Relaciones internacionales.indb - HOMINES

ALINE FRAMBES-BUXEDA
A fifth aspect is that real integration increases the productivity of a
society and causes profound changes in the structures of the economies
(economic activity) of the member nations. In the case of Puerto Rico,
the economic changes are superficial—not permanent—, and 40% of the
population is actually unemployed. 19 The benefits attained from a possible
increase in productivity and the drastic changes in the economic structure
of Puerto Rico are very controversial and doubtful. In the first place, only
a small group produces and opposite this group is an enormous and ever
growing marginal group that is motivated to do no work at all.
Without going into too much detail, the Puerto Rican process of integration
has had very negative repercussions for the island, aspects which
are now beginning to be noted and that initially were seen as favorable.
Today, we can mention as examples of these serious problems, which are
the result of a compulsory foreign and subordinate process of development
and integration, the following: alarming deterioration in mental health,
uncontrollable and increasing criminal activity, deterioration in all public
services and its infrastructure (roads, buildings, water supply), mass governmental
corruption many times connected to U.S. governmental agencies;
a costly educational system of dubious output, an alarming increase in
violence in the nucleus of the Puerto Rican family, low salaries in relation
to the cost of living, poor medical services, scarce employment opportunities,
in addition to 60% of the population receiving subsidies from U.S.
public welfare funds because of the level of poverty in which they live; this
must be seen in relations to the high cost of living in Puerto Rico. 20 The
19
See:
a) Frambes-Buxeda, Aline. Sociología Política Puertorriqueña, Editorial Tortuga
Verde, San Juan, 1990, 180 pp.
b) Rivera, Marcia, “La Hora de las definiciones” Pensamiento Propio, Managua,
August 1989, pp. 5-7.
c) Rodríguez Beruff, Jorge, “Colonialismo Anacrónico,” Tercer Mundo, year
XII, No. 123, Montevideo-Uruguay, Dec. 1989, pp. 58-63.
d) Grusky, Sara, “The Changing Role of the US Military in Puerto Rico,” Social
and Economic Studies, Vol. 36, No. 3, Jamaica, 1987, pp. 37-76.
e) Rivera Guzmán, Pedro J., “Puerto Rico: the Current Economic Situation of
Puerto Rico,” in: The Caribbean Conjuncture, No. 1, Association of Caribbean
Economists, Santo Domingo, Nov. 1994, pp. 21-45.
20
a) Planning Board, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Estado de Situación Comparativo:
Puerto Rico 1971-1984, official statistics for those years. Also see
Informes Económicos anuales, 1970-94, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
b) Interview with Fernando Martín, “¿Hacia la descolonización, Boletín ALAI,
Quito-Ecuador, Feb. 1990, pp. 3-5.
c) Carlos Mora Herman, “Un plebiscito que viene del Norte,” Paz y Soberanía,
La Habana, March 1989, pp. 10-14.
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