[Suki]

RPR do you honestly believe a government that makes the taxpayer pay penalties if they are late in paying their taxes yet if they are late in paying the taxpayer refuses to pay taxes will be investing in Puerto Rican infrastructure for the exclusive benefit of Puerto Ricans only? No. They invested in Puerto Rico because they wanted Puerto Rico to be up to first world standards in order to run their military bases in the Caribbean basin. That means highways, buildings and etc. Even then the DEA wants Puerto Rico to be a foreign posting because the water service is unpredictable and electricity service is full of brown outs and black outs. There are potholes in the street and schools and hospitals are not up to USA mainland standards. That is a direct quote from a federal agency of the USA. DEA. So---RPR the problem is that YOU have not really thought about what motivates the USA feds to invest in Puerto Rico. Are you assuming they do it cuz they want to help out the local Puerto Ricans out of the goodness of their hearts or because their multi-billion dollar military apparatus used to be there and their pharmaceutical companies, banks, and etc. had to do business there and they needed an outpost for their geo-political agenda in the Caribbean region and Latin America. You tell me why if you are a gov't that does what I stated in my first sentence in this post, what might motivate you to find federal funds for Puerto Rican infrastructure?

Why did they choose Puerto Rico for unincorporated territory status why RPR? Why not Cuba and the Phillipines whom they took from Spain in 1898 as war booty as well, yet did not make it their little backyard? Why didn't they? Think on that. I don't say what I say without substantial research on it. I never have been that way. I hope you start realizing that the independentistas are fiery and are not pro USA because they did their homework, not because they are 'negative'. Besides when you see all the really horrible descriptions in which they continually compare the boricuas to subhumans I hope you start seeing the writing on the wall of what all that means and how one should respond. Not as thinking they did it out of their sentimental love of Puerto Rico. Lol. But out of self interest and EMPIRE building. And that is not something to be grateful for. Because it is not about a relationship based on respect and equality and deep dignity and parity and cooperation. It is based on 'what is in it for me?'

To be colonized RPR is to give credit to only those who are from the outside and to never give credit for anything done well by the natives. And the way you stated your last post it sounds like if it weren't for the USA Puerto Rico would never have accomplished anything. And that is not true and never will be true. Besides Puerto Ricans have paid a high interest for every dollar the American gov't has expended in Puerto Rico. It pays billions in mortgage interest payments a year making banks very rich. It pays high loan interests. It pays taxes via what is consumed. It pays with Puerto Rican men's lives in every stupid war the Empire comes up with. It pays for the 'infrastructure' in innumerable ways. And frankly just how high falutin' should be the Puerto Rican Caribbean lifestyle? In order to be happy on a tropical island do you need the lastest IPOD and the BMW and the designer clothes and the mainland rich and spoiled Paris Hilton lifestyle in order to be content? Because if the Puerto Rican people need that to be happy. They will find that what truly counts are the human relationships one has, family, history, tradition, creativity, sense of dignity, respect, community and giving to others and serving those in need and accepting who we are as a nation with a long history of honesty and humility. That is who we are in essence. If we lose that---who gives a damn how pretty the infrastructure and malls are? I would not give one damn about that. If the Puerto Rican people lose their Puerto Ricaness and become Paris Hilton clones. Who cares about the independence movement. They chose the path of no return. That lifestyle is unsustainable anyway.

I am glad you are participating RPR.

The way the economy is in Puerto Rico the only ones driving around in expensive European luxury vehicles and living in penthouses and flashiness most probably are dealing drugs. Lol. That is how bad the economy is for the average regular working boricua who is not some politician on the make or living off the dole or dealing drugs. I think Miranda thinks that is what the modern Puerto Rican values nowadays. Consumerism and decadence. If Miranda is right, and unfortunately he might be right about a fundamental shift in values----then Puerto Rico doesn't deserve its independence. It deserves to consume, consume, be further in debt, have corrupt lying politicians in power and be the servant and plaything of some racist foreign gov't who will plot to slowly use and pollute the island and finally pull the plug economically and leave her to chaos, ruin, anarchy and death. Any nation whose people value crap and consumption and pretentious and empty ostentation and superficial cafreria over respect, dignity, hard work and spirituality and service and sense of community doesn't deserve a future. And that is the HONEST TRUTH OF IT.