Voters Say U.S. Gov. Responsible For Helping Puerto Rico

The chart above is from the Politico / Morning Consult Poll -- done between September 23rd and 25th of a nationwide sample of 2,005 registered voters, with a 2 point margin of error.

Bloomberg Calls for Statehood For Puerto Rico

I am not a supporter of Michael Bloomberg to be the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. I don't like the way he seems to be trying to buy the nomination by spending hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising (more than any other candidate has been able to raise in donations.)

But he has taken a stance that I like -- and it is a stance that no other candidate has taken. He is calling for statehood for the island of Puerto Rico.

I think statehood for Puerto Rico is long overdue, and should be the stance of all the Democratic candidates.

Here is what Bloomberg wrote on this issue in the Orlando Sentinel:

Over the last few decades, Puerto Rico has been decimated by a mounting debt crisis, failed economic policies and mismanagement, a closed naval base that has left deep environmental and health scars, and a series of devastating storms and hurricanes.

This month, a series of earthquakes have damaged buildings, knocked out the island’s largest power plant for up to a year, and left many people terrified about the structural integrity of their homes — and fearing the worst.

To make matters worse, we have a president who doesn’t seem to believe Puerto Rico is his responsibility — or understand that its residents are Americans.

Well, Puerto Ricans are American citizens. And on the mainland, we should see their challenges as our challenges, because a strong Puerto Rico strengthens America. Instead, President Trump just points fingers and tosses paper towels.

For decades, Puerto Ricans and their interests have been ignored by Washington. And there’s a simple reason why: They don’t have a vote in Congress. And so politicians don’t have to care how they feel.

That’s why they don’t have the same funding as other Americans for essential programs, including Medicaid, even though Puerto Rico’s poverty rate, at almost 43%, is more than double that of the highest-poverty U.S. state. And it’s why, when the island faces a natural disaster, Washington is often slow to respond.

Ignoring the island’s needs has come at a substantial cost to U.S. taxpayers. It’s akin to bailing out a bank every year or so, instead of adopting smart regulations that prevent banks from acting recklessly. Or paying for emergency room visits for those without health care insurance, instead of extending coverage that would allow people to see a doctor and prevent costly and deadly illnesses.

There’s a clear solution to this challenge that a majority of Puerto Ricans support. And it’s a solution that, polls show, two-thirds of all Americans also support: statehood. But most candidates for president have been too afraid to back it. They tip-toe around it, to avoid alienating any voters.

Not me. I’ll state it clearly: I support statehood for Puerto Rico. And as president, I will work to pass a bill making it a reality, subject to approval by the people of Puerto Rico — who will make the ultimate decision.

I believe statehood would be good not only for Puerto Rico, but for our whole country.

Here’s why: Until Puerto Rico becomes a state, it will continue to lack the tools and resources needed to build a stronger economy and recover from disasters — and Congress will continue sending just enough money to put Band-Aids on problems, without actually fixing them.

Helping Puerto Rico move from a state of constant crisis to a state of stable and steady growth is a big management challenge — but by combining statehood with a robust economic and rebuilding plan, I know we can get it done.

In consultation with leaders from the island, our campaign has put together a detailed plan that will deal with the island’s debt crisis, alleviate the devastating spending cuts, overhaul the disaster recovery process and put Puerto Rico on the path to growth and stability.

It’s a strong, ambitious and achievable plan — and I believe Puerto Rico’s future should be an important part of the presidential debate. But my fellow presidential candidates, who have been campaigning for a year, haven’t invested any substantial time or resources there, even though Puerto Rico will award more delegates in the Democratic primary than either Iowa or New Hampshire.

Our campaign is different. We believe taking Puerto Rican voters seriously starts in the Democratic primary, and that’s why I’m opening up an office in San Juan and building a ground operation — because the best way to stop Puerto Rico from being ignored in the future is to stop ignoring it right now.

The citizens of Puerto Rico deserve to have their voices heard — not only in the presidential primary election, but in the general election, too. They deserve real representation in Washington that reflects their interests. And they deserve the same federal funding for disaster relief and reconstruction that all other Americans would expect.

The best way to make that happen is through statehood. And it’s the only way for Washington to stop ignoring the island and applying Band-Aids — and start forming a true partnership with elected leaders there who are on the same footing as other representatives around the country.

