PR Statehood, Independence, or Commonwealth?

[MeXiCHiCo]

what do yall boricuas want??? i feel if that puerto rico becomes a state, p.r. will be totally americanizao!!! and puerto ricans wont be ths same.....if p.r. becomes independent you guys would have trouble entering the states and would have to go through all the immigration stuff...if p.r. remains a commonwealth, then u guys hav all the benefits yall have today: no paying taxes en la isla, u.s. citizenship, and u.s. help.....so what do yall gente want???

[Ecuajey]

You're new to this forum so you don't know much about the people here and the topics we discuss. This arguement has been stressed so much, you won't get much replies, especially in this forum section. This arguement is all over the place on this forum in nearly every topic and in PR for hundreds of years, (Concerning independence, 104 between that and statehood and 50 years with all 3 options.) My opinion, independence! Go to the Politics section of this forum to read some debates and maybe participate in some. However, I warn you, before you debate, learn a few things about PR culture and politics.

[ostoga]

Independence!

[J-Rod]

STARS AND STRIPES 4EVER!!!!!

[Stanley]

if p.r. remains a commonwealth, then u guys hav all the benefits yall have today: no paying taxes en la isla, u.s. citizenship, and u.s. help.....so what do yall gente want???

Many people think folks in PR do not pay taxes. I once made the calculations. The local PR taxes are as high as "state and federal taxes combined" in most staes of the US. If we paid no taxes in PR I would still be living there!!!

The current status is a colony. Most folks don't like to be a colony------- many in PR are used to the colony due to "Barriga llena, Corazon contento" mentality. The only dignity gor PR would be independence or statehood. Both have pros and cons.

[Ecuajey]

Originally posted by Stanley
Many people think folks in PR do not pay taxes

I think he/she meant Boricuas, in general, don't pay federal taxes. However, Boricuas do contribute to Social Security and Federal workers on the island and those who own real estate in the USA do pay federal taxes. So, in a way, Boricuas do pay federal taxes, but not as large or like the 50 states do.

J-Rod, statehood is as likely as the USA Congress allowing a binding status referendum to take place in PR, which never happened nor ever will.

[El_Jibaro]

Stanley was talking about STATE TAXES!!!

• He said that STATE TAXES alone in Puerto Rico are as high as STATE+FEDERAL TAXES combined for each of the States that have the highest tax levels in all of the USA.

For example, I have a friend in PR who is an engineer, and he pays more than 37% of his income in STATE INCOME TAX. Now, that is an apalling number!!!

Here in New Jersey I only pay 4% of my income in State Income Taxes, and Federal Income Taxes are less than 25% after taking the deductions out. The only thing I complain here in Jersey is for real estate taxe rates, but Puerto Rico is at the same level if you buy a new home. So, if I add together all the taxes my engineer friend pays in Puerto Rico, from State Income Tax, taxes on new cars, real estate taxes, etc., my friend in Puerto Rico pays almost twice as me, and I live in New Jersey, one of the highest tax levels in the Nation (and he doesn't pay Federal Income Taxes).

By the way, the Social Security TAX is not a pension plan, since the money put into all of it goes into the Federal General Funds, which is used from makeing Space Shuttles, to the money used to buy the burnt trucks belonging to the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge.

Oh, can I get you to eat your words when Bush declares a FEDERALLY BINDING 2-WAY REFERENDUM for Puerto Rico soon?

• My guess is that Puerto Ricans will be voting twice next November 2004, once in the local elections, and the other in a Federal MONITORED Referendum voting poll. This time there will be NO "

• none of the above" clown gimmicks.