The Puerto Rico Monitor Endorses Bernie Sanders For President

The Editor

The Democratic Party Presidential nomination primaries in Puerto Rico take place on March 29th, 2020. While residents of Puerto Rico can't vote in the Presidential election, they can at least have a say in who gets to be the nominee for each of the two major parties. Those Puerto Ricans who are planning on voting in the Democratic primary would do well to use that voice to tell the Democrats that Bernie Sanders needs to be their nominee.

Senator Sanders is the only candidate who is calling for real help for Puerto Rico as it goes through its devastating financial crisis, and is also the only one who has committed to really following through on the desires of the Puerto Rican people regarding the island's relationship with the U.S. He is also for instituting common-sense government programs that nearly every other industrialized country already has: universal health care and free access to state colleges.

Unlike his primary opponents, Bernie Sanders is not owned by the financial industry, and does not take their money. Also unlike others, he is against involving the US (and Puerto Rico) in more unnecessary wars. Senator Sanders is the only candidate  that makes sense, both for the mainland and for its largest colony. A vote for Sanders can spare us more of the insanity and instability of Donald Trump, and also the calculating corruption of the other prospective Democratic nominees. He is truly a people's candidate who stands up for the little guy and the working class. His career in Congress more than proves that.

“When people are suffering and hurting, you don’t continue to squeeze them. We cannot allow Puerto Rico’s budget to be balanced on the backs of the most vulnerable people – working families, veterans, the elderly, children and the poor. It is not only morally wrong, it is also economically unsustainable.”   — Bernie Sanders

For more information on Bernie Sanders' positions on Puerto Rico, go to https://feelthebern.org/bernie-sanders-on-puerto-rico/. And for information on how to participate in the Democratic caucus, email partidodemocratapr@gmail.com or go to https://www.facebook.com/dpcpr/.

Campaign Contributions and Puerto Rico

The Hill

Jose Aponte-Hernandez

The 2016 presidential campaign is in full swing as candidates from both
national parties are crisscrossing the nation in search of money and votes.
In recent years, the United States Territory of Puerto Rico has become one
of the more attractive landing spots for those seeking to live at Pennsylva-
nia 1600.

Ever since the 2008 primary between President Barack Obama and former
First Lady Hillary Clinton, our Island have been routinely visited by most
of the top tiered presidential candidates in search of money and more mo-
ney.

Votes? Maybe, if the primary is heated, such as was the case in 2008 when
Clinton needed a win in Puerto Rico to make it competitive. But that was
the exception, not the rule. They all come, but they come mainly for the
money...[CONTINUE READING]

Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders' Statement on Puerto Rico

WASHINGTON, July 7 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following state-
ment today on the financial crisis in Puerto Rico:

“I strongly believe Puerto Rico should be afforded the same bankruptcy protections
that exist for municipalities across the United States.  We need to do everything we
can to allow Puerto Rico to restructure its debt in a rational way that does not harm
its people, ordinary investors or pension funds in the United States. Chapter 9 pro-
tections would be a good first step.

“But we also should recognize that the reason Puerto Rico has such unsustainable
debt has everything to do with the policies of austerity and the greed of large finan-
cial institutions.  Puerto Rico has been in a severe recession for almost a decade.
Today, more than 45 percent of the people in Puerto Rico are living in poverty, the
childhood pover-ty rate is greater than 56 percent and real unemployment is much
too high. Our goal must be not only to give Puerto Rico the flexibility it needs to
restructure its debt, but to make sure that it can rebuild its economy, create good-
paying jobs and expand its tax base.”