenship to inspire the support that they deserve, that I pay taxes on the mainland for and they pay taxes on the island for. It is incomprehensible that the people of an island that were one of the first to help the victims of the first hurricanes, does not engender the same type of compassion when it's needed their way! I am absolutely disgusted and ashamed as an American that some fellow Americans in their comments here, would bring up the cost of aiding their fellow Americans as a condition of continuing said aid. Despicable!
1
Where is the public outrage from our leaders? As with everything else in this sad, sad, Congress, no one speaks out. No one really cares. WIth Trump his silence is understandable. He is out of touch with reality itself.
But the Congress? Where is the humanity? Is no one going to speak out? These people are us, for criminy sakes. They are Americans. We should be dropping what we are doing and put that island and its residents right.
Oh, right! We have a tax break for rich people to deal with. Right, Mr Ryan? Right, Mr. McConnell?
30
"Puerto Rico already was fighting bankruptcy before the hurricane hit."
Fighting it? Based on contemporary news reports, including from this paper, I got the impression that Puerto Rico was openly embracing the idea of bankruptcy as a way to get rid of all the government/utility debt that they had.
2
I’m not sure what the confusion is here. We are treating Puerto Rico as we would any colony. In addition to their colonial status, Puerto Ricans are not white. You get to go to the front of the line in America only if you are Anglo-Saxon. The fact that the country produces huge quantities of drugs for the U.S. should prompt us to help them more – but, the wealthy will be able to get their drugs anyway. What Puerto Rico should do is become a tax haven. Then the oligarchs will sit up and take notice, and give the country some respect.
2
There are few things more shameful than this country's treatment of Puerto Rico, which suffered far more devestation on a wider level than either Texas or Florida, and that they are still basically without an operational electric grid is proof enough of that.
While it's no surprise that they are being treated like third-class citizens by this president and his administration, it still doesn't alter the fact that they are American citizens, and no excuse in the world can make up for the fact that they are being left to go hungry, and in the darkness.
For shame.
2
Puerto is a Colony, not part of OUR country and like most colonies has been abused by its Colonial master. Its time to resurrect the separatist movement and declare Independence from the US and work toward forming a new nation in the Caribbean of like minded Colonies. Absent that, the out-migration of residents to the mainland will become a flood taking with them a viable workforce, leaving those remaining the job of sustenance farming and severe poverty while being subjected to its Master's rules that only benefit the mainland. Free Puerto Rico!
3
The Hurricane hit on September 20. 50 days later, I have come to the conclusion that not only has the federal government abandoned 3.4 Million US citizens, but the rest of the US, most people in my own community, just don’t care. “Horror grips us as we watch you die”?
Like much of the Caribbean and countries closer to the equator, Puerto Rico is an economic disaster, only more so, and should be cut loose from the USA. These statistics are from before the hurricane. Puerto Ricans don't pay federal taxes, but 33% of the population is collecting food stamps, costing U.S. taxpayers 2 billion dollars. Furthermore, 25% of their monthly allocation is paid in cash at a cost to U.S. taxpayers of 500 million dollars and so it's impossible to say if they're spending that 25% on food or something else. Only 43% of working age men work and 1 in 6 is collecting disability. 27% of the population is collecting welfare. Tell me....what is the U.S. getting out of this relationship with Puerto Rico?
3
The government in PR has mismanaged their economy for years and Trump was right in his diatribe. They have never embraced the thought of statehood as a common goal and their recent cancellation of the contract with Whitefish Energy is just another example of their ineptitude in managing finances.
3
This is another shame on our nation. What kind of people are we?
I hope the P.R. citizens that move mainland will move to swing states and vote Democratic.
1
I am livid that the federal government is doing so little for 3 1/2 million Americans of Puerto Rico.
The military should have been massively activated to provide services and re-establish infrastructure.
NYT: keep reporting every week how many people still lack running water, sufficient food, solid housing over their heads.
Maybe it's not just that Puerto Rico doesn't have the same representation in congress as Texas and Florida. Maybe it's because most Puerto Ricans are people of color.
Puerto Rico should do what the Founding Fathers did when in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another.