The time has come to sew Puerto Rico’s star into our national flag. As president, when voters there are ready to begin the stitching, I’ll bring Congress and the whole country together to get it done.

Puerto Rico And Virgin Islands Still Not Getting Enough Help

(This photo of the Public Works Department workshop in Puerto Rico just last month is by Christopher Gregory.)

After being hit by two hurricanes, much of the infrastructure in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands was devastated. The residents, all American citizens, had hoped they would get enough help from the U.S. government to rebuild.

That help was slow in coming, and now has virtually stopped -- far short of what is needed. It seems that the Trump administration simply doesn't care about them. The federal government was quick to help Texas and Florida after they were hit, but the same cannot be said for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Here is just part of an excellent article on this travesty written for the New York Times by Mark Walker and Zolan Kanno-Youngs.

ST. CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands — More than two years after back-to-back hurricanes ravaged this tropical island, medical workers are still treating gunshot wounds in hallways and kidney failure in a trailer. They ignore their own inflamed rashes that they say are caused by the mold that has shut down an entire hospital floor below a still-porous roof.

At least they have a hospital. The lone medical center on Vieques, an idyllic island that is part of Puerto Rico, was severely damaged by Hurricanes Maria and Irma, then abandoned to wandering roosters and grazing horses. Ailing people wait at the ferry dock to catch a boat to the mainland. 

Two years on, “we are in the same situation as we were in the days after the hurricane,” said Rafael Surillo Ruiz, the mayor of Yabucoa, on Puerto Rico’s hard-hit eastern edge.

An examination of Federal Emergency Management Agency dataand records demonstrates the degree to which the recovery from Hurricanes Maria and Irma on America’s Caribbean islands has been stalled compared with some of the most disaster-prone states on the mainland, leaving the islands’ critical infrastructure in squalor and limbo. FEMA officials say 190 long-term recovery projects have been funded in Puerto Rico — out of more than 9,000 requests. On the United States Virgin Islands, about 218 projects had funding — out of more than 1,500 requests and still counting.

In contrast, about 3,700 large and small permanent work projects had obligated funding in Texas, two years after Hurricane Harvey hit the Gulf Coast in August 2017. More than 3,700 such projects had been funded over that time in Florida.

That disparity underscored how a federal government in Washington has treated citizens on the mainland, with voting representatives in Congress and a say in presidential contests, compared with citizens on the islands. . . .

“At the end of the day, we’re talking about the life and the well-being of human beings,” said Dyma Williams, the acting chief executive at the Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital on St. Croix. “I hate to make the distinction about American versus not American, but at the end of the day, we’re not being treated the same way as other Americans are being treated.”. . .

FEMA, through its public assistance program, helps communities recover from major disasters by assisting with debris removal, lifesaving emergency protective measures and public infrastructure reconstruction. Debris removal and protective measures are classified as emergency work. The “permanent work” of public infrastructure repair is what guarantees long-term recovery.

And that permanent work is in little evidence on St. Croix and in Puerto Rico.

Two-Thirds Of Public Supports Statehood For Puerto Rico

The people of Puerto Rico have been American citizens for many decades now. But they cannot vote in our presidential elections, and do not have a voting representative in either of the houses of the U.S. Congress. In other words, they do not enjoy the same rights as other American citizens.

There is a simple solution to this. Puerto Rico should be made the 51st state in our Union. It should have happened a long time ago.

It isn't the American public that prevents it. About 66% of the public (about 2 out of every 3) supports statehood for Puerto Rico. It is Congress standing in the way -- especially the Republicans who fear Puerto Rico will increase the number of Democrats in Congress (and considering how this Republican administration failed Puerto Rico with disaster relief after they were hit by two hurricanes, they may be right).

But that is just wrong. Politics should not prevent Puerto Ricans from enjoying the full rights of American citizens.

The charts above are from a recent Gallup Poll -- done between June 19th and 30th of a national sample of 1,018 adults, with a margin of error of 4 points.

U.S. Government Failed Puerto Rico (And FEMA Knows It)

While Donald Trump will never admit it, his administration failed the people of Puerto Rico (American citizens) in the response after Hurricane Maria. The disaster planning was grossly inadequate -- and the response was incompetent, inadequate, and far too slow.

