La verdad de la estadidad ~ Puerto Rico Statehood Facts

[Guaili-Cayniabon]

[i]La verdad de la estadidad ~ Puerto Rico Statehood Facts

Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott recently told a Congressman that he was in no hurry to bring the Puerto Rico statehood bill to the Senate floor, but could not control what Senator Al D'Amato (R-NY) might do. This suggests that our opponents will use their best strategy--get the Senate to pass H.R. 856 on a quick and unexpected floor vote.

You can send telegrams to your two Senators and Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott opposing Puerto Rico statehood by calling toll-free: 1-888-888-0089

There will be a charge of $8.50 applied to your telephone bill. (The entire charge goes to Western Union.) Those who are not already members of English First will get a free six-month subscription to their newsletter and legislative alerts (a $10 value).


Facts About Puerto Rico Statehood

As a state, Puerto Rico would have the 25th highest population of any state and would send six or seven Congressmen to Washington as well as two Senators.

The House is limited to 435 Members, so a state of Puerto Rico would cost at least six states one Congressman each.

Language

Fully 90% of Puerto Rico's high school graduates do not speak English well.

As a state, Puerto Rico could make Spanish its only official language (as it did in 1990) and require the rest of the United States to adapt to them. That could cost $2-3 billion each year in language translation costs alone based on the costs Quebec imposes on Canada.

Income

Puerto Rico's per capita income of $8,509 is less than one third of the US average, and about one half that of Mississippi, the poorest state.

The average monthly per capita income in Puerto Rico would be $709 per month.

Social Security Disability payments are at least $790 per month.

Rank of a state of Puerto Rico as a state among states based on population: 25th

Rank of Puerto Rico currently if included among states based on persons receiving disability income: 16th

In Puerto Rico, 50% of families have incomes of less than $10,000.

In the United States, 67% of families have incomes of $25,000 or more.

Earned Income Credit: maximum benefit of $3,556 applies to workers earning between $8,900 and $11,610.

Amount of expected income to the U.S. Treasury from individuals in Puerto Rico because of the Earned Income Credit: $0.

Percentage of Puerto Ricans on the island who receive food stamps in 1989: 43.5% (Hey that's about the same percentage there is of statehooders ... no wonder they want to become a state so bad, they just want more food stamps... que monton de muertos de hambre!!! Por eso venden la patria.)

Amount of expected increase in welfare payments annually to Puerto Rico as a state: $3 billion.

Crime

United States Murder Rate (1996): 7.4 per 100,000.

New York City Murder Rate (1996): 12.0 per 100,000.

Puerto Rico Murder Rate (1996): 25.0 per 100,000.

Rank of Puerto Rico if included among states based on 1996 murder rates: 6th.

Employment Patterns in Puerto Rico

The government sector in Puerto Rico generates approximately 380,000 jobs, or 33% of total employment.

Percentage of the economy of Puerto Rico from manufacturing: 42%.

Percentage of the economy of Puerto Rico from tourism: About 6%.

Total employment in Puerto Rico provided by 936 corporations: 11%.

Tax benefit a 936 corporation receives per employee per year: about $24,000.

Average employee salary in a 936 corporation per year: $22,000.

A 1990 Congressional Budget Office study concluded that, under STATEHOOD, Puerto Rico would SUFFER a permanent decrease in GNP of ten to fifteen percent by the year 2000 accompanied by a direct loss of between 50,000 and 100,000 private sector jobs

The 1990 CBO study estimated that statehood would cost the US government over $9 billion in additional federal spending during the first four years of statehood, much of it to compensate for the loss of jobs in the private sector.

Puerto Rico's operating budget: $6 billion.

Puerto Rico's national debt: $20 billion.

Sources: Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Hearing Testimony on Puerto Rico Statehood, May 19, 1998; FBI Uniform Crime Reports, September 28, 1997; Social Security Administration; U.S. Census (1990 data); Commissioner of Official Languages Annual Report (1997) [Canada];[b] New York Times.

LA ESTADIDAD NO VA ja ja ja... LA VERDAD ES LA VERDAD

¡PREPARENSE! QUE AHORITA VIENE LA REPÚBLICA