Puerto Ricans can then be their own country. Why can anyone proclaim the Arabs in Gaza deserve their own country when the much closer Puerto Ricans are not allowed that same right?
Puerto Rico should form its own perfect union, establish justice, and ensure domestic tranquility.
3
Remember that trump gave his PR relief efforts a 10.
1
This is perfectly fine, as long as Trump's friends are getting rich. It is what we voted for.
2
You know who supposedly has plenty of relief supplies? The Red Cross.
Of course, distributing those in Puerto Rico would mean actually doing something with them - and that might affect their non-profit bottom line.
5
I can't think of a better time for them to declare independence and be done with us. The can become an off-shore tax haven for the rich.
2
As a free, independent and above all, a sovereign nation, Puerto Rico would be better off with the ability to customize laws to their needs, with the power to design a mutually beneficial commercial relationship with other nations, and with a standing as nation member of regional (Caribbean and Latin American) organizations willing to treat Puerto Ricans as equals, especially in times of extreme emergencies. It simply makes no sense to remain in a relationship in which the United States Congress clearly adopts a passive-aggressive stance with Puerto Ricans in the Island, who have become a perpetually powerless community. Cultural differences (as well as economic disparities) between these two nations are high and tenacious, truly tenacious. To visualize Puerto Rico as a state of the union is merely an illusion. Puerto Rico urges a new standing as an independent and sovereign nation. There is no other choice.
6
I am ashamed of our treatment to our fellow American citizens. Congress should really be embarrassed. Time to let your congressman know you care.
18
Shame on us and US.
Trump thinks about Puerto Rico and sees only the "Sharks and the Jets", not citizens.
7
i believe only 2/3 of the island was declared disaster. the western one third was left out even though all govt services are centralized in San Juan. truly mean and genocidal... PLEASE check!!!!
4
this isn't true. the whole island was declared
1
Puerto Ricans are second class citizens in Puerto Rico, and in the mainland. Puerto Ricans are even displaced in the mainland in favor of recent unqualified immigrants.
6
The politicians deserve lot of the blame .They mismanaged the economy and infrastructure over the years and then they come cup in hand asking for more help.It is heart breaking to see good people suffer but the mayor of San Juan is not doing her job and people who elected her are not without fault.
4
You would never make such an argument about Texas or Florida.
Puerto Rico might be better off aligning with Cuba. Let's see how Trump like that.
7
Trump does not care whether the island residents live or die. I heard on NPR today that federal troops are leaving the island and a general was arguing that the troops were not "withdrawing," they were "transitioning," or words to that effect. The governor should face reality and stop waiting and asking for help from the US government (it isn't coming) and seek help elsewhere from corporations, groups of wealthy individuals, other countries, etc. People cannot live without power, potable water and sufficient food, it is 2017 not 1717.
23
How anyone could be a member of the GOP is beyond me. PR is as American as any of the 50 States who have voting rights. FEMA is another incompetent arm of the Trump-led GOP. Letting PR suffer is criminal!
26
Horrible, the treatment of Puerto Rico after Maria. People are trying to live off Come and potato chips. How is the everyday Puerto Rican responsible for this debt? Why are the children of PR made to suffer?
We show our pettiness in how we are treating PR during this time of exception hardship, a true catastrophe.
12
While the president and his billionaire Cabinet go about business as usual, American citizens in Puerto are going hungry, not to mention having to make do with substandard shelter conditions and being at risk to all sorts of diseases caused by polluted water sources and sewage and being menaced by reptiles and rats that scurry about with abandon. These deplorable conditions would never have been tolerated in any American city or state.
15
The second-class treatment afforded the Puerto Rican people does not involve just food aid. In all areas, Puerto Rico receives second-class treatment simply because it is a colonial possession of the United States. When will this degrading relationship end?
13
Why does the US still have “territories” and second-class citizens, including those who live in its capital city? Why is this acceptable?
32
Puerto Rico is a territory because the people of Puerto Rico continually vote to remain a territory. Would it make you happy if the federal government forced them to become a state? My guess is no.
1
Where are you Nydia Velazquez? Your dear Puerto Rico needs you in this time of need!
2
This is part of the great contraction a retreat from what the base doesn't care about or understand.
