| I wholly understand your point, but there's a huge power imbalance here. We can run all the referendums we want. The US government has the full might of the US military, a reluctant political class and an economic interest in keeping the status quo. There has to be cooperation in both sides for either statehood or independence, if decolonization is to be achieved peacefully. Sadly, there's no will to negotiate from the US gov’t. About corruption, well, it’s true. Our ex-governor was recently indicted. However, I also find corruption allegations a convenient way to perpetuate this image of Puerto Ricans as freeloaders—completely missing how much the mainland benefits from us economically, both as a tax haven and as a source of tax revenue (no IRS federal tax, but Jones Act import restrictions). For more on economic benefits, think about this: a market of 2-3 million people locked in exclusively into US goods and markets due to colonial import restrictions. Taxation without representation. |