This is so stupid, Puerto Rico

[liberty]

This is so stupid that is unbelievable. Why are we still trapped in this Caribbean Vietnam? US out of Puerto Rico, freedom for Puerto and us

Hundreds of Puerto Rico’s residents qualified for federal disability benefits in recent years because they lacked fluency in English, according to government auditors.
The Social Security Administration’s inspector general questioned the policy this month in light of the fact that Spanish is the predominant language in the U.S. territory.
Under Social Security regulations, individuals are considered less employable in the United States if they can’t speak English, regardless of their work experience or level of education.
In a report this month, the independent watchdog suggested that a more appropriate standard might be to consider local conditions when making benefits decisions.
According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, 95 percent of Puerto Rico residents above age 5 speak Spanish at home, and about 84 percent say they do not speak English “very well.”
The inspector general noted that a Spanish-speaking nurse in Puerto Rico could be considered “unskilled” under current Social Security standards.
“A claimant’s inability to communicate in English can lessen the relevance of work experience and education, potentially making it more likely the claimant will receive disability benefits,” the report said.
Auditors identified 218 cases between 2011 and 2013 in which the the Social Security Administration granted disability status to Puerto Rico residents because of the existing guidelines.
The inspector general recommended that the agency evaluate whether the rules are appropriate and to determine the number of beneficiaries who have received disability status based on their inability to communicate in English.
The agency agreed with the proposals and said it is making preparations for a potential rule change, including by gathering research and taking input from federal experts and the public.

[Lord Jim]

Lib, I have to say, that given all of the international challenges this country faces...

At every point of the compass...

From Putin to ISIS, to the Iranians, to the PRC...

That "let's change our relationship with Puerto Rico"....

Doesn't make the list of my top 500 foreign policy concerns....

With so many things that are broken and spinning out of control internationally, that require our immediate attention, why on earth should we go out of our way to break something that's working perfectly well and creating no problems?

Not getting the logic of that...

[rubato]

Why are we still trapped in this Caribbean Vietnam?

We can always count on you for the colorful and yet wildly irrational description.


I agree that Puerto Rico is a problem; we should give them a deadline and say "either you vote to become a state and assume all the responsibilities of citizens in other states or you go away".

We don't do it only because no one running for national office thinks they capture people's attention and can earn votes by saying so.


yrs,
rubato

[Big RR]

rubato--if I'm not mistaken, any changes in the status of PR, or even a change in the plebiscite choices would have to be approved by congress. PR residents could even vote to be come a state or independent and not see it happens until Congress approves (since Congress has constitutional power over US territories. As Jim says, this is not a pressing issue, and given that congress cannot even enact legislation on important issues, I doubt we will see any action on this issue soon.

As for the people in PR, they are generally evenly divided on statehood vs retaining the current status with a small minority favoring independence. And from what I can see, their current status isn't all that bad. They do not pay federal income taxes (they do pay payroll taxes for social security) yet enjoy most federal benefits. They are American citizens and can come and work in any US state whenever they wish. There are a few drawbacks--they are eligible for conscription if a draft exists and cannot vote in federal elections while they reside in PR; there are also some "inconveniences" (like the navy using Vieques for a bombardment range), but generally I don't think life as a resident of PR is that bad. Indeed, if I could avoid all federal income taxes, I might well like my state to become "commonwealth" like PR.

In a real way I see it like living with your parents and being on their insurance after school is done. You can generally do what you please and aren't fully responsible for paying for what you get. Your idea makes sense to me, but I think the US has too much invested militarily and economically in PR to let it go, and I don't see that making it a state (probably the one of the poorest state as average wages are only a fraction of what they are in most US states) would help the US economically.

[dgs49]

There's a nice conservative take; let's continue pissing away taxpayer money because they are pissing away more elsewhere.

[Big RR]

thank you; I've never been accused of being (too) conservative before.

[liberty]

It is ridiculous a Puerto Rican can claim and receive disability payments, cash that originally came from US tax payers, just because he decides he doesn’t want to work. I would bet that this is just the top of the iceberg there is no telling how many other financial booby traps wait to injure the us tax payer. How high does the body count has to get before we end this imperialist adventure.


The whole situation is a SHAME the average Puerto Rican has no interest in joining the United States and becoming a real American. After a few drinks they will tell you the truth. We continue to show that we are a stupid people by letting them take advantage of us.
And Puerto Rico is not a US territory, can you guess why?

[Joe Guy]

It is extremely difficult to believe that Puerto Ricans can get federal disability for not being able to speak English. Even people with well documented disabilities have to wait months and sometimes years to be approved for it.

There has to be a lot more to the story liberty pasted.

[Crackpot]

Of course there is he's talking out his ass again.

[liberty]

It is extremely difficult to believe that Puerto Ricans can get federal disability for not being able to speak English. Even people with well documented disabilities have to wait months and sometimes years to be approved for it.

There has to be a lot more to the story liberty pasted.

Like Will Rogers, I only know what I read in the papers.

[Joe Guy]

Everything you read contains fiction. All that you hear is suspect. What you see can be misleading.

-Joe TWHNBS Guy

[rubato]

Maybe we can just sell it; the island, the people, all rights to the accent, culture, cuisine, mineral rights, fishing rights, airspace, AM/FM/TV broadcast frequencies, &c. Whose in a resource buying mood these days? China? Russia? The Scandinavian countries have a lot of money, Norway?


yrs,
rubato

[BoSoxGal]

Perhaps we could gift it to Cuba as part of our new friendly relations?

[liberty]

We don’t own it we have no right to gift it or sell it to anyone. That is the problem if the US own it they would have no right to independence.

[BoSoxGal]

*swoosh*

[Lord Jim]

Hey, without Puerto Rico, we'd have never had Rita Moreno:

[Lord Jim]

And when are we gong to do something about those damn Guamers, huh? (Guamers? Guamish? Guamese? Guamites? Guamians? whatever....)

I can hardly sleep at night I'm so pissed at our continued involvement in this Vietnam of the South Pacific...

[Crackpot]

And don't get me started with those fuckers in the American Samoa

[MajGenl.Meade]

I think we should just change the name of the USA to "Columbia"; re-name Puerto Rico, 'The United States" and sit back to watch it fill up with Hispanic people!

[Big RR]

While we're looking at territories, let's not forget the US Virgin Islands, which we use to get the virgins to sacrifice to the volcano and weather gods, and the Northern Marianas, which we need to stop the flow of slavery from the Southern Marianas.