Despite heated reactions and a sensitively starved communication between President Donald Trump and San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz over the past weeks, the elephant in the room is that Puerto Rico has been, supposedly, the U.S.' Problem Child for quite some time. Hurricane Maria just happened to be Puerto Rico's bottom and when the bad child gets into even more trouble, it's easy to see how Daddy Trump, may get a little frustrated.
Puerto Rico's escalating debt
With debts prior to Hurricane Maria accrued at more than $70 billion, according to CNBC, and its utility company in debt for more than $9 billion, according to the Washington Post, it would seem that the territory was in financial upheaval prior to Maria's impact.
Throwing around big numbers is an easy way though, to get a rise out of an audience. The truth is that the average state in the U.S. owes $12 billion in debt to the government and California owes over a hundred billion. This startling number is only in contrast though to California's income stream, which is in the trillions, making its debt seem almost insignificant. This goes to show, you can't judge a state or a territory by its debt alone.
While on paper, Puerto Rico appears to b a lost cause, it is this way partially because the U.S. keeps it this way. Continuing with the child-like analogy, Daddy Trump's household is keeping Puerto Rico needy with forced government programs like PROMESA that diminish capitalism, and obligated food imports with American ships, some of the most expensive transport ships in the world.
its utility structure is based largely on oil and from the Federal Reserve's standpoint, why get a needy territory out of debt when you can keep it in debt, keep it dependent, keep it paying money, all the while playing the big hero who bails the problem child out every once in a while?
Do we really want to help Puerto Rico?
It is difficult to imagine a world in which we don't actually want to help someone, though we definitely want to pretend that we are helping: Europeans spreading the word of God, pre-Americans feigning peaceful relations by showering Native Americans with gifts. The writing is on the wall.
The U.S. has succumbed to British imperialist tendencies with Puerto Rico, its own territory, and its poster-child is an Orwellian Pig throwing paper towels to the despaired, yet strong cart-horse who says, thank you and, "I'll work harder".
If Trump really is the ice-rink building, savior of capitalism that he has set himself up to be, the current devastation that Puerto Rico has been subjected to should be a chance for him to start anew and set up the stage for a grand free-market and independent economy for Puerto Rico; a market that is well split between manufacturing and agriculture, whose trade isn't directed, and whose utility infrastructure is competitive. What do you say, Trump - can we let Puerto Rico finally grow up and leave the house?