The charts above are from the 2017 Hurricane Season FEMA After-Action Report. The top chart highlights the inadequacy of FEM's disaster planing for Puerto Rico. The second chart shows how slow the response was. After Hurricane Harvey in Texas, it took FEMA about a month to reach peak deployment. It was about the same after Hurricane Irma hit Florida. But it took over two months to reach peak deployment in Puerto Rico -- and that deployment was far from what was needed.

Here is how Arelis R. Hernandez sums up the FEMA report for The Washington Post:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency experienced personnel shortages, was caught with a critical lack of aid supplies, had trouble coordinating logistics and found itself struggling to do the work of the territorial government while responding to Hurricane Maria’s devastation in Puerto Rico last September, according to an official after-action report released late Thursday.

Despite repeated Trump administration efforts to play down federal failures in responding to a humanitarian crisis on the island territory, the new report is a public acknowledgment of systemic failures during what was one of the most destructive hurricane seasons — and costliest disaster responses — in the nation’s history.

It shows that responses to Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Hurricane Irma in Florida taxed the agency and left it understaffed and out of position for the catastrophe that unfolded in Puerto Rico, where millions of U.S. citizens suffered through widespread communication blackouts, massive infrastructure failures and lengthy power outages. . . .

The sobering report runs counter to the White House narrative that President Trump presented at the time, when he praised FEMA’s performance and characterized the devastation on the island as not being “a real catastrophe like Katrina.”. . .

In Puerto Rico, the Category 4 Hurricane Maria knocked out communications and left more than 3.5 million residents without power for months while FEMA scrambled to provide food and water and restore electricity. Resources that had been redirected to deal with Hurricane Irma in the U.S. Virgin Islands left few supplies for Puerto Rico when the hurricane hit — and communication lapses, transportation challenges and a lack of situational awareness caused major delays in help for those living on the island.

The inability to communicate, or to reach isolated areas of Puerto Rico, was a particular problem. FEMA officials conceded that in the first 72 hours after the hurricane, they had little understanding of what was happening across the island and could not assess road conditions or damage to water and wastewater facilities. A week after the hurricane made landfall, according to the report, officials had been able to assess about half of the island’s wastewater treatment sites and did not have information on the status of 37 out of 69 hospitals.

Hurricane Deaths In Puerto Rico Were Vastly Undercounted

(Photo of hurricane damage in Puerto Rico is from The American Genius.)

The official government count of deaths in Puerto Rico due to Hurricane Maria is 64. Donald trump has used that figure to belittle the disaster that struck that island. It may also be the reason that federal government help was slow in coming and inadequate.

But the real death toll that can be attributed to the hurricane is much higher. A new study puts it at over 4,600 (and could even be higher than that). Most of the deaths came in the three months after the hurricane, and resulted from the inadequate response by the U.S. government. That inadequate response left many without medical care, food, and water.

George W. Bush has been vilified for his slow response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans -- a response that surely added to the death total from that hurricane. The death toll from Katrina was about 1,883.

The death toll in Puerto Rico is much worse, and the sad fact is that a quick and adequate response from the government could have prevented most of those deaths. I believe Trump has to accept the responsibility for most of the Puerto Rican deaths. He should have done much more, and done it much more quickly.

Here is how The Telegraph reports the terrible truth about Puerto Rico:

Hurricane Maria, which pummeled Puerto Rico in September 2017, is likely responsible for the deaths of more than 4,600 people, some 70 times higher than official estimates, US researchers said on Tuesday.

The government-provided death toll stands at just 64, but experts say an accurate count was complicated by the power outages and widespread devastation wreaked by the storm, which caused $90 billion in damages and is ranked as the third costliest cyclone in the United States since 1900.

Earlier independent investigations have put the true toll at closer to 1,000.

But the latest estimates, compiled by researchers at Harvard University, came back far higher - at 4,645 deaths from the day of the storm, September 20, until December 31, 2017.

For comparison, the death toll from 2005's Hurricane Katrina - the costliest hurricane in US history - was far lower, and estimated at 1,833.

Most deaths after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico are blamed on interruptions in medical care due to power outages and blocked or washed out roads, said the report published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"Approximately one-third of post-hurricane deaths were reported by household members as being caused by delayed or prevented access to medical care," said the report.

We And Our Government Have Failed Puerto Rico

(The cartoon image above is by Randall Enos at cagle.com.)

