Regions and territories: Puerto Rico

Just to clear the issue. English is not the official language of the US. As a fact there is no official language. This is why Eskimos, Cajuns, Hawaiians, and Amish (to name a few) can speak their language without any repercussions. Reason why in many localities in the US multilingual signs are prevalent, legal, and permitted. When Texas, Arizona, California, New Mexico, and others made their solicitation for statehood, most people living in those areas talked Spanish rather than English. In most of these places they still do. So it is not a requirement to become a state. The requirements to become a state are simple, has the majority of the population in these ares agreed to become a state, are they willing to accept the constitution of the US as their basic rule of law (protect, defend, and uphold)and would accepting this new territory as a state not be a burden to the other states. As in the case of Utah minor situations, like polygamy, can become issues upon the acceptance of the territory by the other states. At times, since 1865, Congress has also required the states give up the right to secede from the union, thus making the election irrevocable.

NOT REALLY

Metpr wrote:

Puerto Rico is as much a colony as is Texas and Hawaii. They do not have adequate representation in Congress because it is not a state either. Since it is not officially a state, it does not pay taxes to the Fed. Reason why LMM came up with the ELA. PR will not be a state until it is accepted as such by the US Congress. At this time, it has a better opportunity to become an independent country than a US State. Let's face it PR has very little to offer the other 50 states in the union. Since PR has made it very apparent that they would rather be a thorn on the side for the US, after rejecting PRs solicitation to become a state following the rules of the US-PR compact of 1950, they will give us independence in return. It will be all legal and will leave PR out in the cold with no reparations or money offer whatsoever.

Your statement that PR pays no Federal taxes is incorrect. If PR offers nothing why are multi-billion dollar corporations operating in PR? Why hasn't the U.S. given PR away?

Metpr

NOT REALLY wrote:

<quoted text>
Your statement that PR pays no Federal taxes is incorrect. If PR offers nothing why are multi-billion dollar corporations operating in PR? Why hasn't the U.S. given PR away?

PR does not pay Federal Income Taxes and until recently it dot pay taxes at all. Thanks to Carlos Romero Barcelo and the derogation of the IRS code 936, now PR pays "aranceles" or excise taxes. For that you have to thank the demagogue who championed the revocation of the code CRB. Paying excise taxes do not give you the right to representation. For that you have to pay income taxes, which nobody in PR pays unless they have income coming from the US. Until recently (1930s?) you could not even vote unless you could prove you paid taxes.
Now, why are the muti-billion dollar corporations operating in the island? PR offers these "multi-billion" dollar corporations many incentives. With those incentives comes a contract, most of these contracts last for 25 to 35 yers. Most of the multi-billion corps that work in the island have been leaving as these contracts lapse. Most are going to China, Brazil, and India. They are after the same reason that brought them to PR. Cheap labor, cheap energy, and a tax break. Coincidentally most of these multi-billon corps do not make their multi-billions in the island, they just happen to be that big before they got settled there. Most are cutthroat corps that want to max every penny of their investments.
Last, why haven't the US given PR away? Well besides because our charming personality, because we have a compact (treaty) in which the US thought they had the upper hand and signed in 1950. The same compact the UN has been unable to derogate to make us an independent country. A compact so much in favor of PR that if it was not for the efforts of that bastard CRB they still could not call us as such. That is why the US cringes every time there is a referendum which includes the ELA solution. Only an idiot would vote for anything other than the ELA. Let's face it the US knows we are not idiots, how else have we squeezed them for more than 50 years without much recourse on their part.

Metpr

Not really:
Excuse the orthographical errors, I am very tired.
There is also an unfinished sentence towards the end; the UN could not give us the colonial status until recently. They tried for many years, it became an annual ritual which everyone in the know laughed about. Thanks to CRB allowing and advocating the Congress to make changes to the original agreement, recently the UN has been able to uphold as PR having a colonial status. The reason why CRB allowed and promulgated the changes in the contract with the US was so that he could get the ELA option out every referendum. Unfortunately for him there are courts whose reason of existence is to interpret the constitution and laws of the land. CRB lost in his effort of getting the ELA out of the referendum process. Him, Sila, and Anibal (Animal) have been the three most destructive governors the islan has ever had. In that comparison OI include the Spanish governors soem of which were barbaric.