4
Oscar Wilde was unfairly prosecuted for "gross indecency." But it is President Trump who should be, for [fill in the blank] over the people of Puerto Rico.
15
America stifles Puerto Rico. So it either needs to take responsibility for its colony or let it go and allow it to rebuild on its own. But as is, Puerto Rico's second-class citizenship and treatment will stifle its growth.
12
Federal Income tax is collected from all individuals from States compared, it is not from residents of PR. Federal government do not collect income taxes from local businesses either. All that’s revenue goes to local government.
One could argue that “second-class treatment” is also afforded when collecting income tax from Puertorrican individuals and businesses.
It would be unfair to states to offer a better deal by contributing at same level while not income tax contributions
Local government should close the gap under current status they do receive the tax revenue.
5
This is like blaming the sick for being sick, absurd isn't it? The truth of the matter regarding taxes is that the US Congress decided long time ago to delegate income tax collection to the local Hacienda. Being this a US territory, sovereignty lies upon the US Congress. We cannot blame the current status on the American Citizens of the territory since they have no say in matter. It is about time Congress restore legitimacy and justice for the citizens in PR. The US Constitution does not allow the federal Government to stablish two kinds of citizenship or different tiers or rights for territorial residents. Territorial status is a temporary status not permanent either. They have been in this immoral limbo for too long (more than a century) which doesn't make any sense. From any point of view the situation is unsustainable for discrimanatory.
1
Since Puerto Rico has no voice in the Federal government, taxing them like the states would be a plain case of taxation without representation. Make them a state, or give them independence. Until then, we took possession, we are responsible for what happens there.
2
Citations please.
1
So this is how block grants work. They restrict appropriate responses to variations in need over time, and leave you abandoned if a problem arises.
19
It is indeed disappointing and frustrating that U.S. citizens face limits on federal aid because they live in Puerto Rico. This is an unfortunate consequence of the political arrangement the majority of voters on the island have chosen. The island’s commonwealth status (ELA in Spanish for Estado Libre Asociado, or Free Associated State), has been in place since 1952. It grants Puerto Rico a semblance of autonomy and placates political and cultural guardians who prefer keeping most things American at arm’s length. But it comes at a price, one we’re now seeing is perhaps steeper than anticipated. Paying no federal income tax translates to no representation in Congress and caps on federal aid (though taxpayers in PR do pay into Social Security and Medicare).
Including PR in this latest emergency funding measure is the right thing to do, certainly, but that’s a short term solution. Many of those who complain about the island’s colonial status are the same ones who have voted consistently over the years preserve the ELA. Congress should throw its support behind a referendum which offers a binary choice between statehood and independence. That’s the best way to offer our fellow citizens on the island a way out of this muddy political status and the choice to be full participants in our political institutions. The ELA has outlived its usefulness.
17
"This is an unfortunate consequence of the political arrangement the majority of voters on the island have chosen."
The fate of Puerto Rico is not for Puerto Ricans to decide. Any referendums on the ELA status, independence or annexation has no binding effect. The only entity that can decide on Puerto Rico's status as part of the US is the US Congress.
5
Our government needs to do more to help Puerto Rico, but I am concerned about the attitude of many public housing residents as was reported on in the 8/6/16 NYT article “ A Surreal Life on the Precipice in Puerto Rico”. The public housing residents work “off the books” so they tell the federal government they have no income. The Department of Housing and Urban Development asks them to pay $25 a month in rent, but, at the same time, gives them a monthly utility allowance which could be more than double their $25 a month rent. This means they are paid for living in public housing.
They are supposed to give the utility allowance to the Power Authority, but the latter is lax about collecting payments. Many renters keep the money. (This is just one of several reason that the Power Authority cannot afford to maintain equipment, and so leaves it susceptible to hurricanes.)
The article reports that up to a third of Puerto Ricans work “off the books”. Has it become normal, on the island, to try to “beat the system”, and if so, can we keep a very close account of every dollar of aid that we spend there?
11
Feel free to go there and see if you can live any other way? I doubt you could. The bottom line is that these people are working very hard to care for their families, and you think they should starve and live in dungheaps while doing it because you simply have no clue. Reality is not just a spreadsheet on paper, dear.