The government of the United States has failed the American citizens of Puerto Rico, and so have we by not demanding more be done to help Puerto Rico. That is not an opinion. It is a fact.

The following is part of an article by Denise Oliver Velez at Daily Kos:

Now that Puerto Rico has gone more than six months without full power being restored to the island after Hurricane Maria (some residents have gone without longer than that, having lost power after Hurricane Irma), there has been a spate of media coverage during the past week. All of a sudden—at least for a brief moment—Puerto Rico is again “newsworthy” here on the mainland.

Just google “six months Puerto Rico” and you will find stories on the sad state of affairs for Puerto Ricans, and not only on the island. Those who fled to the mainland are facing challenges, as well.

For those on the island living sin luz (without light) the days and weeks and months are simply passing by, to be struggled and coped with, one day at a time, and benchmarks observed by mainland media make no difference to the sorry state of affairs that is our fault. 

Yes, our fault.

We have the ability to vote. Frankly, had we elected Hillary Clinton and booted Republicans out of power in the House, this wouldn’t be happening. Now we have to face the consequences, and Puerto Ricans are taking the full brunt.

We have the capacity to march and demonstrate. Our Democrats who are elected officials in Washington could all just get up and walk out of the House and the Senate in protest. That hasn’t happened.

Make no mistake: the racist Republicans co-signed by the racist-in-chief in the White House are the cause. However, we aren’t doing very much to be part of the solution. . . .

Eliminating racism isn’t simply about solving income inequality. Proposing bills that don’t see a snowflake’s chance in hell of getting out of committee—no matter how well-intentioned—didn’t turn the lights on. Don’t get me wrong: I support a Marshall Plan for Puerto Rico. However, unless we face the fact that far too many mainlanders could care less about Puerto Rico, nothing is going to happen anytime soon. I applaud Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who have actually provided meaningful aid for both island and mainland Puerto Ricans. You can dismiss their efforts as simply politics  or pandering to a large Puerto Rican constituency. However, folks don’t give a damn about pandering if it provides light and water and shelter.     

I am angry, and I get angry every damned day—not just in commemoration of six months. Six weeks without power and potable water was far too long. Hell, six daysanywhere without power and drinkable water is excruciating.

And yet, here we are. Heading into the next hurricane season (which starts June 1), knowing that some people on the island have been told they won’t have power till 2019, and we go about our business as if this isn’t happening.

Why?

Because it isn’t happening to us. 

Out of sight, out of mind, and only a handful of people who are not Puerto Rican or who don’t have ties of family and friendship to the island give a damn. 

It makes no difference that Puerto Ricans are American citizens. They are—but they aren’t the right color or ethnicity. 

I read through this rant so far and realized I’ve use the word “racist” several times already. Let me pile it on:

Racist Racist Racist Racist Racist Racist … racist racist racist racist … RACIST.

That word, and the meaning and intent behind it, has allowed Flint, Michigan, to go without clean water since 2014. It allowed Hurricane Katrina to kill a lot of people in New Orleans, many of whom were smeared as ravaging looters. And now, it allows us to forget and ignore the longest and largest blackout in U.S. history.

It's Time To Make Puerto Rico A State (Or Cut It Loose)

Puerto Rico has been an American territory since the Treaty of Paris in 1899 (as a direct result of the Spanish-American War). And it's 3.5 million inhabitants have been American citizens since 1917 (when the Jones-Shafroth Act gave citizenship to all those born after 1898).

But while they have been American citizens for over 100 years now, they still do not have the same rights as other American citizens. They have no voting representation in Congress, and they cannot vote for the U.S. president. They have no voice in how their own federal government makes decisions that affect them.

That is unconscionable. It is time to give them the rights they so richly deserve. The U.S. government should either make Puerto Rico a state, or cut them loose to form their own country (with that decision being made by the citizens of that island in a fair vote). I believe they would choose statehood -- and I believe most Americans would happily welcome them into the roll of states.

The chart below shows American attitudes toward making Puerto Rico a state. In the last year, there has been movement toward statehood -- with 47% now favoring that, and only 34% opposing it. Last year, it was 40% favoring and 39% opposed.

The most recent Rasmussen Poll was done between January 18th and 21st of a random national sample of 1,000 likely voters, with a margin of error of 3 points.

Is Trump Trying To Make Florida A Blue State ?

