Economic Hardships on a Large Scale

Picture courtesy of kasamaproject.org/ interviews/

Puerto Rico’s governor submitted a bill earlier this week that would reduce it’s seats in the US legislature by thirty percent (House from 51 to 39 seats and Senate from 27 to 17 seats). If this bill passes it would make Puerto Rican lawmakers the highest paying salaries of any state under the American flag, yet they would have less pull in the legislative process.

This decision did not come lightly. It is a result of the economic environment and the suffering it has imposed on our small island territory. Fortuno’s (the govenor of Puerto Rico) administration claim that the reform would reduce annual operating gost by $11 million. In addition, it would simulataneously save tax payers money and improve government efficiency.

However, this proposal contest Fortuno’s pro-statehood party agains oppostion who favor Puerto Rico’s commonwealth status, head by Ferrer.

Like the rest of the America, Puerto Rico is suffering from these hard economic times. But their hardship is probably harder felt as their career opportunities are limited already because of the size of the area in comparison to their population of highly educated individuals.

“A Caribbean island of roughly 4 million people, Puerto Rico is in its fourth year in recession. Bankruptcies have increased by 30 percent and more than 10,000 people are on a waiting list for public housing.” - David McFadden: Associated Press

Standing Up

Picture courtesy latina.com

Students of The University of Puerto Rico, the most prestigious and only government maintained educational facility in Puerto Rico, have organized to protest the $100 million funding deficit they are facing. Such a lack in funding will cancel all summer classes, eliminate the Honor programs and the Sports programs funding, as well as affect the financial support of all bachelor degrees.

On April 9, 2010 a small group of students blocked the stairs and main halls to the buildings to prevent anyone from arriving to their classes on time. Two students were injured by Police Campus enforcement.

The Humanities Committee stated, “This is not a defense of the University, it is a redefinition of the university, the one that is horizontal, not hierarchical, participatory and democratic." The students are considering a 48-hour strike starting April 15.

Ricky Martin

Picture courtesy of eonline.com

This is a little bit of late, unrelated news from Puerto Rico, but as you may already know Ricky Martin came out March 29. However I would like to reiterate the fact that there is much more to a man or a woman than his or her sexuality, and in my opinion it is small to define a person solely as such.

So here are some things you may not know about Ricky Martin:

He rose to fame in a Latin American boy band, Menudo. It was formed in the 1970’s and was very popular in Latin and Hispanic cultures. Menudo is still making records to this day.

He is a double threat – singe/actor. He acted in the telenovela, Alcanzar una estrella as well as appearances on General Hospital.

Ricky Martin is also the proud father of twin baby boys, Matteo and Valentino. He has slightly stepped out of the spotlight to focus more on his family and baby boys.

This is not meant to be a complete biography but rather offer that fact that people have many different aspects to themselves other than their sexual orientation.

Vilma Castillo - Immigrant Interview

Vilma Castillo’s family is originally from Puerto Rico. However, she was actually born in Brooklyn, New York but moved to Puerto Rico with her family when she was eight years old. She has five sisters who all now live in different parts of the United States. Her parents have also relocated to America.

What is your favorite thing about Puerto Rico?

The holiday festivities, the food, and the beaches. Caroling is very big there. First you wake up your friends with loud music, then you drink and eat food and it is lots of fun. Everyone stays up til like 5 morning. You sing very loud outside your neighbors houses and keep singing until you get food and drinks and then sometimes those people join you. If the people in the house don’t open the door we would throw firecrackers at it.

When and why did you move to America?

I moved to the United States when I was 34 years old for two reasons. The first was because I was getting married. The second was to further my career in the weather service with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). They offered me a great job. It was the best job offered to me after graduating from the Universidad Interamericana (InterAmerican University) of Puerto Rico.

Do you believe the American Dream is possible anymore?

Yes, it is possible. But it is up to each individual to have their own dreams, their own ambitions and what they want out of life.

Are you happy to have settled in the United States?

YES! Because In the U.S. you have a better quality of life, a better lifestyle. Better chances to improve and grow in your career. In Puerto Rico you do not have the same opportunities because it is smaller, so there are not as many chances to do well. America is so big that anyone who really tries hard and works hard can have a good job. And there is always the chance of advancing your career and making more money. In Puerto Rico you can only go so far.

