Puerto Rico
Internal affairs
Puerto Rico has authority in its internal affairs. To start with, it controls the interstate trade, commerce and foreign relations, air control, customs administration, sea and land emigration and immigration, citizenship and nationality, maritime law, air force and navy, legal procedures and jurisdictions, television and radio communications, minerals and mining, agriculture as well as the social system. Social security and other areas are usually controlled by the US federal government in the US. The institutions in Puerto Rico control the affairs of the US unless the law is involved, for instance in matters pertaining pollution and public health. The major difference between the other fifty US states and Puerto Rico is that they are exempted from Internal Revenue Code, voting in the US Congress as well as the ineligibility of the citizens of Puerto Rico voting in the elections (To Puerto Rico, 2010).
Commonwealth
Puerto Rico is a commonwealth which governs itself, with a close association with the United States. The chief state is the US president, where the government usually consists of an elected governor. There are two legislative chambers, which include the Senate with a total of twenty seven seats and the House of Representatives, which has fifty one seats (To Puerto Rico, 2010).
The citizens of Puerto Rico have established a commonwealth constitution .They have organized themselves politically on a democratic basis in order to promote the welfare of the people and secure the total enjoyment of their human rights and posterity. They established the constitution after creating a union with the United States. In their commonwealth constitution they have declared that their democratic system is important for the lives of all Puerto Rico citizens. The governments democratic system is one in which the will of all the people is represented, and is the sole source of power. The political ordinate has to be in accordance with the rights of man, and there is a total participation of the collective decisions of all citizens (To Puerto Rico, 2010).
The evolution of the Puerto Ricos commonwealth was to counteract the separatist movements which were growing so as to answer the international challenges of the conditions of Puerto Rico. The resulting commonwealth however has failed completely to solve the status issue of Puerto Rico (Torruella, 1985).
The Commonwealth government of Puerto Rico is republican in its states. Additionally, its executive, judicial and legislative branches are usually established by the constitution. They are subordinate to the Puerto Rico subordinates. The Puerto Rico authority commonwealth will extend to the Puerto Rico Island as well as the islands that are adjacent to it. The government seat is in the San Juan City (To Puerto Rico, 2010).
Business in Puerto Rico
One thing that has led to obstacles in the development of business as well as employment growth is the permitting process. Evidence reveals that this process is very costly and slow, and therefore characterized by several uncertainties. This is because it has been subjected to poor outcomes, is easily manipulated by politicians and business rivals, susceptible to corruption and some special interest groups. The ineffectiveness and problems in the permitting process have led to an increase in the costs of creating new businesses, which has in turn led to a decline in business establishments, hence low employment growth (Collins, Bosworth Soto Class, 2006).
The economy is being restored through modernization. The workers are being shifted from the agricultural sector to the larger industrial sector. Even though there have been impossibilities for the local entrepreneurs to form a service economy and a modern industry, the opportunities that are provided by federal tax exemptions have been used to attract US corporations that are located in Puerto Rico(Dietz, 2003).
There is extreme poverty in Puerto Rico. Therefore, people move from the region to the US so as to seek for jobs. A research carried out revealed that female headed families in Puerto -Rico moved to New York in search of employment, while female headed families in new York preferred to remain closer to their homes. This is a clear indication that the Puerto Rican residents have had very difficult conditions in their families (Baker, 2005).
Puerto Rico should become Independent
Puerto Rico was granted its citizenship in 1917, one in which millions of people in Puerto Rico fought for. Even though the United States has been of a great assistance to Puerto Rico, they still wanted to be an independent state. Their war is indeed justified. In Puerto Rico, there are three political parties, whose focus is mainly of the elections rather than the welfare of the Puerto Rican people (Rivera, 2010). Theses parties include the Popular Democratic Party, the New Progressive Party and the Puerto Rican Independence Party. These parties are really devoted to feed their egos instead of concentrating on situations such as food, education and the health of the people. This has rendered Puerto Rico to continue wallowing in poverty. This political drama has therefore forced the people to prefer being an independent state (Rivera, 2010).