1
"It is hard to argue with Puerto Rican officials pointing to the disparity as painful evidence of a colonial second-class status suffered by citizens of this American territory, citizens who lack political clout, voting representation in Congress or a say in who’s in the White House."
Those who can should leave. Anybody in Puerto Rico with any family or any other connection in the US (mainland) to help them should pack their bags and get on a a flight out.
This will further weaken the PR economy. Undoubtedly, but to wait for the US government to act will just result in more suffering. If help is not coming, then go to where it is.
5
Perhaps Puerto Ricans should pay Federal Income Tax (and take on all the other responsibilities of being a state including voting) so they become more like states.
10
I wonder who has been preventing that. Hmmm.
Essentially, if they paid taxes, they should become a state.
Enough with colonialism.
1
Perhaps you can tell the US Congress to enact the measures for this to happen.
It was Puerto Rico's politicians, elected by Puerto Rico's voters who created the financial mess the island is in. Any federal relief should require matching funds as they do when disaster strikes elsewhere. If the local funding isn't immediately available, add it to their debt or allow the island to decline it. The same should apply to any high debt area seeking federal funding, including Illinois and Rhode Island. If Chicago were to experience widespread damage from mother nature, the same rules should apply.
5
Aren't you a precious little Randian. Why haven't you gone Galt, yet? If this was your community, which likely is a taker and not a supplier, you'd be whining to the high heavens.
Did Jesus ask for collateral?
For decades the people of Puerto Rico have stolen electricity from their bankrupt power companies, few residents of Puerto Rico pay for electricity, yet they use it.
Now that devastation has crippled their infrastructure they expect it to be rebuilt in a rapid fashion, it is impossible, there is no money in the electric companies account, how do you buy things with NO money unless you expect others to pay for it for you.
Puerto Rico has run up over 100 Billion dollars in debt, how on earth can they service the debt and rebuild. It is impossible.
Has this become my problem living here in Florida ? We rebuilt, we pay our bills and our taxes.
So who should be doing the heavy lifting here ?
10
Its definitely not true that few pay for electricity; almost everyone does, except the municipalities and certain other privileged entities like the big hotels. But the average working Puerto Rican most definitely does pay for electricity.
1
A couple of decades ago, I spent a year in Puerto Rico building a house. Potentially, it’s a paradise, waiting to be rediscovered. It would require a good deal of foresight and investment, however, which probably means it’ll never happen.
4
We're treating Puerto Rico like they're not part of our country. Honestly they probably would be better off if they weren't a US territory. The EU had ships standing by with supplies for their territories so that as soon as the hurricane had passed they could get aid to their citizens as quickly as possible. The UN has stepped in as well.
The last time I felt such shame for my country was after Katrina. Thankfully then as now the press refused to allow the rest of us to forget that fellow Americans were suffering because of a catastrophic failure of our federal government to respond to a crisis. Thank you for keeping us updated on the Puerto Ricans situation.
94
Hurricane Maria has done more to expose the contractions and challenges embedded into the relationship between mainland US and Puerto Rico than any other event or person or problem or celebration.
The immediate challenges on the island are undeniable. However, many of the problems are made much worse by a colonial relationship, physical isolation of PR as an island and plain ignorance by some government officials. FEMA may be effective in many emergencies but was painfully and publically unprepared to help an island already hampered by restrictive federal policy.
Funding and innovative policy are obviously needed. Nonetheless, equally as important, it is time for all of us to recognize and embrace the fact that Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans are part of the United States.
26
Babs, I have stated in other posts that Puerto Rico is not part of the United States. In the early years of the past century, the Supreme Court determined in a landmark decision what remains to this day the guiding principle of the relations between the two countries: Puerto Rico belongs to, but is not part of the United States. Thus, Puerto Rico is merely a colony of this country. You acknowledge this irrefutable fact. However, you err when you say that Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans are part of this country. We are a colony and colonial subjects. No nation has the right to control another nation. American colonial control of Puerto Rico must end. Independence will allow Puerto Rico to engage the rest of the world and prosper. It would also allow Puerto Ricans to control their destiny as a people.
3
Would things have been handled differently if Puerto Rico was a state? It will be interesting to see the results of the next referendum (in the past they have voted to remain a territory) they have on the issue of statehood.
