Puerto Rico: Pocketbook Plebiscite

To Puerto Rico's supernationalists, the island's current status makes it nothing more than "a mistress of the U.S."

Whatever the relationship is called, it has certainly been a profitable one. Once pitied as the "poorhouse of the Caribbean," Puerto Rico is now the most prosperous Spanish-speaking region in the Western Hemisphere. As evidence of its new maturity, the island next week will decide whether it wants to become the 51st state, to strike an independent course, or to retain its status as a U.S. commonwealth.

Leader of the fight for continued commonwealth ties...

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