First Published: Unity, Vol. 4, No. 18, November 6-19, 1981.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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On September 27, 1981, Vice President George Bush, attending a meeting of the Southern Governors Association in San Juan, Puerto Rico, told a cheering crowd of Puerto Rican Republicans, “I can tell you how I feel in two words – two words only: Statehood Now!”
His statement comes as no surprise to those who have been following the continuing development of U.S. policy towards Puerto Rico. For several years now, top spokesmen for the U.S. such as Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan have been publicly stating their desire to see Puerto Rico become the 51st state to join the union.
In reality, statehood would do little to improve the conditions in which Puerto Ricans are forced to live. Lack of jobs, poor education, inflation, health cuts – all are conditions which exist in both Puerto Rico and in the U.S. But the oppression is much more severe in Puerto Rico because it is a colony. Statehood would not seriously alter this, but rather serve to cement the exploitative grasp of the U S on Puerto Rico.
For the Reagan administration, which is attempting to revitalize American power and control around the world, Puerto Rico’s strategic location is probably the foremost factor influencing decisions regarding its future. Located below Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, it is considered by strategists at the Pentagon as the “gateway to the Caribbean,” providing a vital buffer zone of protection for the American southern states and Central America. It is also viewed by the Reagan administration as an important pawn in the struggle against Cuba and the Soviet Union for control of the Caribbean and its sea lanes.
Even though the island is only 100 miles in length and 45 miles wide, the U.S. military has over 12 air and naval bases located there, including one of the world’s largest radar facilities. The island has become a virtual training camp for U.S. war maneuvers, as well as a launching pad for aggression in the Caribbean and Central America. It was from Puerto Rico that President Lyndon. Johnson ordered the Marine invasion of the Dominican Republic in 1965.
Puerto Rico is also the home of hundreds of U.S. corporations which enjoy a tax-free haven and a huge cheap labor force. Although big business would prefer to maintain this lucrative relationship with Puerto Rico, it is also uneasy about the growing political climate in Puerto Rico. They hope statehood would stabilize and scenic a home for them there so they could continue to exploit Puerto Rico, using many of the same anti-labor tactics effective at home.
In the meantime, the U.S. will continue to squeeze all that it can from Puerto Rico. Of the total 1.8 million Puerto Ricans who receive food stamps. 54% live in households with incomes below $200/month. The loss of food stamp benefits will surely increase the poverty of these people.
Even more deeply felt may be the $120 million annual loss of jobs under the CETA (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act) program. Approximately 30,000 Puerto Ricans will lose their CETA jobs, increasing an already high unemployment rate.
Cuts are also expected in a wide variety of other areas such as assistance to disadvantaged students. Cuts in construction loan programs threaten to cripple the already weak building industry. Puerto Rico’s economy as a whole is in a shambles. Only heavy long-term borrowing and massive federal subsidies have averted a total collapse of the economy. Yet, millions of dollars in profits are taken out of Puerto Rico every year by U.S. corporations. Thus contrary to popular opinion, it is the U.S. which has gained the most from ties with Puerto Rico, and has the most to gain from statehood.
Greater political awareness on the island has grown into resentment of the colonial policies of the U.S. Many islanders are beginning to see independence as the only viable solution for Puerto Rico’s problems.
Even Puerto Rican Governor Romero Barcelo was forced to admit this in a recent letter to President Reagan in which he warned, “Devastating cuts in federal assistance have the potential for spawning serious unrest in Puerto Rico.”
Governor Romero Barcelo, an ardent supporter of statehood, and a Republican who represents the comprador capitalist class in Puerto Rico, feels that statehood would represent an economic boom for Puerto Rico. He was re-elected to a second term last November by such a narrow plurality (only 3,000 votes out of a total of 1.3 million) that he was forced to recognize that many Puerto Ricans do not share his vision of statehood.
Statehood will not only mean the continued exploitation of Puerto Rico, but will also represent the eventual destruction of the rich Puerto Rican culture. Forces in the U.S. who are in favor of statehood for Puerto Rico insist that the island would have to adopt English as the primary spoken language. Otherwise, they feel the emotional debate over bilingualism in states such as California and Texas would intensify, if such a policy were adopted. ’Puerto Rican culture’ would soon begin to fade into history.
As the social, political and economic climate in Puerto Rico worsens (federal cuts could run as high as $450 million for this fiscal year alone), we can expect to hear more speeches by the U.S. ruling class and their puppets in Puerto Rico about statehood. It will be their last alternative, before force, for maintaining Puerto Rico under U.S. control.
The only obstacle standing in the way of U.S. plans for Puerto Rico is the independence movement. This movement is growing in strength and organization, and offers the only real hope for Puerto Rico’s future. The “statehood solution” ’ is no solution at all, and will only lead Puerto Rico down a road of danger and despair.