NOT REALLY

Metpr wrote:

<quoted text>
PR does not pay Federal Income Taxes and until recently it dot pay taxes at all. Thanks to Carlos Romero Barcelo and the derogation of the IRS code 936, now PR pays "aranceles" or excise taxes. For that you have to thank the demagogue who championed the revocation of the code CRB. Paying excise taxes do not give you the right to representation. For that you have to pay income taxes, which nobody in PR pays unless they have income coming from the US. Until recently (1930s?) you could not even vote unless you could prove you paid taxes.
Now, why are the muti-billion dollar corporations operating in the island? PR offers these "multi-billion" dollar corporations many incentives. With those incentives comes a contract, most of these contracts last for 25 to 35 yers. Most of the multi-billion corps that work in the island have been leaving as these contracts lapse. Most are going to China, Brazil, and India. They are after the same reason that brought them to PR. Cheap labor, cheap energy, and a tax break. Coincidentally most of these multi-billon corps do not make their multi-billions in the island, they just happen to be that big before they got settled there. Most are cutthroat corps that want to max every penny of their investments.
Last, why haven't the US given PR away? Well besides because our charming personality, because we have a compact (treaty) in which the US thought they had the upper hand and signed in 1950. The same compact the UN has been unable to derogate to make us an independent country. A compact so much in favor of PR that if it was not for the efforts of that bastard CRB they still could not call us as such. That is why the US cringes every time there is a referendum which includes the ELA solution. Only an idiot would vote for anything other than the ELA. Let's face it the US knows we are not idiots, how else have we squeezed them for more than 50 years without much recourse on their part.

The fact remains that the U.S. holds all the cards and doesn't have to do anything it does not deem in its best interests. Any such agreements you claim were made in the 1950's are not necessarily "binding". The U.S. can do anything it wishes to do with PR.

NOT REALLY

Metpr wrote:

<quoted text>
PR does not pay Federal Income Taxes and until recently it dot pay taxes at all. Thanks to Carlos Romero Barcelo and the derogation of the IRS code 936, now PR pays "aranceles" or excise taxes. For that you have to thank the demagogue who championed the revocation of the code CRB. Paying excise taxes do not give you the right to representation. For that you have to pay income taxes, which nobody in PR pays unless they have income coming from the US. Until recently (1930s?) you could not even vote unless you could prove you paid taxes.
Now, why are the muti-billion dollar corporations operating in the island? PR offers these "multi-billion" dollar corporations many incentives. With those incentives comes a contract, most of these contracts last for 25 to 35 yers. Most of the multi-billion corps that work in the island have been leaving as these contracts lapse. Most are going to China, Brazil, and India. They are after the same reason that brought them to PR. Cheap labor, cheap energy, and a tax break. Coincidentally most of these multi-billon corps do not make their multi-billions in the island, they just happen to be that big before they got settled there. Most are cutthroat corps that want to max every penny of their investments.
Last, why haven't the US given PR away? Well besides because our charming personality, because we have a compact (treaty) in which the US thought they had the upper hand and signed in 1950. The same compact the UN has been unable to derogate to make us an independent country. A compact so much in favor of PR that if it was not for the efforts of that bastard CRB they still could not call us as such. That is why the US cringes every time there is a referendum which includes the ELA solution. Only an idiot would vote for anything other than the ELA. Let's face it the US knows we are not idiots, how else have we squeezed them for more than 50 years without much recourse on their part.

Residents of Puerto Rico do pay U.S. federal taxes: import/export taxes, federal commodity taxes, social security taxes, etc. The only exemption is federal income taxes since residents pay federal payroll taxes (Social Security and Medicare, as well as Commonwealth of Puerto Rico income taxes. All federal employees, plus those who do business with the federal government, in addition to Puerto Rico-based corporations that intend to send funds to the U.S., and some others also pay federal income taxes. Because the cutoff point for income taxation is lower than that of the U.S. IRS code, and because the per-capita income in Puerto Rico is much lower than the average per-capita income on the mainland, more Puerto Rico residents pay income taxes to the local taxation authority than if the IRS code were applied to the island. As residents of Puerto Rico pay into Social Security, Puerto Rican residents are eligible for Social Security benefits upon retirement, but are excluded from the Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and the island actually receives less than 15% of the Medicaid funding it would normally receive if it were a U.S. state. Yet, Medicare providers receive less-than-full state-like reimbursements for services rendered to beneficiaries in Puerto Rico, even though the latter paid fully into the system.

Jorge

NOT REALLY wrote:

<quoted text>
The fact remains that the U.S. holds all the cards and doesn't have to do anything it does not deem in its best interests. Any such agreements you claim were made in the 1950's are not necessarily "binding". The U.S. can do anything it wishes to do with PR.

But not with the Americans that live on it. Let's see what happens when we request statehood. In fact, if any pro ELA feels so sure about the ELA's future, why don't we, all petition statehood?