(Caricature of Donald Trump is by DonkeyHotey.)

Florida is a purple state, and has been for a while. That means that both Republicans and Democrats have a good chance of carrying the state. It is also a state that Republicans must have to win the presidency.

But the words/actions of Donald Trump could be pushing Florida into being a blue state -- one that Democrats can count on in the future. How is this happening?

Here's how Cameron Joseph at Talking Points Memo describes it:

President Trump’s comments about “shithole countries” like Haiti could hurt him most severely in his winter home of Florida, a state that’s also home to a large Haitian community. And it’s just the latest time he’s singled out a key voting bloc to antagonize in the state.

His racially charged comments add insult to injury to the community, just weeks after his administration ended temporary status protection for 60,000 Haitian refugees living in the U.S.

And that’s nothing compared to how much he’s infuriated the state’s fast-growing Puerto Rican community with his administration’s shoddy response to Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island. . . .

There are more than 300,000 Haitian-born people living in Florida, including roughly 100,000 American citizens who are registered voters. . . .

That’s a big voting bloc — as many people as Trump’s margin of victory in the state in 2016. But it’s nothing compared to the more than 1 million Puerto Ricans living in the state, a population that has more than doubled since 2000. Trump’s handling of the hurricane that devastated (and continues to devastate) the island territory has caused a major uptick in the Puerto Rican exodus. As of November, a whopping 200,000 Puerto Ricans had moved to the state since the hurricane — a number that’s undoubtedly increased since then. All Democrats need to do is register those American citizens to further hurt Republicans’ chances in the state.

Public Is Unhappy About Slow/Inadequate Aid To Puerto Rico

George W. Bush hurt his presidency by his inadequate response to the disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Now it looks like Donald Trump is creating the same kind of problem for himself with his slow and grossly inadequate response to the disaster in Puerto Rico caused by Hurricane Maria.

A majority of Americans believe the federal response to Puerto Rico has been too slow, and they don't believe the federal government is doing enough to help Puerto Rico. Trump is already the most unpopular of our modern presidents, and his lame response to the Puerto Rican disaster is not going to help that. It may well make him even more unpopular.

These charts are from a new Kaiser Family Foundation Poll -- done between October 4th and 8th of a random national sample of 1,008 adults, with a 4 point margin of error.

Public Is Not Happy With Trump's Handling Of Puerto Rico

Donald Trump has ceaselessly bragged about how well he has responded to the Puerto Rico disaster (after they were hit by two hurricanes). He would like people to believe his response was fast and adequate -- but the truth is that it was neither. It was slow and inadequate, and remains so.

And the American people know that. Three new polls have come out asking respondents how they felt about Trump's response to the Puerto Rican disaster, and the results don't support Trump's bragging. All three show more people disapproving than approving -- the AP poll by 17 points, the YouGov poll by 4 points, and the Morning Consult poll by 9 points.

The AP / NORC Poll was done between September 28th and October 2nd of a random national sample of 1,150 adults, with a margin of error of 4.1 points.

The Economist / YouGov Poll was done between October 1st and 3rd of a random national sample of 1,500 adults (including 1,298 registered voters), with a margin of error of 3.1 points.

The Morning Consult Poll was done between September 29th and October 1st of a random national sample of 1,992 registered voters, with a 2 point margin of error.

Trump Embarrasses Himself (And The U.S.) In Puerto Rico

(This caricature of Donald Trump is by DonkeyHotey.)

Donald Trump finally made it down to Puerto Rico -- and it might have been better if he hadn't, because all he did was embarrass himself and the decent people of this country.

He started out by chiding the people of Puerto Rico for throwing the U.S. budget out of whack. WTF!!! I don't know if that was a joke, or just stupidity -- but it was the wrong thing to say, at the wrong time, and to the wrong people. Puerto Rico had no control over their being hit by two hurricanes in about a week.

Then he compared the disaster in Puerto Rico to "a real catastrophe like Katrina" -- comparing the death tolls of each. Again, the wrong thing to say, at the wrong time, and to the wrong people. The American citizens trying to survive their island's disaster don't need to be told that other disasters were worse -- they need help, and they need it desperately. And many parts of the island have still had no help at all, and when help reaches them, the death toll is sure to rise.

