Puerto Rico May Become 51st State of the United States

The elections on Nov. 6 that re-elected President Barack Obama also brought about the controversial vote to make the

If Puerto Rico gains statehood an extra star will need to be added to the US flag. | Photo courtesy of erjkprunczýk/Flickr.com

U.S. territory island of Puerto Rico the 51st state of the United States. The U.S. presidential election was not the only election taking place that day. A thousand miles away in the Caribbean, Puerto Ricans were also casting their ballots for their governor, and, amongst other things, were voting for the non-binding referendum that would determine Puerto Rico’s relationship with the U.S. According to The Almanac of American Politics, Puerto Rico was approved to be a Free Associated State in a referendum in 1952, which makes the country “a part of the United States for purposes of international trade, foreign policy and war, but has its own laws, taxes and representative government.” The territory inquiry on the ballots had two parts, according to ABC News. The first part asked voters if they favored their current status as a U.S. territory. From there, a second question was available that gave three options: statehood, sovereign free association (different from the current status; more autonomy from the U.S.) or independence. Tuesday night’s results showed that on the second question, 61 percent voted for Puerto Rico to obtain statehood and only 33 percent voted for sovereign free association. As a Puerto Rican, I was astounded and upset by this result. Though the results of the vote did show that statehood was favored, it was not a true representation of the desires of the Puerto Rican citizens as a whole. There are 4.2 million people in Puerto Rico. Of 1,311,727 ballots cast for the second question, 468,478 of those were blank ballots, according to the Puerto Rico Electoral Commission. As a result, the vote for statehood was inflated from 45 percent to 61 percent, casting the misinformation that the majority of the Puerto Rican population wants to become a state. Thus, the validity of the referendum needs to be questioned and taken into account.

The idea of Puerto Rico gaining statehood has been historically rejected three times in the last 45 years by the majority of the Puerto Rican population. Just because the majority of the voters in this election selected Puerto Rico to become a state, does not necessarily mean that it will happen. Many steps need to be taken in order for this to be possible. President Obama has said that he will respect the will of the Puerto Ricans if there is a clear majority in favor in statehood, according to BBC. However, Congress ultimately has the power to admit new states into the union once a bill has been proposed, though it must be signed by the president for it to actually go into effect. There is also the fact that the former Puerto Rican governor Luis Fortuño, who is part of the New Progressive Party (PNP) that has Republican ties and favors statehood, was voted out. He was succeeded by Alejandro Garcia Padilla who is part of the Democratic Popular Party who wants to remain a commonwealth. Therefore, it is unlikely that this referendum will go through.

The benefits and disadvantages of the United States accepting Puerto Rico as a state also have to be discussed. Yes, the U.S. would gain more revenue from federal and corporate taxes which Puerto Ricans currently do not pay. However, the U.S. has much to lose by having Puerto Rico become a state. Puerto Rico has a higher population than some states which would put certain states at risk of losing congressional seats. It has been debated by various news sources that Puerto Rico could take congressional seats from Texas and California if it gained statehood. Puerto Rico is also a relatively poor country in terms of the fact that 45 percent of the population receives federal aid from the Puerto Rican government, according to the Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Día. Puerto Rico’s main language is Spanish. Since 1993, English is mandatory in all schools, but is rarely taught for more than 50 minutes per day, according to an Orlando Sentinel article. In addition, a 2008 U.S. census reported that 2.8 million Puerto Ricans do not consider themselves fluent in English. Having a state with a majority of its people speaking mostly Spanish would be an inconvenience for the U.S. The research paper “A Spanish First 51st State? Puerto Rico Draws Closer,” from U.S. English Inc. discusses the issues of having a state that primarily speaks Spanish. “Puerto Rico’s legislative and judicial proceedings are conducted entirely in Spanish with English translations available only upon request. In policy and practice, Puerto Rico treats English the way the 50 states treat Italian and German: as a foreign language. No other state in the Union treats English as a second language, much less as a foreign language, and Puerto Rico should not be the exception.”

I am against my country becoming a state for many reasons. As Puerto Rico is now, a U.S. territory, it has the best of both worlds. Puerto Ricans are American citizens by birth-right and do not have to suffer through the process of obtaining a visa to enter, live or work in the U.S. This also means they receive social security and Medicare. The U.S. provides funding for constructing roads and buildings in Puerto Rico. Puerto Ricans are under the protection of the U.S. military, they use the U.S. currency and do not pay federal taxes. However, these benefits were not given to them for free, but were part of the negotiations in the commonwealth agreement. For these services, they have to contribute to social security and Medicare, participate in the U.S. military (where Puerto Rican soldiers have fought in WWII, Korea, Vietnam as well as the current wars) and are obligated to carry imported goods on ships under the U.S. flag.

I have often been told that we Puerto Ricans are “moochers” or “leeches” that are using the U.S. for its money and power by moving to the U.S. in large numbers (Indeed, there is an estimated 4.2 million Puerto Ricans living in the U.S. compared to the 3.7 million that reside in the country, according to the CIA World Factbook). I’d like to remind those people that we did not ask to be invaded by the U.S. We actually had no say in the matter. We were merely passed from Spanish hands to American ones in 1898 after 400 years under Spanish rule. This colonization of the U.S. was mainly for military purposes. Puerto Rico was in a prime location for the U.S. to build a military base and protect their interests in South America and the Caribbean. Since then, times have changed. We have grown as a nation, made negotiations with the U.S. in 1952 and now have rights and obligations as a commonwealth.

Along with all of these benefits of being a commonwealth, Puerto Rico has its own identity. We have our own autonomy of sports where we participate as a nation, apart from the U.S., and even participate in the Olympics. Just this summer, 400 meter hurdles runner Javier Culson won the bronze medal in the London 2012 Olympics, competing against top athletes like Dominican Felix Sanchez (first), American Michael Tinsley (second) and beating British favorite David Greene (fourth.) This proud victory for Puerto Rico would not have been accomplished if we were a state. Even Culson himself tweeted his opinion on the possibility of statehood saying, “I don’t want my one star [the Puerto Rican flag only has one star] to be lost amongst 50 more. I want to keep carrying Puerto Rico on my chest and keep putting my flag on high.”

Likewise, the Puerto Rican basketball team, multiple-world-title boxer Tito Trinidad and many other athletes and sports teams give Puerto Rico recognition. Such recognition would be taken away if we were not allowed to be represented as our own country and entity. Five Miss Universe winners have also been Puerto Rican, and though this might not seem important to many, it makes me proud to see my country be acknowledged worldwide. This fear of losing Puerto Rico’s social and cultural recognition is part of the main issues that have kept the suggestion of statehood such a controversial conversation.

I want to keep my identity and be represented globally. Puerto Rico is a country of culture and has many proud distinctions. Although an American citizen, I am always and will forever be Puerto Rican first.

Paola Crespo can be reached at paola.crespo@theminaretonline.com