Making Puerto Rico a state makes about as much sense as statehood for the Philippines, also acquired in the 1898 war with Spain. And the fact is Puerto Ricans haven’t exactly been clamoring for it. A referendum in 1993 found 46.3 percent wanting statehood. Alaska became a state with the support of 83 percent of its population. Hawaii statehood had 94 percent.
Only 16 percent defined themselves as American in one recent poll. Not only is there no clamor for statehood, there is an even lesser interest in our common bond as Americans, the English language. More than 80 percent of islanders do not speak or understand English. Puerto Rico may be officially bilingual now, but in reality it is a Spanish-speaking nation, and between 1990 and 1993 Spanish was the only official language. Fully 90 percent of the island’s 650,000 public-school students lack basic English skills by the time they graduate.
America’s poorest state, Mississippi, had a per capita income of $16,683 in 1996 versus $7,296 for Puerto Rico. As a state, Puerto Rico’s per capita contribution to the federal programs would be higher than any other state. In 1990, one-half of all Puerto Rican families earned less than $10,000 a year, and 20 percent of Puerto Ricans were unemployed. As a state, 59 percent of Puerto Ricans would qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit at an additional cost to taxpayers of $18 billion.
On top of all this, Puerto Rico would receive at least six members of the House of Representatives. Since the House is limited by law to 435 members, other states would lose seats. Which of the House members who voted for Puerto Rican statehood would be willing to sacrifice his or her seat?
We might as well be talking about statehood for Bangladesh. When Puerto Rico is economically self-sufficient and willing to learn and speak English, as New Mexico was when it became a state in 1912, then and only then should it become a state.