There have been several claims about the Puerto Ricans losing their identity once they become an independent state. However, this is not true, because the Puerto Ricans are very strongly rooted to their traditions. The Puerto Ricans criticize the Puerto Rican independence Party and the Popular Democratic Party (Rivera, 2010). This is because they are professionals, and have sent their children to the best schools in the US. However, these leaders are against the idea of the people of Puerto learning English. The Puerto Ricans want to follow the example of Hawaii, a country which became an independent state, and so then, has become rich in very many aspects. Therefore, there is need for Puerto Rico to be given its independence, so that it can continue to grow in all sectors of the economy, just like other countries like Hawaii (Rivera, 2010).
Culture and Customs of Puerto Rico
Several years ago, the Puerto Rican Island was referred to as Boriquen. This meant The land of the Brave Lord in the Taino language. The Taino people are known to gather together as villages and families so as to talk about magic, heroes and how the world began. This is the manner in which the customs and culture of the Taino has been passed from one generation to another (Banting, 2003).
The Puerto Ricans have a very diverse culture. In regard to language, the official ones are English and Spanish. However, Puerto Rico has great numbers of Spanish speaking people, despite the efforts of the government to foster bilingualism or eradicate Spanish. The Puerto Rican Spanish is a blend of standard Spanish which has got specific particularities. The Taino influence is seen in the way material objects are described. Place names, natural phenomena and colloquialism of African speech has also made contributions to words and therefore influenced the syntax, prosody and phonology of the people. Language is a major cultural marker of the peoples national identity. The culture of the Puerto Ricans has always been under siege because of colonialism (Every Culture, 2010).
The food preferences of the Puerto Ricans have been shaped by the cultural diversity of the people as well as their predominant lifestyle. African and Taino influences have been seen as far as tropical vegetables and fruits, cereals, legumes, seafood, ubiquitous beans and rice are concerned. The Spanish have contributed in culinary techniques, cattle, pork and wheat products. The traditional Puerto Rican meals were patterned after the customs of the Spanish people. This included a large midday meal, continental breakfast and a modern supper. Several people in this region eat a large dinner and breakfast as well as fast food lunch. There are places which serve beans and rice as fast foods as well as local dishes. The island also has got eating places and restaurants across the capital (Every Culture, 2010).
During ceremonies like the thanksgiving, the people make food which is prepared according to culinary techniques and local tastes. Therefore, the thanksgiving ceremony is usually celebrated with a local seasoning mix referred to as adobo. The traditional holiday menu includes roasted pork, pigeon peas and rice as well as coconut rice pudding. There are also the popular rum and coconut beverages which are present (Every Culture, 2010).
In relation to religion, the US is known to have brought the protestant religions in Puerto Rico, mainly in the Catholic society. Over thirty percent of the Puerto Ricans are Protestants. There is a synagogue in the San Juan region, but there is no mosque. There is also the existence of religions which are known to have evolved from the Africans, especially from the witchcraft practices. Some of these religions include the Santeria religion, which was brought about by the Cubans, and was a blend of the Catholic and Yoruba religions (Every Culture, 2010).
The Puerto Ricans are known of having cultural tendencies which allows them to own their own houses. Therefore, they are known to have housing developments, strip malls and shopping centers, which have replaced the old market places. The public housing projects have slowly replaced the urban slums in the country. Initially, the Puerto Ricans resisted this move as it was considered a violation of individual community and housing .There were high rise condominiums which were constructed in the 1950s, and became desirable housing choices. In the other rural areas, the houses that were once made up of straw and wood are slowly being replaced by cement block houses (Every Culture, 2010).
The Taino Indians
According to surveys conducted by geneticists from the popular Puerto Rico University, sixty one percent of all the citizens of Puerto Rico have Amerindian DNA twelve percent have Caucasian DNA while twenty seven percent have African DNA. In other words, most of the Puerto Ricans have Taino blood. This reveals that there was assimilation, but the people were not in any way extinguished. The people were mixed, and that is what characterizes the people of Puerto Rico, some of them are Africans, Indians while others are Spaniards. Puerto Rico was made up of this group of people referred to as the Tainos. The Taino American Indian group has gone through several painful moments in the hands of the United States government. In 1898, they were forcefully removed from the Island and were sent back to their American Indian schools. However, they were not wiped out as majority of Puerto Rico has these people in the island (Elyunque, 2010).