14
In the last two referendums, Puerto Rico voted to become a state. I suppose they could have another one to more convincingly show they are serious, but really it is now in the hands of the US congress.
2
What difference would it make? The island will be a welfare client in any case without paying US federal taxes due to the many people who are living at the poverty rate and receiving US social services just as they do now. To ensure true independence never comes they will vote Democrat so the Mantenga never stops.
1
Republicans only care about maintaining and acquiring power. Spending money on Puerto Ricans does neither. Just as Republicans voted against disaster aid for Superstorm Sandy, they will not help Puerto Rico. No votes for them profit from.
Now throw white nationalism into the mix. If they won't vote to help blue state white people, there is no way that they are going to vote to help darker skinned hispanics. Won't happen.
Humanitarian issues to them are a matter of personal responsibility. That is unless you live in Texas or Mississippi or Florida or Alabama or Georgia or any of the confederate states. Then the aid comes through. How does that Pledge of Allegiance go?
68
I would hope to see Puerto Ricans on the mainland come out as a strong voting block for Democrats in the 2018 election. Who in the Puerto Rican community will step up and organize that? The time is now.
2
Perhaps Puerto Rico should appeal to Cuba and Venezuela for assistance. Or perhaps Iran. Drive home the point that once again the dominant narrative in the Trump administration's management system is incompetence and failure. Certainly critical dimensions of the aid problem lie in systemic elements like the SNAP cap but the disinterest in effective action líes directly with President Trump. No-one really expects the Venezuelan Air Force to drop food bundles but ours could.
92
It is against federal law for PRs to do that. Only American ships are allowed to dock in PR. PR has always been at the mercy of DCs whims since 1898.
4
yes... the mayoress was right... genocide.
3
PR basic problems far antedate Trump or even Obama. Our own little Greece has overspent enormously for decades...it is so far underwater that there aren't even any bubbles.
2
According to the Republican Congress, the rich must be fed $1.5 trillion first......if there's anything left for hurricane-ravaged in Puerto Rico after the rich blow through their welfare payments, the Republican Party will think about Puerto Ricans.
Republican Puerto Rico policy is the same as any other Republican public policy -- healthcare, the environment, gun control, consumer protection, minimum wages, etc. --- for non-rich citizens:
"Drop dead !"
Nice GOPeople.
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Thank you. Lets hope that someone in Congress reads this
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Perhaps you did not read the part of the edit about the relief package that has already been passed? Or were you too busy with your preconceived notions that you just blew past it?
It is ironic that if the Federal government had treated the island like children then there would have been rioting in the streets - until there is a perfectly forecastable disaster - and they want to be treated like children again.
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The federal government has treated Puerto Rico like children all along. The government has set rules that have allowed corporations to extract value from the island, without requiring long term investment there. The islanders have been the subjects of a paternalistic, second class citizen system. Your comment is, at best, the result of incomplete understanding of their status.
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Actually, Puerto Ricans would like to be treated like human beings.
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The flooding in Houston might have been "perfectly forecastable." Harvey caused the third major flood in three years. Puerto Rico has not been hit by a major hurricane for many years.
Given their financial problems, that was lucky, although there was significant suffering from the storms that were much less devastating than Maria.
No they don't want to be treated like children. They want to be treated like citizens who need help. How cruel can some people get?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/09/19/p...
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a 35 year old budget cap, eh it is time for pr to grow its local economy with local currency to slide under this hateful cap. Gwendolyn Hallsmith and Bernard Lietaer, authors of Creating Wealth should be new currency adviserrs to help stabilize and reinvigorate PR's money woes. Don't give a direct cash infusion. Instead have PR officials itemize a product list and receive product for rebuilding instead of a cash outlay
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Not a good idea. Small countries with huge deficits such as Puerto Rico typically print soft money that fuels high inflation rates. Borrowing my issuing weak bonds is what got them in trouble in the first place. Politicians are not good fiscal managers.
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The cap has been adjusted for inflation. It is important to remember that Puerto Ricans do not pay federal income taxes, their cost of living is lower than in the United States, and the federal subsidies to Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps, etc. are lower as a consequence.
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meanwhile, what can they EAT????
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