Old San Juan
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Published: September 12th 2014
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I told my friend Harper I was headed to Puerto Rico. He mentioned that he had visited Puerto Rico many times and loved it. Harper insisted I do the following while in Puerto Rico:
1. Stay in Old San Juan mostly while in Puerto Rico.
2. Visit Ponce in the south.
3. Try the Water-Bread.
4. Try the Black Beans and Rice (at Hotel El Convento (former convent)).
5. Visit the Rainforest
6. Visit the east side of the island and check out the resorts there.
I completed my mission. Truthfully, Harper also said to visit the islands of Martinique and Saint Thomas while in Puerto Rico, but I had to return early for business.
We ran into an antique shop owner who said that although there is no US Federal income tax here, study the local taxes carefully before considering moving here. He said the tax code is amended from time to time to treat foreigners moving here very harshly.
Question: How does a person “discover” a place where people already live?
I prefer to say that Columbus failed to discover his own ignorance. He came to a place he
thought was East India, and called the people living there Indians. Here are some
">thoughts from comedian CK Louis on the subject (do not listen to CK Louis if you are bothered by swear words).
The next few paragraphs are from
Wikipedia:
Originally populated for centuries by the
aboriginal people known as
Taíno, the island was claimed by
Christopher Columbus for Spain during his second voyage to the Americas on November 19, 1493. Like Cuba, Puerto Rico remained a Spanish colony until 1898. Despite the
Laws of Burgos of 1512 and other decrees for the protection of Indians, some Taíno peoples were forced into
slavery in the early years of colonization. Others suffered high fatalities from epidemics of European
infectious diseases.
In four centuries of Spanish rule, the island's culture and physical landscape were transformed. European knowledge, customs and traditions were introduced, namely
Christianity, the
Spanish language, and advances of European civilization such as
agriculture,
construction in stone, and new technologies such as the
clock and the
printing press.
…
In 1898, Spain was forced by the United States to cede the Autonomous Province of Puerto Rico as a result of the
Spanish–American War under the terms of the
Treaty of Paris.
In 1917,
the U.S. granted citizenship to Puerto Ricans. In 1948, Puerto Ricans were given the right to elect
their own governor. In 1952, under request by the United States,
a local territorial constitution was adopted and ratified by the electorate. Under the tenets of the
Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act, residents of the island are still subject to the plenary jurisdiction of the
U.S. Congress. Puerto Rico remains a U.S. territory, although its political status is a subject of ongoing debate among residents.
…
The nature of Puerto Rico's political relationship with the U.S. is the subject of ongoing debate in Puerto Rico, the
United States Congress, and the
United Nations.
Specifically, the basic question is whether Puerto Rico should remain a
U.S. territory, become a
U.S. state, or become an independent country.
After several failed tries dating back to 1967, Puerto Ricans voted for the first time to become a state in 2012 in a non-binding plebiscite sponsored by the territorial government.
…
On June 14, 2011, President
Barack Obama "promised to support "a clear decision" by the people of Puerto Rico on statehood".
That same month, the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization passed a resolution and adopted a consensus text introduced
by Cuba's delegate on June 20, 2011, calling on the United States to expedite a process "that would allow Puerto Ricans to fully exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and independence."
On November 6, 2012, a two question referendum took place, simultaneous with the general elections.
The first question asked voters whether they wanted to maintain the current status under the territorial clause of the U.S. Constitution. The second question posed three alternate status options if the first question was approved: statehood, independence or
free association.
For the first question, 54 percent voted against the current Commonwealth status. For the second question, 61.16%!v(MISSING)oted for statehood, 33.34%!f(MISSING)or a sovereign free associated state, and 5.49%!f(MISSING)or independence.
There were also 515,348 blank and invalidated ballots, which are not reflected in the final tally, as they are not considered cast votes under Puerto Rico law.
On December 11, 2012, Puerto Rico's Legislature passed a concurrent resolution to request to the President and the U.S. Congress action on the November 6, 2012 plebiscite results.
But on April 10, 2013, with the issue
still being widely debated, the White House announced that it will seek $2.5 million to hold another referendum, this next one being the first Puerto Rican status referendum to be financed by the
U.S. Federal government.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Architecture
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