There were two groups of the citizens of Puerto Rico who sought to make declaratory judgments which granted them all the rights of voting in elections, based on the idea that they could vote during presidential elections, and that they were US citizens. The first group was made up of citizens who always resided in Puerto Rico. The second one comprised of former state citizens, who had lost their rights of voting during presidential election by moving to Puerto Rico. The court stated that there was no way Puerto Rico could participate in the elections until it either became a state, or was granted its rights through the amendment of the constitution. The two plaintiff groups argued that the island was entitled to its national voting rights because of its political status, which was close to that of the state (Roman, 2010).
After the court deliberations, there were some amendments which were made in regard to Puerto Rico. To start with, it was considered as a commonwealth. Therefore, the Article II of the commonwealth constitution stated that the state should elect the president and vice president (Roman, 2010). It is also very clear that the voting rights are not based on the citizenship and that Puerto Rico would be unable to participate in presidential elections. This was unless if it became a state or was granted the same rights through amendments on the constitution. Therefore, as they seek the rights to vote in the elections through federal court systems, the process seems to be even more futile that it was before (Roman, 2010).
History of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico was granted a royal decree on November 28, 1897. The Autonomy Charter gave Puerto Rico greater autonomy that it had ever received in its history. Puerto Rico elected delegates in both houses of the Spanish courts. It elected a total of thirty five members of the House of Representatives as well as fifteen members in the loyal administration Council. The local legislature was known to set its own taxes and budgets. They also rejected and accepted commercial treaties which were concluded by Spain. After the general elections were conducted in 1898, an autonomous government started to function. However, the Spanish American War emerged in 1898. Afterwards, Puerto Rico was invaded by USA. When the Spanish American war came to an end, a treaty was signed by Paris. This treaty stated that Spain was supposed to cede Puerto Rico, Philippines and Guam to the USA, and Cuba would become a USA protectorate (Solboriuca, 2010).
In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson signed a law referred to as the Jones law. This law was important as it granted the Puerto Ricans their American citizenship. Additionally, the Jones law granted freedoms such as freedom of press, speech liberty, innocence presumption and the right to trials before the incarceration process. Additionally, it created a total of eighteen senators and thirty nine House of Representatives members, who were elected by a popular vote. The governor was still appointed by the USA President. The appointed governor and the USA President or the congress had all the power to veto all laws that were approved by the Puerto Rican Congress. The Puerto Ricans were also eligible to serve in the American Armed forces, and therefore took a very vital role in all the USA military conflicts (Solboriuca, 2010).
Population
The colonial history of Puerto Rico with Spain led to the development of a racially mixed population. Eighty five percent of this population was Roman Catholic. This population was estimated to be over three million in July, and a total growth of ten percent between 1990 and 1999 as revealed by the US Census Bureau. People who were between the ages of fifteen and sixty four constituted of two thirds of the total population. As of 2000, the annual population growth rate was at 0.56 percent. Presently, the population is over four million, an estimate which has been proved right by the 2000 report. The life expectancy average of the population is 75.5 years (Nations Encyclopedia, 2010).
The growth of the Puerto Rican population has been discouraged by the government. The government has been known to be a strong supporter of family planning, birth control measures and programs on the national and the community levels. During the twentieth century, the large scale migration of several Puerto Ricans has slowed the population growth. As a result, overcrowding has been alleviated. Since the 1900s, there has been an increased movement of Puerto Ricans from the mainland going back to the island because of the rise in living conditions (Nations Encyclopedia, 2010).
The government has also placed stress on education, which has explained the increase in literacy on the island. There is a growth in the measures of bilingual education. This has caused great debate on the island. The Puerto Rican population has shown very high concentration rate in the urban areas and along the coastal lowlands. Several neighboring cities are almost growing together due to urban expansion. For instance, the Puerto Rican capital and the surrounding areas are characterized by a population of over 1.5 million (Nations Encyclopedia, 2010).
Puerto Rican Economy
The poor economy of Puerto Rico has led to the downfall of several business corporations. For instance, there has been a contract fight between the Hilton Hotel and Puerto Rico members of a group refereed to as Unite Here Local 610. The new contract got its ratification in February 2010, a situation which saved the union. This led to a stop in concession bargaining and decline. Therefore, it raised the living standards of the members as well as increasing the power. In past negotiations, the Local 610 members have in most times swallowed losses, and very few economic improvements (NYHT, 2010).
