March 23, 2014

A Man, a Plan, an Underfunded Pension Liability, Puerto Rico!

In Taki's Magazine, John Derbyshire asks:
How Can We Get Rid of Puerto Rico?

Wouldn't it be great horrible if Putin were to fund the Puerto Rican nationalist movement? It would be a real stroke of luck strategic setback for the United States if an independent Puerto Rico became Russia's fiscal black hole ally.
      

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Anyone knowledgeable about naval history feel free to correct me. But I think we took Puerto Rico to create a coaling station for our ships. This was in 1898. But by 1910 the US Navy began building ships that ran on oil which gave them greater range and negated the need for coaling stations. I don't know how long it took to migrate all the navy off coal, but let's assume it happened by 1930. That means we essentially got a coaling station for thirty years at the cost of being stuck with Puerto Rico for eternity.

Whether they are interventionists from a hundred years ago, or neocons of today, these blowhards keep frittering away our future for essentially meaningless short term gains. Their lack at cost/benefit analysis and future vision would be funny if it weren't so damaging.

Anonymous said...

Not enough Russian speakers.

Anonymous said...

that's racist. -JM

Anonymous said...

if and when PR goes for statehood, amuricans should counter by finally pushing for english as the national language to stop official bilingualism in govt via the puerto rican trojan horse. - JM

Anonymous said...

Just FYI...

PR is the primary training seas for the 2nd Fleet.

Gitmo is the primary training support base for the USN Atlantic submarine arm -- every manner of submarine.

It's impossible to give them up.

Really.

Their primary value beyond their training utility is that they combine to protect the approach to the Panama Canal.

PR also functions as a dogleg for the Casino business -- I should say -- the cruise line trade.

BTW, if you're really serious about improving the PR economy: give it an exemption from the Jones Act.

The impact would astound.

Anonymous said...

For an alternative view:

http://www.hjsims.com/assets/puerto-ricos-worst-case-scenario-recovery.pdf

The money statement is that hedge funds are sniffing around Puerto Rican municipal debt.

By the way, this viewpoint surprised me.

anony-mouse said...

If people here were more conspiratorialist than they are they might consider that it was the plan all along to get Russia to take over as much of Ukraine as possible. And then maybe Belarus and other economic disaster areas, based on America's 'successful' takeover of PR.

'Go ahead! Steal my poisoned apple. I dare you!'

Thorfinnsson said...

Puerto Rican independence without patriotic immigration reform first is a poor idea.

Even if we somehow had a President who effectively cracked down on illegal immigration, the fifth preference would allow ethnic Puerto Ricans holding US citizenship in the United States to petition for immigration visas for their extended family.

As an independent Puerto Rico's economy would surely deteriorate and federal welfare would disappear, the result of Puerto Rican independence under the current regime would be to increase Puerto Rican immigration!

I suppose the USA could simply deport ethnic Puerto Ricans to Puerto Rico as part of the independence deal. Indonesia deported all ethnic Dutch (including mixed race Eurasians) after achieving independence. This seems rather unlikely to happen however, and my pro-immigrant schmaltz story here is that I became friends with an ethnic Puerto Rican who only spoke English while doing community service last year.

Miguel S. said...

"If I'd known then what I know now" -- you know the rest of the bumper sticker -- also applies to our involvement with former Spanish possessions.

Anonymous said...

@ anony-mouse

" anony-mouse said...
If people here were more conspiratorialist than they are they might consider that it was the plan all along to get Russia to take over as much of Ukraine as possible."

Or the converse .... After all the rhetorical inanity, the West is stuck with with the economy from hell. The $15 billion bid only gets Ukraine through a few months.

A hat trick for Putin. He gets Crimea, which is the only part of Ukraine he wanted. He pawns off the Ukrainian economy on the West. And to rub salt in the wound, the EU will have to PAY Russia for Ukraine's gas bill -- money Russia never expected to see.

I don't think Putin is quite that smart, but he is that opportunistic.

But, if he can get the West to subsidize Moldova's economy .... that would truly be impressive.

Big Bill said...

He doesn't "pawn off" the economy on the West. The IMF and EU cram a 40% wage cut down the Ukrainians throats a la Greece and he sits back waiting for them to BEG for him to help them out. I give him six months, a year on the outside before he establishes an energy rescue plan for all Ukrainians who carry a Russian passport.

Anonymous said...

As a Canadian, I would advise Americans to be very cautious about Puerto Rico. It could become the Trojan horse used to bring in bilingualism. If that ever happens in the USA, it would be an even greater disaster for English speakers there then it has been in Canada. NO MATTER WHAT they tell you, bilingualism is a terrible thing for unilingual English-speakers.

Anonymous said...

You wonder if we're really stuck with Puerto Rico or if the day will ever come when our political beliefs come full circle and we cut it off completely, including revoking their US citizenship. I suppose it's more likely to be the former, but I wouldn't entirely write off the latter. When times get hard, in a way that can't be solved by the government just printing/borrowing massive amounts of money, the American voters will get serious.

Sam said...

You're all not being creative enough. We should get the Chinese firm that builds 30 story buildings in 15 days to build 22 million apartments in Puerto Rico and move everyone that lives in public housing or in section 8 apartments there. Then cut them loose.