Para ver este documento en español, oprima aquí. EL NUEVO DÍA "He Will Support The Status Preferred By Puerto Ricans" by Leonor Mulero February 26, 2000 Copyright © 2000 EL NUEVO DÍA. All Rights Reserved. ON BOARD THE GEORGE W. BUSH PLANE- Presidential candidate George W. Bush supports statehood for Puerto Rico, but until Puerto Ricans ask for a change on status he supports the present status free of federal taxes. The Governor of Texas said that parity in federal programs entails payment of federal taxes and rejected the idea of a welfare state. "If you want the first, you have to do the other", he said during an interview with the correspondents from Puerto Rico newspapers that accompanied him in his chartered plane from Dulles Airport to Richmond, Virginia. Asked if Puerto Ricans should pay taxes under the present status, Bush said that "no, I do not believe in that. I support the status quo until Puerto Rico becomes a state or not". The Texas Governor favors holding another Puerto Rico plebiscite. "But I don't know if it should be federal or not", Bush said. He asked reporters for information about the aborted congressional process of the Young bill that led to a local plebiscite in which "None of the Above" won. First, he was asked that, if elected president, he would establish a plebiscite process for Puerto Rico. Bush answered spontaneously that "I thought that there was a plebiscite recently in Puerto Rico", giving the impression that he understood that the status issue had been addressed. Bush, displaying a very pleasing personality, considers that Puerto Ricans have the last word about statehood. "At the end, the people of Puerto Rico will have the last word about statehood. The intensity of that desire will have to be decided. But if the people of Puerto Rico do not want to be a state, it will not be a state." The Governor confessed that he does not now have the answer to the dilemma regarding if it should be Congress or Puerto Ricans who define the status options for Puerto Rico. The Clinton White House insists that the federal government should provide Puerto Ricans the definition of status formulas which are constitutionally viable. Supporters of the present status do not trust the White House, because they considered it partial to statehood. Bush, who spoke in Spanish on occasions, recognized the linguistic diversity of the United States that he has experienced in Texas. But he rejected the idea of the United States becoming a bilingual country, because English is the common language that provides unity to this nation. "No. It should not become that [a bilingual nation], because English is the common denominator. English is a unifying force. English is quite important, it is part of the great heritage of this country. All of the various states use many languages. That is why we need one unifying language," he stated. The language is one of the aspects that Puerto Ricans have to consider before a plebiscite. "There are many Spanish speakers in my state. It is important to emphasize English. A lot of people in Puerto Rico speak English, as you know. "But that is just one of the issues about which Puerto Ricans have to think before a vote", he said when asked about the theory that a hypothetical state of Puerto Rico would become a Quebec for the United States. But Bush opposes the "English Only" movement that opposes statehood for cultural reasons. To the contrary, it is "English Plus". "It is important that people learn English. In addition, I respect the heritage of people, like in my state, where Spanish "es bien importante" (very important). Bush said that it is up to Congress to determine the percentage of votes needed to admit Puerto Rico as a state. "That will have to be resolved at the federal level, if it is going to be sufficiently clear for us to consider the will of Puerto Ricans to join us", Bush said. The possible requirement of a super majority is one of the obstacles for statehood in Congress. The Governor is not concerned about the fears of certain Republican senators who are worried that Puerto Rico would be a poor and Democratic state. "I do not care about politics, I care about what is right. For Puerto Rico to be a state would be good", he stated. Also, Bush promised to work with Congress and Puerto Rico about the structure of status selection. He doesn't know yet if, like his father former president George Bush, he would call for statehood for Puerto Rico in his first State of the Union address, if elected President in the election this Fall.