Jorge de P.Rico

NOT REALLY

NOT REALLY wrote:

<quoted text>
Residents of Puerto Rico do pay U.S. federal taxes: import/export taxes, federal commodity taxes, social security taxes, etc. The only exemption is federal income taxes since residents pay federal payroll taxes (Social Security and Medicare, as well as Commonwealth of Puerto Rico income taxes. All federal employees, plus those who do business with the federal government, in addition to Puerto Rico-based corporations that intend to send funds to the U.S., and some others also pay federal income taxes. Because the cutoff point for income taxation is lower than that of the U.S. IRS code, and because the per-capita income in Puerto Rico is much lower than the average per-capita income on the mainland, more Puerto Rico residents pay income taxes to the local taxation authority than if the IRS code were applied to the island. As residents of Puerto Rico pay into Social Security, Puerto Rican residents are eligible for Social Security benefits upon retirement, but are excluded from the Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and the island actually receives less than 15% of the Medicaid funding it would normally receive if it were a U.S. state. Yet, Medicare providers receive less-than-full state-like reimbursements for services rendered to beneficiaries in Puerto Rico, even though the latter paid fully into the system.

The U.S. census for 2007 indicates that PR paid over 3.5 billion dollars in Federal taxes.

Metpr

Jorge wrote:

<quoted text>
But not with the Americans that live on it. Let's see what happens when we request statehood. In fact, if any pro ELA feels so sure about the ELA's future, why don't we, all petition statehood?
Jorge de P.Rico

Go ahead make my day...

Jorge

Does anyone knows what's the populares economic proposal for the development of the ELA?

Hernández Colón says nothing can be done due to the ELA's intrinsic of "democratic deficit".

Sila and AAV could not do anything to further its agenda, and "culminate" said status.

The present PDP offers nothing to the "doings" of the pro statehood's current administration.

Jorge de P.Rico

Metpr

NOT REALLY wrote:

<quoted text>
The U.S. census for 2007 indicates that PR paid over 3.5 billion dollars in Federal taxes.

And the US paid over 11 billion in benefits and federal programs to people living in PR.
I am sure the US could not live without PR. It is so important and necessary as a drug corridor and illegal aliens gateway.
My bad...

NOT REALLY

Metpr wrote:

<quoted text>
And the US paid over 11 billion in benefits and federal programs to people living in PR.
I am sure the US could not live without PR. It is so important and necessary as a drug corridor and illegal aliens gateway.
My bad...

I was responding to your contention that PR pays "no Federal taxes". You were wrong. All of the states receive billions in Federal tax dollars annually. Why shouldn't PR? It is the poorest jurisdiction in the U.S. and it's people are U.S. citizens. They qualify for Federal aid and they should receive it as long as the U.S. continues to hold onto the island.

NOT REALLY

"Drug corridor"? Why? Because of the American population's insatiable appetite for illegal drugs. The cartels are funnelling it through PR after Florida reinforced its borders. If drugs are getting through in PR, the Federal government (DEA, Coast Guard, etc.) is not doing its job enforcing anti-illegal drug laws.

NOT REALLY

"Illegal alien's gateway"? Again, the Federal government is not enforcing immigration laws in PR just as it is not enforcing them in any of the 50 states. Why are you blaming PR?

Jorge

NOT REALLY wrote:

<quoted text>
I was responding to your contention that PR pays "no Federal taxes". You were wrong. All of the states receive billions in Federal tax dollars annually. Why shouldn't PR? It is the poorest jurisdiction in the U.S. and it's people are U.S. citizens. They qualify for Federal aid and they should receive it as long as the U.S. continues to hold onto the island.

Our poor don't "...qualify for Federal aid..."; they are entitled to it as U.S. citizens, regardless the territorial status.

In fact, our island's poor ought to be receiving on par with our nation's poor (not way less, as it currently stands), it is a violation of their civil rights.

Jorge

Jorge

NOT REALLY wrote:

<quoted text>
I was responding to your contention that PR pays "no Federal taxes". You were wrong. All of the states receive billions in Federal tax dollars annually. Why shouldn't PR? It is the poorest jurisdiction in the U.S. and it's people are U.S. citizens. They qualify for Federal aid and they should receive it as long as the U.S. continues to hold onto the island.

Maybe this disparity in federal funds is a way (Washington) uses to press us to become a state.

If we are treated as any other state...(under the ELA) why change, if parity in federal funds was granted under our current status?

Jorge

Jorge

Metpr wrote:

<quoted text>
Go ahead make my day...

No le conviene al ELA, as simple as that.

Shiro Hima

Since: Sep 08

383

Somewhere in Kanata

ISP: Hamilton, Canada

NOT REALLY wrote:

<quoted text>
Screw? It's in your head.

nope,its' between your sister's legs.

Shiro Hima

Since: Sep 08

383

Somewhere in Kanata

ISP: Hamilton, Canada

Jorge wrote:

<quoted text>
Go to craiglist if you want to screw with everybody! Shiro Hima or Caligula?

I thought rapists and US governors use craiglist.

Jorge