Let Them Eat Paper Towels!

Ah!  The old classic musicals of my youth!  Who could forget West Side Story, a modern updating of Romeo and Juliet, set in New York City, as two rival gangs of teenagers, one Polish-American and the other Puerto Rican, set in conflict with each other.  Of course, love challenges prejudice and preconceived notions.  It is a spectacular, high energy show.

Among many classic, enduring songs in the musical, is I Like to Be in America.  The song debates the pros and cons of living in America as opposed to Puerto Rico.  The song specifically mentions hurricanes always blowing, the loss of power, and impassable roads.  It also mentions the problems and prejudices faced by Puerto Ricans living in the states.

The irony is, of course, that Puerto Ricans who live in Puerto Rico, are already Americans.  They already live in America.  They are in our military, serving to protect this country.  They have contributed to every walk of life in America, from Broadway writer to Supreme Court Justice.

Puerto Ricans who move to the states can register to vote in whatever state they live in.  They are full citizens of the United States, with all the privileges and responsibilities that implies.

President Trump either doesn't grasp this, or he doesn't care.  His recent comments and visit proves that he considers Puerto Rico different than the rest of the country, either because of their ethnicity or their status.  It's confusing as to which, but his expression of contempt is clear.

Texas and Florida received solid support, without questioning whether or not the residents of those states were lazy or not.  They did not get dressed down for not providing community support, their truck drivers weren't called out for being too self-centered to return to driving on roads that Trump presumed (falsely) were cleared.

He did not deride the mayors of Houston or Naples as being nasty (a term of derision that President Trump seems to have reserved exclusively for women).  He did not go on and on about debt owed, or how much Texas and Florida were costing the federal budget.  And he most definitely did not toss out paper towel rolls at hurricane victims, as if they were animals at a zoo.

I am not a fan of the territorial status.  It is a unnecessary hangover from the colonial era.  Puerto Rican citizens have not moved decisively in that direction, with feelings mixed between three options - continued territory status, independence, or statehood.  There are regulatory reasons, including tax incentives for corporations, that causes some to hesitate.  But I think the idea of being fully participating citizens in our great democracy, including voting for U.S. President and having voting members of Congress,  would be more important.

My own solution would be to eliminate the territorial and possession status, and make them part of an existing state.  All the Caribbean and Atlantic possessions cold become a part of Florida, and the Pacific possessions a part of Hawaii.

Are my conservative friends worried that a move like that might disrupt Republican control of Florida?  Well, here's a news flash.  Continue to make Puerto Rico unlivable, and they'll be moving there anyways.  Hundreds of thousands, ready and willing to vote.  And you're right.  They're probably not going to vote Republican.  However, special note - if you embrace them and compete for their votes instead of vilifying them - you might be surprised at your results!

Once again, President Trump's bigotry and willful ignorance is self-evident.  All but the most politically hard-shelled must see that by now.   And if you can't see it, you may need to more carefully examine your own prejudices and feelings.  Keep treating people that way, and the next storm coming won't be a hurricane.