Those gaffes would have been bad enough, but Trump wasn't done. He spent the rest of the time bragging about what a good job his administration had done (and was doing) in Puerto Rico -- even though any rational observer knows that the response from the Trump administration was clearly inadequate. Trump showed that he cares more about his own image (public relations) than he does about getting adequate help to that troubled island.

I am ashamed of Trump's narcissistic performance in Puerto Rico, and I think all decent Americans should be. There is simply no excuse for more not being done to help Puerto Rico this late after the hurricanes, and Trump doesn't seem to realize that. Whether thru ignorance or incompetence, or both, Trump has failed the people of Puerto Rico -- and he continues to do so.

Trump Whines And Blames Victims For His Failure

On Saturday, Trump responded to Puerto Rican officials who were begging for help by whining and blaming others. He could have responded by taking more action to get adequate help to the victims in Puerto Rico, but he didn't do that. Instead, he blamed Puerto Racan officials, Democrats, the media, and the citizens of Puerto Rico for making him look bad. It may well have been the lowest point of his troubled presidency so far.

Here is Dan Rather's response to Trump shameful narcissism:

Excuse me, Mr. President but your tantrum tweet storm this morning attacking the mayor of San Juan, a fellow American citizen dealing with a real-time life and death struggle for hundreds of thousands of her constituents on an island of millions in crisis, is not only far below the dignity of the office you hold. It fails even the most basic test of humanity. 

Did she have harsh words for your Administration's response to the aftermath of Hurricane Maria? Yes. It's called a reality check, and one that conforms to every firsthand account coming out of Puerto Rico no matter how much you try to deflect with your "Fake News" epithets. To take this personally is to put ego before country. And you also blame the Puerto Ricans themselves? That they want "everything done for them"? No. They just expect to be treated as any other American would. 

I have seen more than my share of wretched desperation over the course of my career. I have reported from crisis zones where matters of life and death hang moment to moment in the balance between action and inaction, where communication is limited, and the sense of panic is building. I have seen the most steadfast of leaders feel the crushing weight of responsibility as they survey a landscape of almost incomprehensible need. 

It does not take a saintly amount of compassion or empathy to feel for those who are struggling to stay alive, who are worried for the fate of family and friends, and who have seen so much that they have known and loved blown and washed away. You swore to "faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States" and that means a responsibility to look out for all Americans, even if they live on an island in the ocean, or look different or even speak a different language than what you think is America.

I worry that whoever has your ear has not adequately impressed upon you the gravity of this situation, or even the political price you are likely to pay (although that can be no where near the top concern at the moment). Or perhaps you have been told and haven't listened. 

Regardless, what Puerto Rico needs now is not rhetoric but help, not a bumbling response, but the precision and competence we expect of our government. I do not believe "blame the victim" is what Americans expect of their president.

Donald Trump Is Failing Puerto Rico On A Massive Scale

(Image is from the Facebook page of John Dewees.)

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, President Bush praised his FEMA head, Michael Brown, telling him "Heck of a job, Brownie" -- when the response was clearly inadequate, and he was not doing a good job of responding to that disaster. Bush later realized his mistake, and sent General Honore to New Orleans with 20,000 military troops -- and Honore was finally able to get done what needed to be done.

Donald Trump is repeating the same mistake. While he is bragging about what a good job he is doing for Puerto Rico, the truth is that he has not responded adequately to the disaster there. The situation is dire in San Juan, and even worse in smaller cities across the island. Lives are in danger as people must do without power, food, water, medical supplies, etc.

There are only about 2,500 troops to handle the disaster, with another 2,500 on the way. That is not enough! If it took 20,000 in New Orleans, it will take at least that number to get a handle on the disaster in Puerto Rico. Why haven't they been sent?

Supplies are pouring in, but can't be sent to where they are needed because of a lack of truck drivers and roads that have been destroyed. Why are troops manning this trucks and delivering supplies? Why aren't military helicopters dropping supplies in towns that can't be reached by truck?

Trump's response is clearly inadequate, and instead of fixing the problem, he is blaming the media for telling the truth.

With all the sarcasm I can muster, I say "Heck of a job, Trump".

What Should Puerto Rico Be (State, Nation, Territory) ?

Puerto Rico has had two plebiscites since 2012, and both times the majority voted for statehood. But both of those plebiscites were questioned by opponents, who claimed they weren't fairly done. I think most Puerto Ricans would like to see statehood, but with the Republicans in charge of Congress, that is unlikely (since the Republicans believe that would increase Democratic Party numbers in both houses of Congress and in the Electoral College).

