WASHINGTON – After more than 200 years of paying taxes, fighting in the nation’s wars and abiding by sometimes arbitrary acts of Congress, Washington residents are close to getting a full-fledged representative in the House.

The turning point in this long battle for enfranchisement may be an unlikely partnership with the people of Utah.

The new Democratic majority, in the first months of the new Congress, is expected to take up a bill that would increase the voting membership of the House from 435 to 437, giving new vote each to Utah, a Republican stronghold, and the District of Columbia, dominated by Democrats.  Legislation has already passed Senate committee by a vote of 11-1 and has been placed in the Senate calendar for a vote.

A return to 1960 levels
The bill is backed by incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., the next chairman of the House Judiciary Committee that will be responsible for moving it.

Prospects are also good in the Senate. Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, who calls himself an independent Democrat, will chair the committee of jurisdiction there. Lieberman is a leading supporter of the measure, and Utah’s two Republican senators have endorsed it as well.

Senate action is needed because Congress in 1929 enacted a law fixing House membership at 435 seats. The number was increased to 437 in 1959 after Alaska and Hawaii became states, but reverted to 435 after the 1960 census. The legislation that would add new seats for D.C. and Utah would keep the House at 437 members.

Washington residents have been clamoring for representation ever since Congress moved to Washington from Philadelphia in 1800. Regardless, the 600,000 citizens of the district are still the only residents of a national capital in any democracy in the world without full voting rights.

The politics of race?
Ilir Zherka, executive director of DC Vote, an advocacy group seeking voting representation in the House and Senate, said racist attitudes toward Washington, with its heavily black population since the Civil War, long have been a factor, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s when the demands for equal rights and statehood became more vocal in the city.

Some progress was made: The 23rd Amendment in 1961 gave D.C. residents the right to vote in presidential elections. In 1971 Congress allowed the district to send a nonvoting delegate to the House. Currently, along with delegates from American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands, D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton can cast votes at the committee level but not on the House floor.

Congress also gave the district limited home rule in the 1970s, and in 1978 approved a constitutional amendment extending voting rights. The amendment died when it was not ratified by three-fourths of the states.

Most – but by no means all – scholars say an amendment is unnecessary. The Constitution says that the House shall be composed of members chosen by “the people of the several states.” But it also gives Congress the power “to exercise exclusive legislation” over the seat of the federal government, interpreted by some to mean that Congress can, if it wants, give D.C. voting rights.

The Utah connection
Republicans, after capturing the majority in 1995, were naturally cool to the idea of giving Democrats another sure vote in the House, but it was a Republican, Rep. Tom Davis of Washington’s northern Virginia suburbs, who several years ago came up with the link between Utah and the District.

Utah insists that the 2000 census undercounted the state’s population because so many of the state’s young Mormon men were out of state or out of the country doing missionary work. Utahans said a proper count would have entitled the state to an additional representative, up from the current three.

“They wanted the seat as desperately as we did,” Norton said in an interview. “We became joined at the hip.”

Earlier this month the Utah legislature, to comply with the Davis-Norton bill, approved a redistricting plan creating three largely Republican districts and one more urban district where Democrats might have a better chance.

Davis said he plans to reintroduce his bill at the beginning of the new Congress in January. In the meantime, Norton, a delegate since 1990, is also pressing her Democratic colleagues to back a change in House rules so she can vote on amendments to legislation, but not final passage.

Norton had that voting right in 1993 and 1994, but Republicans rescinded it when they took over in 1995.

This, she said in a letter, would be a “temporary remedy pending consideration of the full House representation that American citizens who live in the nation’s capital are entitled to and that Democrats have always supported.”

According to recent reports, Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner before the U.S. House of Representatives plans to draft and introduce legislation that would result in Puerto Ricans voting on whether the want to continue being a territory or not.

Is this a good idea?  What suggestion would you give Congressman Pierluisi on what course-of-action he should take regarding the matter of Puerto Rico’s political status?