Do you ever want to return to Puerto Rico?

NO! Not if I can help it, I never want to live there again. I would like to visit, but never live there.

What do you wish mainland Americans knew about Puerto Rico?

That it is more Americanized in a certain way, it is a modern place. Many people are ignorant of what they think about Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico has a lot of economic problems at this time which makes it very difficult for every family of Puerto Rico to grow. There seems to be only two classes, rich and poor. There is a small middle class and it is shrinking. There will probably be a lot more people immigrating to the U.S. like in the 20’s. Even though the US is having hard times there are still more opportunities and it is difficult to advance your career in Puerto Rico.

To Be or Not to Be?

Picture Courtesy of mentalfloss.com

In regards to Puerto Rican statehood, my opinion is that if Puerto Ricans are going to be governed by our laws and regulations, they should have the right to vote. Sound familiar?


The Washington Times on the other hand seems to disagree. According to them, "Past elections have shown that commonwealth status is favored directly over statehood, directly against independence and directly against some sort of hybrid arrangement." Apparently those favoring statehood, 46.3% in 1993 and 46.5% in 1998, is an obviously example of the previous statement.

However, even if Congress passes the proposed upcoming referendum, it is not obligated to grant statehood if Puerto Ricans approve by a small margin. So what is the harm of letting the voices of the Puerto Rican people be heard, at the very least.



Here is what one such individual had to say in response to The Washington Times article:


"Oh, the distinctive voice of privilege speaks. Us islanders should not even think about being so bold! Unfortunately for many, the imperialist era is over. Puerto Rico is a real place with real people. This isn't the 19th century; we can't live like this anymore. There are only two real options: Statehood or Independence. What other options are there? We have been living under a wretched non-status for 60 years (commonwealth is nothing more than a euphemism for colony). But sure, there are choices, just like eating is also a choice. You could *not* eat and die, or you could eat and live. But hey, at least you have the option! I would argue right now for our soldiers to stop enlisting, stop dying for nothing. Just comeback home already; the country you're fighting doesn't even think you have the right to vote for the man that sends you to your death. Give us our independence if you don't think we deserve the right to be a state (because that would be stealing an election, right?). We've been living in this horrid political, social and economic limbo for too long, and the time has come to decide, once and for all, what are we going to do. "There's nothing wrong with letting a free people occasionally reanalyze their governing status. " ...Just not when what they apparently want to change to contradicts with your idea of where they belong. But hey, I'm glad you cleared that up. I was wondering."
-treelifefun


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Spanglish

Picture Courtesy of Latin American Herald Tribune


Pedro Pierluisi, the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico to the United States Congress, is asking for more federal funding for Puerto Rican schools in an effort to make the younger generations bilingual. Spanish and English are the official languages of Puerto Rico but only 85 percent of the population says they only have basic knowledge of English.

The hope is that with this measure, students will be able to preform proficiently in both Spanish and English upon graduation. In addition, public school students will be afforded the same opportunities of private school students.

Yolanda Rivera, director of the Linguistics Program at the University of Puerto Rico, believes that there should be the opportunity of free choice language learning, not dictated by political interests.

Click here to read the full article at the Latin American Herald Tribune

Poisoned People of Paradise

A small community of 9,000 American citizens are getting sick at an alarming rate due to decades of Naval testing on the land that they live. The residents of Vieques, a small island just a few miles to the east of the main island Pueto Rico, are presenting with a host of problems. These include cancer, especially in young children, hypertension affecting a large population, and 80 percent of the residents test positive for heavy metals like lead, mercury, and arsenic in their hair.


Video Courtesy of CNN.com

Some weapons that are known to have been tested on the island include napalm, depleted uranium - heavy metal used in armor-piercing ammunition, and Agent Orange - used in Vietnam and later linked to cancer and other illnesses in veterans.

Although they lack the right to vote, all the citizens of Vieques, and Pueto Rico, are United States Citizens by birth. Residents of Vieques are suing the U.S. Government to return to their Island to clean up the mess they left behind (The Navy left in 2003 after mounting public pressure). In addition, they are also asking for they medical treatments to be paid for.