There also doesn't seem to be a lot of support among the citizens of the U.S. for Puerto Rican statehood. The chart above reflects information about the issue in the latest Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between July 15th and 18th of a random national sample of 1,500 adults (including 1,273 registered voters), with a 3 point margin of error.

As you can see, the opinions of what should happen with Puerto Rico are split -- and no opinion has majority support from any demographic group. About a third of Americans (32%) would like to see Puerto Rico become the 51st state, while 25% wants them to remain a U.S. territory, and 16% say they should become an independent nation. The remaining 27% don't know what to think.

It's results like this that keeps the status quo in place. Congress is not about to consider statehood for Puerto Rico until a majority of the public wants that to happen.

That's kind of sad, because it leave the people of that beautiful island in limbo. They are U.S. citizens, but they cannot vote in the presidential elections and they have no voting representation in Congress (only a symbolic representation).

Hillary Clinton Is The Choice Of Puerto Rico Democrats

The Democrats in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico flexed their citizenship muscle by voting in their primary on Sunday (June 5th). That primary was to determine how many of Puerto Rico's delegates will go to Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Hillary Clinton came out the big winner by winning a clear majority of the island's votes (and delegates), and the results boost her very close to the delegate count she needs to clinch the nomination.

Here is the result of that primary:

Clinton...............62%
Sanders...............38%

That outcome should net Clinton around 35 to 37 of Puerto Rico's 60 pledged delegates -- putting her only about twenty-something delegates away from clinching the Democratic nomination. Six states choose between Clinton and Sanders on Tuesday (New Jersey, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico, Montana, and California). By late Tuesday night, Clinton should be several hundred delegates over the 2383 she needs for the nomination.

A Plurality Would Like To See Puerto Rico Become A State

The idea of making Puerto Rico a state has been tossed around for quite a while now. And a new poll shows that a plurality of the U.S. public would support making it the 51st state (42% to 34%), with 24% saying they don't know if they support that or not.

Only two groups oppose Puerto Rico becoming a state. It's no surprise that the Republicans oppose it (though by only 4 points -- 38% to 42%), because they fear to would just add more Democrats to both houses of Congress. The real surprise for me was that Hispanics, by a significant margin of 10 points (36% to 46%) say they oppose the idea.

Two other groups are split down the middle -- Independents and those between 30 and 45 years old. All other groups show significant support for making Puerto Rico a state. I agree with these groups. I have thought for a while now that we should either make them a state, or cut them loose. What do you think?

The chart above was made from a recent Public Policy Polling survey -- done between March 26th and 31st of a random national sample of 989 registered voters. It has a margin of error of 3.1 points.

Is It Time For A 51st State ?

While the election was being held here stateside to pick a new president (and other elected officials), the island territory of Puerto Rico was holding an election of its own. And their election may force Congress and the president to make a choice -- is it time for a 51st state?

There were a couple of initiatives on the Puerto Rico ballot. The first asked whether they wanted to maintain or change the status quo of Puerto Rico. About 54% voted for change, while 46% voted to remain a territory. The second question was what kind of change did they want. About 61% voted to become a state -- the 51st state of the United States. About 33% voted for "sovereign free association", which would keep their territorial status but give them more self-governance. Only a little more than 5% voted to become an independent nation.

Oddly enough, in the same election Puerto Rico's voters kicked Gov. Luis Fortuno (New Progressive Party) out of office, and replaced him with Alejandro Garcia Padilla (Popular Democratic Party). Fortuno was in favor of statehood, while the new governor, Padilla, would prefer to keep the current territorial status. However, the gubernatorial election was not viewed as a comment on the statehood question. Instead, Fortuno was kicked out because the voters were upset that he supported Willard Mitt Romney in the primary race.

Puerto Rico's non-voting member of the U.S. Congress, Pedro Pierluisi, says he will now present the results of the non-binding resolution to President Obama. He hopes to get the U.S. government to start consideration on making Puerto Rico a state. That would require the approval of both houses of Congress and the president.

