Never knew I was a yuppie cause I favored Target. Interesting. And I just thought it was cause I liked eating popcorn while shopping. We had Targets in my area long before we ever had our first Walmart. Who knew there was a Class battle amongst the serfs over their favorite discount store.
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I like Walmarts better than Targets because I can actually carry my gun inside and men can’t use the women’s bathroom. Just personal preferences.
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why doesnt trump just sell Puerto Rico to the highest bidder or whoever will pays its debt off?
I agree that he certainly exudes a hideous odor.
Maybe that’s the plan. After Puerto Rico maybe the USA. He and his cohorts have put the USA in a record amount of debt and they have only been at it a year. [Don’t know where they get off calling themselves conservatives, they certainly aren’t fiscally conservative when in office.] Perhaps the plan is to sell the USA to Goldman Sachs,JP Morgan or some Russian oligarch.
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Where do Dollar stores fit in this lower than thou hierarchy?
Amongst Puerto Rico’s many problems —- slightly higher freight rates for Jones Act vessels is trivial.
Puerto Rico has a horrendously corrupt and inept government. It has a massive debt load that it can never repay.
Before the storm it needed a bankruptcy to clear nearly all of its debts. To hell with the reckless bond holders. After the storm it needs bankruptcy even more. To hell with the bond holders.
Failure to learn English is its second greatest problem. English should be an official language. All public education from pre-school to college should be in English only. TV should be in English with Spanish subtitles. Newspapers should be printed in both languages.
Puerto Rico is a legal US tax haven. That should be preserved and expanded. US companies should be given more incentives to create good paying jobs in Puerto Rico.
The seasonal jobs in the US that are now done by Mexican and other foreign temporary labor should be reserved for Puerto Rican’s.
Washington should appoint an Administrator (someone like Mitt Romney) to run the government in Puerto Rico for the next 10 years, and provide the money necessary to straighten things out.
Alternatively, If Puerto Rico does not want to do that, Puerto Rico should be cut loose to be an independent country (with no Jones Act) and Puerto Rico residents should be stripped of US citizenship. If that happened, Puerto Rico would become yet another shithole on the same level as Haiti. If that’s what they want, let them have it.
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but that’s assuming that Puerto Ricans want to actually work…
Agree with all points except for the tax haven bit and Mitt Romney. There’s enough places where the rich can hide their money from the country they live in; they are the ultimate welfare queens. Romney is one of them so having Romney in charge is nuts. He’d mortgage the entire territory for billions, pay himself millions in management fees, give contracts to his tax dodging buddies and wait for the inevitable bankruptcy. Then he and his fellow tax vulture capitalists would move on to the next project. They have the resume to prove it.
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It appears that Puerto Rico has plenty of pleasure boat and a few fishing boats in their register, but no cargo ships. (Pls, correct if wrong)
Maybe a ship register could be established there to function as a second American register, with all the tax advantages. Compliant with IMO and ILO rules and regulations of course, like all other open registers, but not bound by all the special restrictions that hamper US flag ships from competing on even terms in the worldwide shipping market today. (No subsidies or special privileges either)
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You mean as long as Puerto Rico is an American Territory it is heaven on earth, but if it should claim independence it would be an instant “sh*thole”?
Having a second US international ship register based in Puerto Rico is a meritorious idea worth careful consideration.
Puerto Rico needs middle class guys like us to live there. The tax advantages are already attractive for us.
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but that’s assuming that Puerto Ricans want to actually work…
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In my experience, Puerto Rican’s are good workers. Maybe not as good as Mexicans, but still good.
Actually, America does not know how to run territories. All the American territories are shitholes. In contrast, the Brits know how and British territories are much nicer.
As a territory, Puerto Rican’s have US Citizenship and the right to work in the US. There are more Puerto Rican’s living in the States than in Puerto Rico. They send a lot of money back to Puerto Rico. Also, Puerto Rico has always been a black hole into which US taxpayers pour money.
A series of Puerto Rican governments have stolen and wasted most of the money sent to them so far.
Something needs to change
Puerto Rico is a natural tropical paradise close to the US mainland. It has enormous potential.
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And it always will have?? (GREAT POTENTIAL!!! that is)
I think every US territory other than Puerto Rico speaks English as a primary language.
Don’t tel this to the great republic of California the horror
Realize the MM isn’t near the size it was when Jones was implemented. Back then we had representation that counted but now we are a VERY small minority and those with $$ interests will likely overwhelm our righteous standing and in the final days may well be accused of:
A. denying jobs to those “less fortunate”.
B. Gouging the everyday Joe because of our exorbitant wages.
C. Responsible for some outlandish statistic increasing everyday living costs.
… and more of that bilge.
It really will not matter Which party is in power, it will matter how much money can be devoted to “lobbying”, media and such to effect this change and when the cost/benefit ratios “align” we’re done for.
It isn’t demo republo… it’s the “new world order” you’re ‘subject’ to.
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Well if they gut it, I hope they completely gut it. As it stands now, the protections that are in it pretty much prevent us from getting a job on international vessels. If the US flag jobs go away, I want to be able to look foreign.