Just imagine having to spend MONTHS (not days, not even weeks, but MONTHS) after a catastrophic hurricane (Maria, remember her?) without a working power infrastructure. And having to suffer the added indignity of watching Donnie and his cronies (Ryan Fucking Zinke, remember him?) planning to rip you off before a public outcry both on the island and in the States forced a scrapping of that fraudulent contract. Now the US Army Corps of Engineers has finally stepped in…but very belatedly. Do you think this shit would fly anywhere in the lower 48, Alaska, or Hawaii?
Oh HELL no.
But of course, since it’s Puerto Rico, they’re somewhere below second-class citizens in the eyes of the Yanks. They pay taxes to Washington the same as any US citizen, but they get less of a political say in the running of their country. They get used as a guinea pig by major US drug firms (remember the Pill? Tested on Puerto Rican women before it was deemed safe enough for general use!) If someone in Puerto Rico makes noises about declaring independence from the US, the FBI come after that person and kill ’em. They get used and abused time and again. They’re not a country, but a colony in the eyes of Washington.
And we wonder why Cuba bristles, to this day, at the merest suggestion of being “benevolently” colonized by the capitalists of the Monroe Doctrine? This is why. Cuba may have a lot of old buildings in dire need of renovation, and they may lack a lot of choices when it comes to fast fashion, useless junk, and sugary snacks on their store shelves, but nothing like this ever happens there when there’s a hurricane…and Cuba gets just as many hurricanes, and just as badly, and often the exact same hurricanes, as Puerto Rico. But their power lines get repaired within days, and no one is left without shelter when a ‘cane strikes. Almost no one gets killed in Cuba, either, when this happens, because they have their own disaster preparedness initiative, and it works. Drat those evil socialists and their sense of priorities!
I guess what I’m trying to say here is, maybe Puerto Rico needs to kick ol’ Tío Sam to the curb and become more like Cuba, instead of the other way ’round…
