Ever since Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico last September, San Juan's heroic Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz has been a fierce fighter for Federal disaster resources to rebuild the island and its infrastructure, frequently facing opposition or simple neglect from the malignant and corrupt administration of bigot and narcissist Donald "Rump" Trump. What makes the situation in Puerto Rico so troubling is the impending start of the hurricane season in just a few weeks.
Now, Cruz is warning of the exploitation of the island by "disaster economics" which threaten to privatize the island's public services, such as education and the electric supply system, and create even greater economic disparities. Last week's island-wide power outage demonstrated just how precarious the all-important provision of electricity is to the people. Cruz is pointing out how for-profit opportunists are descending on the island in the hopes of switching public services to for-profit businesses. The outflow of Puerto Ricans from the island has resulted in the weakening of the public school system, which is under attack by private "charter school" hucksters wanting to take advantage of the situation.
Now, Cruz is warning of the exploitation of the island by "disaster economics" which threaten to privatize the island's public services, such as education and the electric supply system, and create even greater economic disparities. Last week's island-wide power outage demonstrated just how precarious the all-important provision of electricity is to the people. Cruz is pointing out how for-profit opportunists are descending on the island in the hopes of switching public services to for-profit businesses. The outflow of Puerto Ricans from the island has resulted in the weakening of the public school system, which is under attack by private "charter school" hucksters wanting to take advantage of the situation.
Cruz has been the strongest voice for the citizens of Puerto Rico (who we shouldn't have to remind anyone are citizens of the U.S.). The island's governor, technocrat Roberto Rosselló, has been mostly ineffective in his job, initially flattering Rump in hopes that his "loyalty" would be rewarded. He was definitely wrong about that. Cruz is said to be mulling a run for the governorship in 2020, and we hope she does, but we mostly hope that our Puerto Rican brothers and sisters fully recover from this disaster, natural and manmade.
(photo: San Juan Mayor Cruz in October, 2017. Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)
(photo: San Juan Mayor Cruz in October, 2017. Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)
3 comments:
Our shabby treatment of Puerto Rico will forever be a stain on our humanitarian record forever, thanks to Trump and the Republicans. And of course now the vultures are circling, trying to make a buck off the desperate survivors of the hurricanes. Every time I think the Republicans have reached peak despicability, they reach new heights. Privatization is only good for the grift. No one else benefits.
donnah -- Well said. We shudder to think what will happen if they have to face another hurricane this season. It's absolutely criminal what the Rethuglicans and Trump are doing to our fellow citizens, largely because of their Spanish heritage.
Goal is to privatize the island by selling it to corporations for tourism etc. and to move all those "poor" people out.
New Orleans after Katrina all over again.
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