Puerto Rico: Trapped Amidst the Perilous Winds of Colonialism and Hurricanes - 27:40
written by building bridges radio
at Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Puerto Rico: Trapped Amidst the Perilous Winds of Colonialism
and Hurricanes
with
Nelson Denis, a former New York State assemblyman, is the author of “War Against All Puerto Ricans: Revolution and Terror in America’s Colony” and joins us now as we examine Puerto Rico between a rock and a hard place: between
colonialism and hurricanes.
and
Nelson Denis, a former New York State assemblyman, is the author of “War Against All Puerto Ricans: Revolution and Terror in America’s Colony” and joins us now as we examine Puerto Rico between a rock and a hard place: between
colonialism and hurricanes.
and
David Galarza, Puerto Rican Independence and labor
activist
Puerto Rico is no stranger to crisis. Before Maria’s rampage through the archipelago, Puerto Rico was already in the midst of one of the most devastating financial and socio-political crises in its recent history, with an unaudited $74 billion debt under its belt, $49 billion in pension obligations, and several decades’ worth of illegal bond issuances and trading related to its status as an overly-advertised tax haven. Neoliberal policies such as draconian budget cuts and extreme austerity measures had already been rendered life in Puerto Rico quite precarious. And the whole thing was being overseen and managed simultaneously by Governor Rosselló, an
Puerto Rico is no stranger to crisis. Before Maria’s rampage through the archipelago, Puerto Rico was already in the midst of one of the most devastating financial and socio-political crises in its recent history, with an unaudited $74 billion debt under its belt, $49 billion in pension obligations, and several decades’ worth of illegal bond issuances and trading related to its status as an overly-advertised tax haven. Neoliberal policies such as draconian budget cuts and extreme austerity measures had already been rendered life in Puerto Rico quite precarious. And the whole thing was being overseen and managed simultaneously by Governor Rosselló, an
unelected and antidemocratic Fiscal Control Board, and
judge Laura Taylor Swain, all of whom were going back and forth on the
country’s fiscal management and debt restructuring processes. Now, first
Irma’s and then Maria’s passing and aftermath have once again brought to
light Puerto Rico’s primordial conundrum: colonialism. Nelson Denis
and David Galarza discuss the humanitarian
crisis that is exploding in Puerto Rico, the consequences of the Jones Act and “the junta” and how
nullification of the Jones Act, cancellation of
the multi-billion dollar debt and the implementation of environmentally conscious sustainability
planning are imperative for Puerto Rico to rebuild for its native
inhabitants.
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