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Top: House Speaker
Dennis Hastert (R-IL), Rep. George Miller (D-CA), Sen. Larry
Craig (R-ID), Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN).
Middle: Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS), Pres.
Bill Clinton, Sen. Bob Graham (D-FL), Senate Minority Leader
Tom Daschle (D-SD). Bottom: House Minority Leader Richard
Gephardt (D-MO), Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-AK), Rep. Don Young
(R-AK)
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 Will They Exercise
Their Constitutional Responsibilities and Enact Federal Plebiscite
Legislation?
What Do The Results Mean
For Congress In The Long Term?
Both the 1993 and 1998 plebiscites
were conducted under local law after Congress failed to approve
federal plebiscite legislation defining the available choices
to achieve a permanent status.
In the absence of a clear congressional
policy on the status of Puerto Rico, many voters apparently remain
unwilling to choose among legally recognized status options.
However, the 1998 plebiscite results -- in contrast to 1993 --
do not let Congress off the hook by endorsing an unrealistic
and implausible definition of commonwealth that Congress can
simply ignore.
Instead, the 1998 "None of
the Above" vote demonstrates that the self-determination
process for Puerto Rico will remain inert until Congress authorizes
a federal plebiscite which defines for the voters the terms for
statehood, separate sovereignty or continuation of the current
status under the territorial clause powers of Congress.
Congressional Sponsored
Plebiscite Necessary
The 1998 plebiscite confirms the need
for Congress to ascertain the will of the people of Puerto Rico
among options Congress is willing to consider. This can be accomplished
only if Congress sponsors a referendum under Federal law and
informs the voters of the terms for continuing the current status
or changing to a new status.
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 The Statehood Movement
100 Years of Evolution
Dr. José Celso Barbosa, in order to
cement the ideal of Puerto Rican statehood, founded the Puerto
Rican Republican Party ("Partido Republicano Puertorriqueño")
on July 4th, 1899. The Republican Party obtained the legislative
majority from 1900 to 1904. It had the difficult and delicate
task of adopting the American political system to the colonial
reality of the island.
During those four years, the legal foundations
for 20th Century Puerto Rico were approved. The most significant
legislation included: trial by jury; writ of habeas corpus; beginnings
of the first labor legislation; freedom of religion, speech and
the press; the political, civil, penal, criminal and procedural
codes; tax law; the new electoral law which granted a vote to
the illiterate; Spanish and English as official languages; the
establishment of the public school system, and scholarships to
study in the United States; the establishment of industrial schools
and the University of Puerto Rico; the position of official historian
of Puerto Rico; and the creation of the island police force.
For Barbosa, "Americanization" was
not incompatible with island patriotism, but rather it was the
vital instrument by which to obtain social justice and economic
progress. For him, political unity with the United States did
not imply dissolving the cultural personality of the Puerto Rican
people. Political assimilation was not synonymous with cultural
assimilation. He was convinced that Calderón's native
tongue could coexist with that of Shakespeare, thus creating
a more educated and dynamic people. -Gonzalo F. Cordova
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Make no mistake about it, the prospect of
federal taxation for Puerto Rico's elite, not the voter's preference
for the status quo tipped the scales against an outright statehood
triumph on December 13th. Paying little or no taxes under the
porous Hacienda collection apparatus, the wealthy five percent
among us feared the efficiency of the Internal Revenue Service
more than they fancied commonwealth.
For having artfully raised the specter of
federal taxation as the curse of statehood, commonwealth advocates
have rubbed the noses of American taxpayers in the more than
$10 billion yearly Puerto Rican subsidy, inviting re-evaluation
of the "something for nothing" philosophy that has
served as the PDP's underpinning over these past 45 plus years.
Washington will take away our "free lunch"
as Young and his congressional colleagues investigate the implications
and causes of the 'None of the Above' results. Spurred on by
their stateside constituents legislation will almost certainly
be introduced and passed to make us carry our own weight fiscally.
Once having achieved the dubious distinction
of first class US citizenship tax-wise -- thanks to the PDP,
full and equal American citizenship as residents of the fifty-first
state will almost certainly soon follow thereafter as sure as
night follows day. -Miriam Ramirez de Ferrer
The recent referendum in Puerto Rico was
supposed to set the course for the island's political future.
Instead, the vote left the outlook for the Caribbean island as
cloudy as a stormy sky.
[T]he ballot was so crowded with options
and the various parties ran such negative campaigns, it should
not be surprising that disgusted citizens lodged a protest vote
in a contest they recognized would be meaningless.
Congress should approve another referendum
, this one binding and including only viable options. "None
of the above" does nothing to resolve the island's future.
-The Tampa Tribune, Editorial
Washington -- Nothing in the current US-Puerto
Rico relationship would prevent Congress from levying federal
taxes in Puerto Rico under commonwealth, the Congressional Research
Service's constitutional expert said.
"Congress has full powers to tax the
US territories and there is nothing special under commonwealth
relationship to stop it," said John Killian, who often writes
opinions for Congress on Puerto Rico. "Taxation without
representation is just a slogan. There is nothing in the Constitution
about it," Killian said.
[A] "trend" may be building here
to get Puerto Rico to contribute to the federal treasury... [as]
federal officials here ask why the island is receiving some $10
billion yearly in federal funds without contributing to the federal
treasury. -Robert Friedman, The San Juan Star
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The people of Puerto Rico are divided.
Congress won't take a stand. How can Puerto Rico resolve its
decades- old debate over political status with the United States?
Resolving the status problem seems locked in a chicken-and-egg
bind.
In San Juan, voters look to Washington to spell out terms for
Puerto Rico to become a state, enhance its current commonwealth
or go independent. Voters want Congress to guarantee it will
implement the winning choice.
But in the 100 years since U.S. troops invaded Puerto Rico during
the Spanish-American War, Congress has never detailed the options
for Puerto Rico or authorized islanders to choose.
In Washington, politicians look first to Puerto Ricans to
decide.
U.S. leaders say it's too complex to spell out details first.
And they have little incentive to take on the difficult task.
The stalemate costs time, energy and
money in San Juan and Washington, with no end in sight for a
political relationship that many describe as the world's biggest
colony or an island in limbo. -Osceola Sentinel
After four centuries of colonialism under
Spain, and a century and three days after the signing of the
Treaty of Paris of Dec. 10, 1898, we expected a decision in favor
of decolonization.
Each of the options on the plebiscite ballot
was to confer dignity, liberty and pride on all Puerto Ricans.
But each of the three status formulas implied the assumption
of certain duties and responsibilities.
Unfortunately, 50% of the voters decided
not to decide. Puerto Rico decided not to decide. The decision
is now up to Washington. -Neftali Fuster
"I am confident that once Congress
has assumed its responsibilities under the Constitution's Territorial
Clause and defined the real status options available to the people
of Puerto Rico, they will choose statehood.
"Born in 1904, a citizen of the US
by law in1917, I look forward to celebrating my own centennial
under a fifty-one star flag." -Luis A. Ferré
"Ultimately,
Puerto Ricans will be faced with two choices: independent status
or statehood." -Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN)
"The days
of the virtual one-way flow of U.S. federal dollars flowing into
Puerto Rico as a commonwealth are ending", Rep. Don Young
(R-AK)
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