Puerto Rico's mentally ill leaders

There is a sickness in Puerto Rico. Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila ordered a near shutdown of all government and public services because the executive and the legislature cannot get together to come up with a solution to cure an estimated $740 million budget shortfall.

More than 95,000 public workers are without jobs and probably won’t be able to receive a paycheck until the beginning of July, when the 2007 fiscal year begins. Students, with just two weeks to go from finishing their academic year, cannot go to school because teachers have been told to stay home. More precarious is the lack of public health services in this island of 3.9 million. Because many islanders do not have health insurance, they have to rely on the fledging public health system. And the crisis is affecting those with chronic diseases, such as AIDS/HIV patients who may not be able to get their much needed prescriptions filled on time.

This amazing, unprecedented chapter in Puerto Rico’s history occurred when Gov. Acevedo Vila challenged the opposition controlled legislature to introduce a 7 percent sales tax to alleviate the financial woes in the public coffers. The governor maintains that the sales tax would enable the government to seek loans from private banks to keep the public services rolling for the next two months. However, opposition lawmakers, controlled by the embittered former governor-turned-senator, Pedro Rossello, won’t budge. They claim that Acevedo Vila has done nothing to stop run away public spending that goes to paying government salaries and maintaining the enormous bureaucracy. Meanwhile, Rossello, who supports statehood, has been in Washington trying to knock out a deal about the island’s future political status. With his actions far off in left field, he appears to be telling his constituents that the fiscal problem isn’t his problem. If that is the case, then he should resign as senator.

This indeed is a sick situation because of the mentally diseased politicians on this island who insist on putting their egos before the needs of their people. There are too many good citizens living in this U.S. commonwealth who should not have to go through this. Puerto Ricans took to the streets of San Juan last Friday demanding an end to the impasse but their voices went unheard. If the enfeebled elected leaders – such as Acevedo Vila, Rossello and House Speaker Jose Aponte – cannot come to terms and set aside their insolences, then it is time for the federal court to step in and demand that peace and tranquility return to paradise.