I am in favor of making Puerto Rico the 51st state, but I seriously doubt that such a measure could get congressional approval right now. The Republicans are still solidly in control of the House of Representatives, and I think they would block making Puerto Rico a state. They are still stinging from losing 71% of the Hispanic vote in the presidential contest, and I doubt they are in any mood to add a few million more Hispanics to the voting rolls. In fact, Fox News is already questioning the validity of Puerto Rico's vote (even though 80% of the islan's population voted in the election).

What do you think? Is it time to make Puerto Rico our 51st state?

Wall Street Willie Wins Puerto Rico Easily

Willard Mitt Romney (aka Wall Street Willie) easily waltzed to victory in Puerto Rico, and claimed 22 of Puerto Rico's 23 delegates (one of the three super-delegates had previously come out supporting Newt Gingrich). Romney got all 20 of the delegates from yesterday's primary by winning over 50% of the primary vote (if he hadn't, all candidates getting 15% would have gotten some delegates).

Romney has done very well this year in Hawaii and the island territories, winning all of them fairly easily. It's just here in the continental U.S. that he is having problems. He probably would have won Puerto Rico anyway, but it didn't hurt that Santorum screwed himself during his trip there. Santorum didn't just shoot himself in the foot, he filled his feet with bullet holes by telling the residents of that island they would never become a state until they learned to speak English.

That was an incredibly stupid thing to do. It was the equivalent of telling a room full of women they don't deserve equal pay or the right to contraception, or telling a room full of African-Americans that slavery wasn't so bad. I would say it shows he's not qualified to be president, but I don't think any of the Republican candidates are qualified (including Romney). Here are the numbers for the Puerto Rico primary:

PUERTO RICO (83% reporting)
Mitt Romney...............98,375  (88.01%)
Rick Santorum...............9,524  (8.52%)
Newt Gingrich...............2,431  (2.17%)
Ron Paul...............1,452  (1.30%)
TOTAL VOTES...............111,782

Tomorrow the GOP nominating race moves on to Illinois, where there are 69 delegates at stake. The last polls available showed Wall Street Willie with a small lead over Mr. Frothy (Santorum). We'll know Tuesday night if that is true.

Missouri Results Unknown - Puerto Rico Votes Today

I had hoped to report the results of the Missouri caucuses to you today, but the Missouri Republican Party seems to think it's some kind of secret. They did not keep a count of how many people showed up at the caucuses for each candidate, or how many delegates were elected to go to the next level for each candidate. Theoretically, all of the delegates chosen yesterday are uncommitted, and the committed delegates will not be chosen until the state convention in June.

But we all know that's not true. Whether technically committed or not, the caucus-goers voted for delegates that promised to support a specific candidate. Why else would they fight so hard among the individual caucuses -- and fight they did (with one caucus so rowdy the police had to be called and it had to be adjourned before they even opened the session fully). But if the state party wants to keep the delegate allocations secret, there's not much us political junkies can do about it.

There shouldn't be any such problems from the Puerto Rico primary being held today, or the Illinois primary being held next Tuesday. The results (and delegate allocation) from those states should be known on the night of their primaries. Puerto Rico has 23 delegates and Illinois has 69 delegates to offer. And the way the GOP nomination race has been going, every single delegate is a valuable commodity this year -- as a brokered convention is still a real possibility.

There have been rumors in the last few days of an effort to avoid a brokered convention. It is said that Ron Paul has put out discreet feelers to the Romney campaign -- an opening gambit to arrange for a deal where Paul throws his delegate support to Romney. Paul will wind up in fourth place in delegate totals most likely, but he could well have enough delegates to put Romney over the top.

What would Paul get in return? There are two possibilities. First would be a promise to support some of Paul's nutty ideas if he is elected. I don't see that happening. Those ideas are anathema to Wall Street (and Romney), and I doubt the teabaggers and libertarians would trust Romney enough to think he would follow through on any promise he made. He has just done too much flip-flopping.

But there's another possibility -- an even scarier one. That would be for Romney to give the vice-presidential slot to Rand Paul (Ron's son). Rand Paul wants to run for president in 2016, and running this year as a vice-presidential candidate would get him a lot of exposure . The move is also likely to win the support of the teabaggers and libertarians in the party base -- two groups Romney has been unable to win over so far. The scary part for the rest of us is that it would be similar to McCain's choosing of Palin in 2008 (an effort to get votes by putting an unqualified person only a heartbeat away from the White House).

This just makes it more important than ever to re-elect President Obama this year.