Therefore, this new contract was seen as victorious, and every new contract was a clear representative of an improvement of the members. During times of severe economic hardships, it was considered that the deal, which cost 13.5 million dollars, was better than the agreements which had been negotiated by other unions in the past. Additionally, the basic contact provisions which related to the union members rights and power balance between the management and the union have been rewritten. Therefore, the contracts non- economic elements are superior in other union contracts in the North America Hotel Industry (NYHT, 2010).
At the onset of the 1950s there was a commonwealth developmental program which was referred to as Operation Bootstrap. This fostered rapid industrialization. Cheap skilled labor and tax incentives brought several investors from the US to the Island. However, in the 1960s, the end of tax incentives and the social costs led to the erosion of the economy. There was the increased flight of industries to cheaper labor markets in Latin America and Asia and the increase in international businesses. This led to the reduction in the industrialization process (Every Culture, 2010).
In the major industries, there has been a very slow growth due to the restrictive US policies and laws in the US-dominated finance and banking industry. This has rendered Puerto Rico dependent on services and manufacturing as it cannot conduct international business or develop its own markets. The government remains the major employer, where it has fostered high technology industries and petrochemical ones which are known to capitalize on the educated labor force. Chemicals, medical equipment, electronics and pharmaceuticals were known to be the leading products, and tourism was seen as the most important service industry (Every Culture, 2010).
The disadvantages that Puerto Rico has been facing have made situations difficult for it to participate in trade for instance, importing goods such as machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, food, petroleum products and petroleum, textiles, clothing, scientific and professional instruments. The major exports include chemical products, machinery and food (Every Culture, 2010).
Social development
Employment rates among the residents of Puerto Rico are very low, and it has been so for several decades. Census data for 2000, 1980 and 1990 reveals that among the people aged between sixteen to fifty five years, only fifty percent were employed. Compared to the US, there was an average sixty five to seventy percent employment rate during the same years in the same age bracket. Puerto Rico is the only Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OCED) member with an employment rate below fifty four percent (Collins, Bosworth Soto Class, 2006).
Independence is also very beneficial to Puerto Rico as it will encourage the economic production and job expansion in all regions. This will help the country to be less dependent as far as economy is concerned. The isolation and idle workforce problem will also be dealt with. Therefore, the social problems will be less, and the self esteem as well as the national pride of the Puerto Ricans will be strengthened. With independence, Puerto Rico will be able to develop the national environmental policies, which will be created so as to respond to needs and particular conditions. This will be in a bid to protect the national patrimony and improve life quality, as well as limit great costs which happen as a result of environmental damage (Matanzo, 2010).
Economic prosperity can happen in Puerto Rico
Whether a country has a small population density, territorial extension and size does not in any way determine whether a country will manage to attain proper economic development. About a fourth of the world is made up of the so called small countries. In fact, some of them are wallowing in extreme poverty more than Puerto Rico, for instance, Brunei, Luxemburg and Singapore. The size of a country does not really matter. What matters is whether the country has the ability to utilize its natural assets in a creative manner, be it the human, natural, cultural and political resources, and maximize all its potentials. Additionally, if a nation has to be economically empowered, it has to have the ability of using its sovereign powers so as to exploit all its resources and agree to engage in treaties with other countries so as to stimulate its economy (Matanzo, 2010).
It has happened to other countries smaller than Puerto Rico in terms of its population, and even extremely poorer than Puerto Rico. These countries are known to have a greater income per capita that Puerto Rico. These countries include Cyprus, Bahamas, Singapore and Malta. After all, it is not impossible for Puerto to increase economically because these countries are even smaller than Puerto Rico (Matanzo, 2010).
When Puerto Rico attains its independence, is will be able to create economic incentives for its industry, agriculture and commerce centers. This will ensure that there is a reduction in the trade deficits and an increase in productivity. Additionally, Puerto will have the ability to regulate all the migrations of people, either inside or outside the island. This is because the US coastal shipping laws make things difficult for Puerto Rico to have its own laws. Puerto also demands for the power so as to sign international treaties (Matanzo, 2010).