In the next 3 weeks, the Puerto Rican electorate will once again decide who will lead the island of four million.  There are many issues confronting the winner of this election.  With the economic situation in the mainland United States being so precarious, the old saying that when the United States gets a cold, Puerto Rico gets pneumonia is proving to be no less true in this century than it was in the last, swift action will be the order of the day.  Polls continue to indicate that Resident Commissioner Luis Fortuño is likely to be the winner of this contest.  To any and all the candidates we say:

· Do not forget that there is one fundamental issue that continues to exercise undue influence over a governor’s ability to tackle the other important issues affecting the population, namely, Puerto Rico’s unresolved political status.
· As governor, you have the opportunity to go down in history as THE governor who finally resolves the 500+ year old political status question…seize the moment!!
· The supporters of the Let Puerto Rico Decide movement expect this to be the top priority of the next administration.  Puerto Ricans cannot continue to wait as this issue continues to be ignored and the island remains one of the oldest colonies on the face of the earth.

Our movement continues to grow and one that will challenge the polity that, in its design, disenfranchises more than four million U.S. citizens from participating in the political institutions that govern their daily lives.

If Puerto Ricans are good enough to fight and die in places like Iraq and Afghanistan in defense of that nation’s freedom and prosperity, well then surely they are also worthy to participate in a process of self-determination that would allow them to choose among valid non-territorial, non-colonial political status options.

THEREFORE, the supporters of the Let Puerto Rico Decide movement demand that within the first 100 days of the new administration, the new governor should have boots on the ground in Washington, D.C. developing and implementing strategies that will begin a congressional process that leads to Congress informing its U.S. citizens residing in Puerto Rico what political status option are trully available its residents.  Whether it is through statehood, independence or some form of free association, Puerto Ricans need to finally take control of their political destiny.  The time to end what many have described as the unfinished business of American democracy is NOW.  Let’s seize the moment.

Governor Acevedo Vila’s popularity has continued its steady decline. With more than 84% of Puerto Ricans recently stating that they are not happy with the direction the island has been heading for the last few years, it seems that that governor’s political future is in serious doubt. More and more people are seemingly abandoning the Acevedo-Vila bandwagon. Recently, a group of ex-Popular Democratic Party leaders as well as former administration officials announced the formation of “Populares con Fortuño” and have made public their intention to vote for the statehood party candidate.

One reason for the break in ranks with the PDP stems from the party’s continued effort of seeking increased political separation between Puerto Rico and the United States. Ironically, it has no problem with economic assistance. “Populares con Fortuño” represent a sector of the PDP that has become very nervous with the rhetoric coming from the top as to Puerto Rico’s political status. It is important to note that the PDP is essentially composed of three sectors. The first, and perhaps the largest sector is made up of individuals who tend to enjoy Puerto Rico’s current status with the U.S. but if push came to shove, would favor Puerto Rican statehood over any possibility of separation from the United States. Secondly, there are those who would really prefer independence, but acknowledge the inability of the Puerto Rican Independence Party to ever win a general election and therefore cling to the PDP. Finally, there are those who have consumed the cool aid spewed by the party of a permanent union with U.S. citizenship and entitlements, with no taxes or responsibilities. “Populares con Fortuño” have stated that they feel, “threatened and betrayed” by what they consider separatists language in the party’s platform.

As the candidates debate, and the governor prepares to face a multi-count indictment in federal court, Puerto Rico once again finds itself at a crossroad. If it continues in its present course the island is likely to continue to face a never-ending economic crisis with a governor trying to stay out of federal prison and the all-important status issue being given another four years to languish unattended.

On the other hand, if the electorate decides to hand Luis Fortuño the reigns of power, then we must do everything possible to ensure he fulfills his promise to ensure that the Puerto Rico political status quandry is finally resolved. That is the challenge we face. It is one that Let Puerto Rico Decide/Citizens Educational Foundation look forward to engage.

BAYAMON, Puerto Rico (CNN) — Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama took their campaigns to the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico on Saturday in an effort to woo voters before the June 1 primary.

There are 55 Democratic delegates up for grabs, though voters cannot take part in the general election in November.

Obama campaigned early Saturday at the University of Puerto Rico in Bayamon, where he praised the nation’s veterans before Memorial Day.

