Puerto Rico should be Independent

I will be brief with my responses as I can tell from your argument that you are not adamant and may just be misinformed. "1. The US has a tremendous amount of economic investment in Puerto Rico that directly benefits the people. " -Please give examples, and how independence would adversely effect that economic investment. "Going independent would make it more difficult for these companies to continue to invest and employ in Puerto Rico. " -Independence, as in the past, could provide tax shelters for these companies. That's why most of them are there in the first place. The tax shelter laws were repealed to some extent ten years ago, but some of the companies which benefitted weren't affected by the repealing of the laws and have maintained their tax free (or shelter) status. How would independence adversely affect US companies rather than benefit? ?? That's like saying GE would do better having their call centers in Florida rather than India. If taxed the US gets the money and Puerto Rico is less attractive to companies. If not taxed Puerto Rico will benefit with jobs. If taxed at a lower rate- an option under independence- Puerto Rico benefits in many ways, and the nation would still be attractive to present and future companies. "2. The US provides an enormous amount of money to Puerto Rico and would provide more if it were a state. " -This is the most popular argument of Statehooders. As an independent nation, Puerto Rico would better benefit from even LESS subsidy which also benefits the US. The US would be required by US and International laws to maintain specific levels of subsidy for a ten year transitional period into independence. That would give us enough time to build our own economy, establish our own trade laws, and not need more money from the US. Right now I can't get welfare because I get paid too much. .. should I quit my job so I can get help from the government? "If Puerto Rico were a state, the US would continue to direct and give significant amounts of aid to its educational and legal systems and thus would pay for those educational and legal systems in entirety. " -The US currently subsidizes both systems, which are corrupt and failing. Local elementary schools are turning to community subsidy. I don't really think I have to get into it, but the AMERICAN educational system is failing, and that's where you want us to tap our funds from? There are much better, and much more feasible options. .. like independence. "This would likely be more than the tax base of Puerto Rico, thus Puerto Rico would get world-class educational and legal systems at a fraction of their cost. " -Puerto Rico's educational system is part of the US Deparment of Education. We have Universities, colleges, trade schools, private colleges and schools, etc. We HAVE a world-class educational system, we just don't have the right to govern it in it's entirety. "3. How would Puerto Rican independence help the USA? " -Help and benefit are not mutually interchangeable. I believe I said "benefit". The US would save billions of dollars per year if it granted Puerto Rico it's independence. As a state, Puerto Rico- which has a strong 4% voter turnout from Nationalists REGULARLY, which is much higher when you take into consideration the total population (see reaction to FBI murder of Filiberto Ojeda Rios, the reception of 12 FALN members granted clemency under Clinton, and official Nationalistic Puerto Rican holidays)- would be a threat to the US and it's "war on Terrorism". In it's current status as a territory, it has been beneficial for nationalists to continue with legal and political battles, but if statehood were imposed on us there is no telling what kind of nationalistic reaction may materialize. US companies would benefit with tax shelters, which I already mentioned. There is a great pool of engineers in Puerto Rico who are always hired for companies outside of Puerto Rico- dozens at a time. As an independent nation we can bring those companies to us, rather than sending them our best minds.