Solid framing of the paradox. The part about Puerto Rico having more people than 18 states but no congressional voting power really drives home the absurdity. I spent some time in the Caribbean last year and the econmic ripple effects of the Jones Act came up repeatedly in conversations. The "stuck" framing is accurte beyond just politics.
Your piece of video on the channel was excellent and a real eye-opener. You expect legislation from the turn of the century to be bigoted and condescending, but the continuation of that through late century up to today is shocking. The choke point passage to the Panama Canal is the key I suppose. The image of Trump throwing rolls of paper towel at the hurricane victims was the culminating scene.
Puerto Ricans have consistently voted for option 3, which is the status quo.
Under the status quo, there are tax benefits and incentives for companies to move there. While Puerto Rico itself doesn't have representation in Congress, Puerto Ricans can move to the mainland and vote and have representation, which they have done in large numbers.
I have been to Puerto Rico twice. It is so beautiful! One of my very favorite places. I live in Chicago, so it is so easy to get there: nonstop flight, no passport needed, same currency, you can speak English there. I agree, they are woefully underserved and unrepresented - tragic.
I don’t know how an independent Puerto Rico would fare given the very corrupt politics and governmental incompetence there. Imagining this would go away with “freedom” is wishful thinking. It also makes for a bad business climate, so there is the question of how will those 3+ million people make a living? And without the safety valve of unhindered migration and free flow to the United States (where many, many Puerto Ricans live and have done very well) the situation could become quite combustible. I suspect this is why the independence option fails at the polls: the risk of losing free access to the United States is too great for people with extensive family and business connections there.
Alaskan cruises are affected by the Jones Act so an Alaskan cruise has to start at or have Vancouver as a stop on the itinerary to circumvent it. Guess cargo doesn’t get that luxury or it just isn’t exercised
I would rather they be independent than a state and also with no US citizen status.
Solid framing of the paradox. The part about Puerto Rico having more people than 18 states but no congressional voting power really drives home the absurdity. I spent some time in the Caribbean last year and the econmic ripple effects of the Jones Act came up repeatedly in conversations. The "stuck" framing is accurte beyond just politics.
Your piece of video on the channel was excellent and a real eye-opener. You expect legislation from the turn of the century to be bigoted and condescending, but the continuation of that through late century up to today is shocking. The choke point passage to the Panama Canal is the key I suppose. The image of Trump throwing rolls of paper towel at the hurricane victims was the culminating scene.
Puerto Ricans have consistently voted for option 3, which is the status quo.
Under the status quo, there are tax benefits and incentives for companies to move there. While Puerto Rico itself doesn't have representation in Congress, Puerto Ricans can move to the mainland and vote and have representation, which they have done in large numbers.
I have been to Puerto Rico twice. It is so beautiful! One of my very favorite places. I live in Chicago, so it is so easy to get there: nonstop flight, no passport needed, same currency, you can speak English there. I agree, they are woefully underserved and unrepresented - tragic.
I don’t know how an independent Puerto Rico would fare given the very corrupt politics and governmental incompetence there. Imagining this would go away with “freedom” is wishful thinking. It also makes for a bad business climate, so there is the question of how will those 3+ million people make a living? And without the safety valve of unhindered migration and free flow to the United States (where many, many Puerto Ricans live and have done very well) the situation could become quite combustible. I suspect this is why the independence option fails at the polls: the risk of losing free access to the United States is too great for people with extensive family and business connections there.
Alaskan cruises are affected by the Jones Act so an Alaskan cruise has to start at or have Vancouver as a stop on the itinerary to circumvent it. Guess cargo doesn’t get that luxury or it just isn’t exercised