From: ez000281@hamlet.ucdavis.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america
Subject: Re: Statehood for Puerto Rico?
Date: 9 Nov 92 07:43:42 GMT
Organization: Computing Services, UC Davis

Miguel Salas writes:

>I will like read some comments on weather PR should become a State.

>Somethings to keep in mind if PR does becomes a State:
>--Taxes

Instead of paying the high state tax which is paid today, such will be lower, 
and residents will pay Federal Income taxes in return for an equitable 
apropriation of Federal funds to the island.

>--Will PR lose some of their culture and traditions?
There is no legislation which prevents such from happening.  The closest thing 
to such are the English only laws with have passed in several states.  Puerto 
Rico, as is know a part of the U.S. legal system has a Spanish only law, which 
clearly affirms the right of Puerto Ricans to declare whichever language they 
wish as "official".  To this day no Federal court has interfered with such law 
in spite of the fact that Puerto Rico is treated legally as a State. 
Furthermore, in States like mine (California) in spite of an English Only law, 
Spanish continues to grow and is used in public education, from bilingual 
education programs for students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) to 
Spanish inmersion programs.

> Like cock fighting,

Cock-fighting is legal in New Mexico and I see no reason why it will become 
illegal if at present there have been exclusions in the law to exclude New 
Mexico and Puerto Rico.

>"castellano" their languange.

Our language is Spanish, not Castillian.  In any event, see above.

>--Schools; will the school be all in English?

No.  As we have here in California there can be billingual education or 
Spanish inmersion programs.

>--etc... .

A lot of the anti-statehood propaganda, which seems to be withering away with 
the electorate is based on three things:

1)      Create a fear amongs the population with the lie that their culture 
will cease to exist in the event of statehood. When, in fact, multiculturalism 
is gaining ground within the continental U.S.

2)      Create the illusion that Puerto Rican will be overtaxed when in fact 
the gross mayourity of Puerto Ricans have incomes below the 18,000 minimum 
gross income subject to no taxation.  This means, that assuming the island 
incomes  remain low under statehood (which will not), a mayority of Puerto 
Ricans with have no federal tax liability.  If, as expected, incomes rise 
during statehood, taxes will be collected as they are here in the continental 
U.S.A. as well as in Hawaii.

3)      Stir up racial fears amongst the population in the States.  Such 
things can be easily accomplished with statements such as:

>We are 'hispanics' (Arrghhh!) we have 'too
>much' black "in us" (<g>) etc... Plus 1/2 of the states would loose
>House reps to give them up to the reps from PR... No chance...


Or other pro-independence comments from foreigners such as:

>Y si realmente pierdes la paciencia, trata de entender que el viene de
>una cultura muy especial, pero muy especial, como te dijo, el es
>CIUDADANO NORTEAMERICANO, eso es de guardar respeto en este mundo, el problema
>es que en su pais el es un ciudadano de segunda, trata de entender que
>el no puede hablar en la lista de cultura USA porque lo callarian diciendole
>"Tu no opines da gracias que te mantenemos gratis aqui" o "Si no te gusta
>largate a tu isla", de 10 norteamericanos que hay en este laboratorio 8
>no sabian que los puertoriquenyos son ciudadanos norteamericanos, 10
>me dijeron que la mayoria de los PR se dedican al narcotrafico en N.Y.,
>5 me dijeron que consideraban que PR es una lacra y carga para el pais
>(esto claro despues que les hice saber que son parte de USA) etc. 

Fortunately, the majority of our fellow americans with not fall for such 
hatemongers and we will convince them on the economic need to end 936 corporate 
tax loopholes which are mainting the welfare state running in PR funded wholly 
on our tax dollars.

Regards,

Edelmiro Salas