July 12, 1998

Puerto Rico Strike Has Politicians Vying For Congress

The prolonged strike in Puerto Rico by telephone company workers is little noticed by American mainlanders, but at stake is control of the United States Congress.

Behind-the-scene maneuvering by Republicans and Democrats is pure politics -- no oxymoron intended.

The dynamics of American politics began to change in 1952 when Congress granted Puerto Rico “commonwealth” status. This gave Puerto Ricans the privilege of unlimited emigration. They flocked to New York and other big cities to take advantage of no-questions-asked welfare.

Puerto Rico became a U.S. “territory” in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. Today, Puerto Ricans are a significant part of a large Spanish-speaking electorate that includes former Cubans and Mexicans. Big blocs of special interest voters entrance politicians.

Puerto Ricans -- dependent in large measure on U.S. welfare here and on the island -- vote Democrat en masse. As the original immigrants have integrated into the economic mainstream, allegiance to the Democratic Party has waned a bit.

House Speaker Newt Gingrich, an astute political strategist, early this year launched a campaign to exploit the incipient change among Hispanic voters nationwide. He introduced a bill to give Puerto Ricans a referendum to continue commonwealth status, become the 51st U.S. state, or establish an independent nation.

Presumably this appeals to Puerto Ricans of all political persuasions.

The bill permitting self-determination passed the House by just one vote 209-208. Most Democrats voted yea. Of the 226 Republicans in the House, only 43 voted for the bill. It now rests in the Senate.

Both political parties see the issue as a win-win situation. Republicans get credit for promoting self-determination. Democrats get a solid voting bloc if the Puerto Ricans opt for statehood.

This gamble is a trade-off Gingrich is willing to take. However, it gives conservative Republicans the shakes.

Republicans control the house with an 11-seat majority. Should Puerto Ricans vote for statehood, they would send two Senators and six Representatives to Congress. If they were all Democrats, as expected, the House majority would be cut better than half by one fell swoop.

Puerto Rico with 3.8 million people -- few of whom speak English -- would have the same clout in Congress as Colorado and Kentucky and outrank 26 other states.

This alarms Rep. Roger Wicker, a Republican from Mississippi. “This is a serious, serious decision, he declares. “I don’t think the American people know the issue is out there.

A Puerto Rico referendum was held five years ago which maintained the status quo -- but by a narrow margin. The vote was commonwealth 48.6 percent, statehood 46.3 percent, independence 4.4 percent.

More importantly, the trend since commonwealth was introduced has been toward statehood. Another referendum might do it.

Under commonwealth, Puerto Rico has a non-voting Representative in Congress. Yet, laws governing the territory are made without effective representation. Puerto Ricans do not vote in U.S. elections.

They do not complain much. Puerto Ricans are exempt from income taxes but enjoy the benefits of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and most other U.S. entitlements. Corporations locating there are favored with low taxes.

It this latter inducement that has persuaded the GTE Corporation of Stamford, Conn., to buy the government-owned Puerto Rico Telephone Company. In protest, 6,400 members of the Independent Brotherhood of Telephone Employees walked off the job three weeks ago.

Other union workers strike briefly in support of the IBTE. The most serious protest was a two-day general strike through out the country last week. Bombs destroyed a telephone relay station and an automatic teller machine belonging to Puerto Rico Banco Popular which will have a 5 percent interest in the privately held telephone company.

A prominent leader of the strike, and the independence movement, is Lolita Lebron the militant who with three other terrorists shot up the U.S. House of Representatives in 1954. Five congressmen were wounded.

The unions are pro-independence -- a minority with little hope of success. Yet, recent opinion polls show the movement with 8 percent approval. It could be the deciding, swing vote should Lebron make a deal with the commonwealth or statehood factions.

Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Rossello, a Democrat, is the leading proponent of statehood. This is a dichotomy to advocates on the various sides. Nonetheless, he insists the advantages of statehood outweigh those of “colonial” dependence or national problems.

The Senate probably will go along with Gingrich’s bill. Not to do so surely would be interpreted by Democrats as anti-Hispanic. The referendum likely would result again in commonwealth. After all, it is the best of both worlds -- how much better can politics get?

PARTING SHOTS

The U.S. Postal Service has refused to issue a series of stamps commemorating Medal of Honor heroes -- having recently approved recognition of Frankenstein, Mickey Mouse, and a Mexican holiday. Where are patriotic stamp collectors when we need them?

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Oliver Goldsmith is right: “Every absurdity has a champion to defend it.”

By Lindsey Williams, columnist for Sun Coast Media Group newspapers