Puerto Rico has a rich Navy history (Puerto Rico translates to Rich Port, no pun intended). In 1898, the sinking of the USS Maine (ARC-1) in nearby Cuba led to war, and more importantly, the conclusion by then Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt, that the Caribbean was important to our Monroe Doctrine. As a key foothold against the Caribbean Spanish colonies, we blockaded San Juan, Puerto Rico, and continued providing naval support during the invasion. Some twenty years later, another Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, visited Puerto Rico and determined that it would be an ideal place for an air base (which it later became in World War II during his presidency).
Having been to Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Puerto Rico several times (it was active 1943-2004), the people and the culture left an indelible impression on me. I’m sure many Navy veterans can share their own special memories of these kind people that would give you the shirts off their backs. These memories compel me to write.
After hearing about their “tremendous” debt* too often recently—often as an excuse for inaction following hurricane Maria—when a real emergency requires action, I decided to do some simple math. Puerto Rico’s debt works out to just over $21,000 per capita. The US national debt, by comparison, is $58,500 per capita. Maybe it’s not so tremendous.
Puerto Rico didn’t ask to become a U.S. territory in 1898; nor do they get to vote in U.S. elections; nor do they have voting representation in Congress. But they are Americans. And they also voted to become a state (over 97 percent) earlier this year.
As an unincorporated commonwealth, our Congress holds the fate of Puerto Rico in their hands. Following their vote for statehood, our Congress can make Puerto Rico a state. Congress could also vote to cast Puerto Rico aside as an independent nation.
Puerto Rico was considered strategic and important enough for us to occupy and subsequently make it a territory (a concession in the Treaty of Paris after the Spanish-American War). It was important enough for us to use as a U.S. Navy base and a practice bombing range. It is the economic engine of the Caribbean.
Now Hurricane Maria has brought us to the moment of truth. If we value Puerto Rico as part of the United States, it’s time to make them whole. One hundred and nineteen years has been long enough. Too long. If we don’t want to step up, I’m certain there are other nations that would be happy to pay off the $72 billion debt and rebuild the infrastructure.
While we all feel the suffering and share the human emotions of what we are witnessing on TV, this is a much bigger story—if you can wrap your mind around being bigger than “something close to genocide” (a phrase used this week by the San Juan mayor). It is a strategic story. It is a national opportunity that we should not screw up (like other moments of truth that hindsight illuminates how we dealt with other minority populations in U.S. history). The world is watching. We can’t ignore the lessons of our own history. We can’t just flip off the switch of American idealism.
A “tremendous” Puerto Rican debt is owed by the United States of America.
* “Ultimately, the government of Puerto Rico will have to work with us to determine how this massive rebuilding effort—will end up being one of the biggest ever—will be funded and organized, and what we will do with the tremendous amount of existing debt already on the island.” – President Donald J. Trump, 29 September 2017