“It’s fitting to be here today, not just because Memorial Day is around the corner but because Puerto Ricans are such an important part of the United States military. On this island and in Puerto Rican neighborhoods across America, you can go into almost any home and find a veteran living there or a photograph of a loved one in uniform hanging on the wall,” he said. Read the rest of this entry »

Saying that He seeks Puerto Rican soverignty so that Puerto Rico is governed by Puerto Ricans, Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila stated earlier today that he wants to remain his party’s candidate for Governor despite being indicted earlier this month by federal officials.

It also almost seems, by listening to today’s rhetoric, that the Popular Democratic Party has really become the Puerto Rican Independence party.

The following is what the Associated Press is reporting on the matter:

“Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila has surrendered on federal corruption charges. The governor was going to be fingerprinted and have a mugshot taken as he is booked on 19 criminal counts, FBI spokesman Harry Rodriguez said. Authorities also will take a statement from the governor.

Acevedo spoke briefly with a local FBI official before entering the federal courthouse but did not address reporters.

Hundreds of supporters swarmed the governor’s black sport utility vehicle as it approached the building. Many were waving the flags of Puerto Rico and Acevedo’s party as salsa music blasted at the campaign-style rally Friday morning.

A federal indictment unsealed Thursday accuses Acevedo and a dozen associates in alleged schemes to raise and conceal thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions. If convicted, the governor faces up to 20 years in prison.

Acevedo has denied any wrongdoing and accused U.S. investigators in a televised speech of distracting him from trying to revive the island’s recession-bound economy.”

The read the Federal Indictment click here

Democratic presidential hopeful, Hillary Clinton has announced how a Clinton administration would deal with Puerto Rico’s political status. In a recent press release the Clinton campaign stated that “since the United States took Puerto Rico from Spain in 1898, Puerto Rico’s leaders all have wanted a form of government that provides for Puerto Rico’s national laws to be democratically determined and implemented, although they have disagreed on the options. The issue is one of basic democracy and self-determination. All people are entitled to a representative form of government at all levels. Hillary also strongly believes that Puerto Rico should have the status that a majority of its people want from among all of the options. As President, from Day One, she will make it a personal priority to work with all factions — advocates of the present status of the Commonwealth, statehood, independence, and national sovereignty in free association with the United States — and with leaders of Congress — and without any preference among the options — to enable the question of Puerto Rico’s status to finally be resolved.”

Recently, Presidential candidate Barack Obama also released his position on the Puerto Rico status issue. Much like the Obama position, the Clinton campaign has made the age-old mistake of including the problem as a potential solution to the Puerto Rico status dilemma, namely the so-called “Commonwealth” option.

As of yet, the McCain campaign has not stated where it stands with regards to Puerto Rico’s political status. One can hope that at least one candidate seeks to trully resolve the Puerto Rico status impasse…time will tell.

This year’s primary season may give Puerto Rico a glimpse of the political influence it could look forward to if it ever decided to resolve its political status by becoming a state of the Union. With the race between Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton so close, the island territory of Puerto Rico with its 64 – more than similarly sized South Carolina (54), Oklahoma (45), or Connecticut (60) – may end up deciding who could be the next President of the United States. According to well-known political analyst Michael Barone, “Puerto Rico is likely to have more leverage in Democratic National Convention votes than any single state, no matter how large.” This is because the delegation is likely to deliver all its votes for the leading candidate. Moreover, the June 7th primary is the last in the country and the candidate who wins the territorial delegates may decide the winner. Read the rest of this entry »

Once again, the United States comes face-to-face with another general election. During the next eleven months, the American people will once again determine who will lead this country for the succeeding four, possibly eight years. Concurrently, Puerto Ricans will also be deciding who will be elected Governor, as well as, the Resident Commissioner to the U.S. House of Representatives. However, while in years past the issue of Puerto Rico’s political status with the United States received some attention from the presidential candidates, this time around the candidates have been mute regarding this important – yet ignored – national issue. In fact, none of the leading presidential candidates include any mention of Puerto Rico’s political status on their respective websites. Read the rest of this entry »