The “Report by the President's Task Force on Puerto Rico”, March 2011, is the typical cheap political report which attempts to bury the singular, original subject, coupled with other issues that could or might be of importance if, and only if, the primary premise of the report were the economic and political future of Puerto Rico. We must remember that president after president since Richard Nixon has made studies in reference to the status of Puerto Rico, [the key word being STATUS] addressing the problem of relationship between the US and Puerto Rico. President Obama decided to “expand” the scope of what all other presidents have done; his prerogative of course; but, I have asked myself WHY. Did he want to save money? Then, why not do two different reports: one on the status, and another on the “Economic Development Overview” of Puerto Rico. Why mix them? Politicians attempting to confuse constituents try to muddle the waters by talking and writing about all kind of things, more or less related: not saying very much. President Obama is one of these politicians.
The report has one hundred twenty two (122) pages. The first twenty two (22) pages are an introduction and an overview of the Presidential Task Force history on the status. The next ten, pages 23-33, are dedicated to the status. The remaining pages are dedicated to the Economic Development Overview and Task Force's Economic Recommendations; eighty nine pages to muddle the waters; however, there are a few things that, as discussed in all prior conversations and writings, have been reestablished.
The report in its “Status Overview” address prior referendums and how the present ELA (Commonwealth) has won each of them. What it does not say is, that with the exception of the 1960 plebiscite, in each and every election and plebiscite the vote have been very close and that on the average, the elections were shared out on a 48% - 48% -4% between the PPD (ELA), the PNP (Statehood) and PIP (Independence). The times the ELA has won with just over 50% of the votes, it has been because the lies and have truth as to what the “Culmination of the ELA” or the “Jíbaro Statehood” was all about. We must remember that Don Luis Muños Marín never won an election with less than 58.2%. That was Don Luis; since that time, the PPD has not won an election with more than 50,7%, and since 1972 forward it has fluctuated from 48.7% to 43.1%.
During this entire period, the US Congress did not see as its best interest to tell the people of Puerto Rico the truth as to what, if anything, it will be willing to give the PPD Commonwealth (ELA) to culminate that status; neither corrected all the lies and half truth the PPD have used trying to sell this formula nor the PNP clarified the so-called Jíbaro Statehood they tried to sell some years back.
The very last plebiscite proposal from Congress, HR 2499, became a farce when a naive Congresswoman from North Carolina was convinced by the PPD to include the ELA, as is, in order to make the Plebiscite a waste of time and money, if it was ever approved. This is a would-be, a two votes plebiscite, where the first would be if Puerto Rico would like to change its present status, yes or no. If yes then the second vote would be a choice of NON-Colonial/Territorial alternative, Independence, Statehood, or an Associated Republic. Unfortunately, this Congresswoman’s amendment was approved an the ELA, as it is, a Colony/Territory, was included; making this proposed project useless.
On page 23, the report The Task Force claims that it had heard two different point of view. “1) that the status has been reviewed constantly over the last few decades and there is nothing left to say about it; and 2) that President Obama’s expansion of the Task Force mission, beyond status, was an attempt to avoid dealing with the difficult issue of the status.” Then it claims that “Neither has proven to be true.”
Let us see if this is true.
If you have kept abreast of the fights on the status of Puerto Rico and if you have read these ten pages of the report, what have you found new in this writing? The only thing in the writing is what everyone knew. The ELA is a territory at the wishes of the Congress. The culmination of the ELA is to become an Associated Republic, if they want it. Anyone that has followed this subject know all this, they know what Independence is, what Statehood is and even they know that an Associated Republic means that a sovereign Republic will have to reach an agreement, draw a contract to associate itself to the other Republic. I cannot see what is new on this subject in the report.
Now, as to President Obama's reason: did he have to add the Economic Development Overview? is another question. I do not see it trying to save money and time. But if that is the reason, why not make two different reports and call each one what it is? To me, this an attempt to muddle the waters, in order to not present a true, strong, and viable recommendation. In other words, all shadow and no substance; no concrete answers; plenty of generalities.
Conclusion:
This Report by the President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status is very disappointing in its findings, as far as the status is concerned. To tell you the truth, I have read from page 1-33, and have come to the conclusion it was a justification for the expansion to the economic development of Puerto Rico, so, I did not finish reading it.
As to the status, the report lack of assertive recommendations; leaving Puerto Rico more or less in the same place it was before the report. The alternative on the status continues to be the same. If the Puerto Rico’s citizens want to change status, Independence, Statehood, and the Associated Republic, they will find nothing new here to assist them. The Commonwealth, to get to its “culmination”, has to move to the Associated Republic.
The Report clearly stipulate that there is no culmination of ELA. Let face it, Congress will not give a Territory rights their own States do not have. The leadership of the PPD knows this but still continue to tells their followers that it is possible. They talk of the Culminated ELA as fact of life as if the US Congress had nothing to say about it. Even today after the report they continue to do so. Our ex Governor Rafael Hernandez Colón and others in leadership positions have come out making these allegations.
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