This will be necessary as it will enable the country to attract investments from Japan, the European Union members as well as the US. After Puerto Rico has been given the power to sign the treaties, the fiscal reciprocity and tax exemptions will not in any way be achieved as long as the present colonial relationship with the US remains. Instead, the only way it will achieve all this is through becoming a state. Puerto Ricans also advocate for the power to expand export markets and purchase from markets which are less expensive (Matanzo, 2010).
Therefore, it is only through independence of Puerto Rico that will render it fit to participate in the new global economy, as well as becoming a fully- fledged voting member. It will therefore gain the ability to join international and regional organizations (Matanzo, 2010).
Birth certificate scandals
A recent case where the Puerto Ricans have been denied their independent rights is on the issuing of new certificates. Native Puerto Ricans who live outside the island were required to get new certificates by the end of July, 2010. The meaning of this law, which was enacted in 2009, was to combat identity theft. This meant that all the people living in the US states had to arrange so as to acquire new certificates. All the people who were born in Puerto Rico were regarded as US citizens. Therefore, all people who stole birth certificate that belonged to the citizens of Puerto Rico could gain access to the US on easier terms. This was seen as a great threat to the security of the US (Gamboa, 2010).
The reason why the law was passed was because of an incident which occurred in March, 2009, where criminal gangs had stolen several birth certificates. These birth certificates were stolen in several Puerto Rican schools. According to the Secretary of State in Puerto Rico, each citizen usually got around twenty birth certificate copies in their lifetime. This is because they were required to produce them in events such as sports leagues or enrolling children in schools. Institutions and other schools have kept copies, a practice which has been curbed since January. This situation has created increased black market activities as far as birth certificates are concerned. In fact, the value of the certificates in the black market has also increased from five thousand to ten thousand US dollars (Gamboa, 2010).
Puerto Rican Voting rights
Since the 1970s, there has been a cry in the federal courts for all the Puerto Rican citizens living in the fifty states so that they could be given the right to vote during presidential elections. For instance, in United State versus Sanchez, a citizen of Puerto Rico challenged the statutes constitution allowing the people of the Island to consent to commonwealth status (Roman, 2002). This is because it has been denied its right to vote. However, the district court dismissed the action, stating that all citizens could not acquire the rights to vote in the presidential elections because the constitution does not, by its terms, grant citizens the right to vote, but leaves the matter entirely to the states. To support its decision, the court went ahead and cited several amendments in the constitution which were related to the rights of the voters. It was clearly noted that the constitution had been amended so as to grant all former slaves, Columbian district residents, women and all citizens that were in the age bracket of eighteen to twenty years old the right to vote (Roman, 2002).
Women in Puerto Rico
There was a new feminism in the US which was referred to as the Womens Lib in the 1970s. It spread because of the influence in the mass media. During this time, there were several investigations which were next to research on educational sex discrimination and domestic violence, as well as dealing with sexual harassment. There was a conference which was held in Puerto Rico at the same time so as to respond to the Mexico City conference of women in 1975. This was a beginning of a new era of feminism. Therefore, the onset of the new feminism in the Latin America atmosphere forced the Puerto Rican government to respond to the issues that affected women. It is at this time that the women studies emerged. In 1980s, the department or centers for women studies were being established at several universities. As a result, sex discrimination studies were promoted (Iwate, 2010).
Therefore, the social position of the Puerto Rican women has continued to change with time. It has improved social -economically and historically. However, there are problems which are yet to be resolved. One of these problems regards to the economic difficulties that the female headed households go through and the domination of men in the political field. Additionally, it is almost impossible for a large number of women to join the high income bracket, even if they are more educated than men. Besides, the number of women affected by the HIVAIDS and the homicide scourge is large. The majority of the Puerto Rican women are also affected by violence, AIDS and poverty (Iwate, 2010).
Latin America has come a long way as far its countries are concerned. This has clearly been revealed by Puerto Rico, which has been going through difficulties in its administration, mainly because of the denial of independence. It is important for Puerto Rico to gain it independence, so that it can succeed in all its economic sectors. The US should therefore grant Puerto Rico its full rights of becoming independent, so that it can grow, just like the other small countries have done.
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