Invisible Americans
We like to think that our government answers to all Americans, but many US citizens have no representation in Congress. Americans living in US territories don’t elect anyone to the Senate or to the House of Representatives. Is it any surprise that the standard of living is lower in the territories than it is in the fifty states? Territorial residents have no one bringing home the bacon.
Residents of the following territories receive second class treatment in this country: Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa. We should hear the voices of these citizens in our representative government, just like everyone else’s.
After World War II, the US Navy acquired 72% of the Puerto Rican island of Vieques. The Navy relocated most of the Vieques inhabitants elsewhere and proceeded to target the island in live bombing exercises for the next fifty years. If Puerto Ricans had served on the Senate Armed Services committee during these five decades, a string of defense secretaries would have been pressured to find new targets, as they since have. Instead the Puerto Rican people have had to rely on representatives from other states to champion their cause.
Congressional representatives from the Caribbean and South Pacific would bring a new perspective to our political process, which has recently been dominated by conservative men from southern states. Island natives have a different take on how our initiatives play out in the far reaching corners of our world.
The US Territories should either be granted full statehood or be given full independence. These citizens deserve to participate in our government. Every American should have a voice in Washington.
US Territories, representative government, Senate, Congress, democracy, Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Vieques
December 4th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Not to mention DC itself. Those citizens in the nation’s Capitol’s own back yard have only non-voting representation in the House and no representation in the United States Senate. Weird.
December 4th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
Good point.