Vol. 2 No. 26 Para ver este documento en español, oprima aquí. HISTORIC PUERTO RICAN VOTE FOR CHANGE Voters Overwhelmingly Reject the Status Quo, Congress Urged to Resolve Island's Political Status Petition to the United States Government    1    2    4 Status Quo (Commonwealth) Free Association STATEHOOD Independence NONE OF THE ABOVE UNDERSTANDING THE PUERTO RICO STATUS VOTE December 14, 1998 Citizens Educational Foundation SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- In Puerto Rico's plebiscite, statehood was approved by 46.5% of the voters, the highest number of votes among the status options presented on the ballot. Among the other status options recognized under U.S. law, independence received 2.5% voter approval, the current commonwealth a scant 0.1%, and independence with a treaty of free association won only 0.2% of the votes cast. A "None of the Above" option on the ballot received 50.2% of the vote. This confirms the need for Congress to ascertain the will of the people of Puerto Rico among options Congress is willing to consider. This can be accomplished only if Congress sponsors a referendum under federal law and informs the voters of the terms for continuing the current status or changing to a new status. (Click here to continue...) "The days of the virtual one-way flow of U.S. federal dollars flowing into Puerto Rico as a commonwealth are ending", Rep. Don Young (R-AK) -- Statement Regarding Sunday's Puerto Rico Plebiscite Results Puerto Ricans cast their ballots in Sunday's plebiscite, in which the statehood status option received the highest number of votes among the status options presented ...   Historic Puerto Rican Vote for Change Significantly, within three days of the centennial of the Treaty of Paris in which Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States, the island's electorate voted for Congress to continue the process of resolving the island's political status. In addition, voters in Sunday's plebiscite overwhelmingly rejected the territorial commonwealth status quo, in effect since 1952, providing for limited self-government but also denying its 3.8 million US citizens voting representation in Congress and the ballot for the president who, as commander-in-chief, has sent them into battle since WW I. Just as clearly voiced was the desire of the electorate to make permanent their ties with the US and to provide constitutional safeguards for their statutory American citizenship: A goal only attainable with statehood. (click here to continue...) Nothing Was Really Decided As To The Future Status Of The Island When a new Congress convenes next year, it should resubmit the legislation approved by the House in the spring. Puerto Ricans deserve a better process to determine their fate than what they were faced with on Sunday. The Hartford Courant, Editorial 12/15/98 Press for Official Vote Puerto Ricans deserve a chance to chart their own course. Self-determination as an ideal flows too strongly through Americans' political blood to be withheld from a prominent part of the nation's citizenry. The Senate should make the time to discuss Puerto Rico's status, and Puerto Ricans should be granted a meaningful opportunity to vote on it. The Orlando Sentinel, Editorial, 12/16/98 Statehood Backers Receive Boost SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - Supporters of statehood for Puerto Rico got an unexpected boost from President Clinton. That, together with a supportive statement from pro- statehood Republican Rep. Dan Burton, bolstered Gov. Pedro Rossello's plans to persevere with his crusade to make the Spanish-speaking Caribbean island the 51st state. Pro-Statehood Puerto Ricans Launch Campaign The U.S. Council for Puerto Rico Statehood announced in Washington its formulation, and the initiation of a nationwide campaign to educate the American people about Puerto Rico and its drive for self-determination for its 3.8 million American citizens. In a news conference called for the occasion, Council Chairman, Dr. Hernán Padilla, stated that the Council and other organizations supporting statehood will be active in helping the people of the 50 states understand why Puerto Rico deserves to be welcomed as a state and why Americans should actively support it. Write your Member of Congress in Support of Puerto Rico Self-Determination! House of Rep. Member Web Sites Senate Member Web Sites Write Your Representative Write your Senator Related Websites: www.pnp.org www.puertoricousa.com www.puertorico51.org www.prstatehood.com

Under Statehood All Puerto Ricans Would Have Been American Taxpayers Have Forked Over Wealthier Today, and Commonwealth is Costing Them $6,000.00 More Every Year! Subsidizing Puerto Rico Commonwealth, and It's Costing Them $22,821,918.52 More Each and Every Day of the Year! PUERTO RICO SELF-DETERMINATION Puerto Ricans Earning Their Own Way Puerto Rico Paying Its Own Way Self-Determination Legislation | Puerto Rico Herald Home Newsstand | Puerto Rico | U.S. Government | Archives Search | Mailing List | Contact Us | Feedback