In 1953, Ralph Ellison won the National Book Award for his first novel Invisible Man. It started like this:

“I am an invisible man. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids – and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.”

When we view early 20^th century films and notice the “service” characters – the butler, maid, chauffer, cook, shoeshine boy – this view was absolutely correct. But today, in the case of Puerto Rico, our invisibility is much worse: because it applies to the entire island.

Puerto Rico is separated by 1,500 miles of ocean, a language, an indigenous culture, and 400 years of Ibero-American history. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas – but as far as the U.S. is concerned (especially the U.S. Congress) what happens in Puerto Rico, never happens at all.

Here is a simple test. Ask these ten questions to your Anglo friends. No matter how compassionate and well-meaning they might be, do they know that:

1. In 1900, within two years of occupying Puerto Rico, the U.S. de-valued the monetary currency of Puerto Rico by 40% ? 
2. By 1930, U.S. banking syndicates had appropriated 80% of Puerto Rico’s farm land?
3. The very first civilian Governor of Puerto Rico, Charles Herbert Allen, built himself a sugar empire which today is named Domino Sugar?
4. In 1917, Puerto Ricans were declared “U.S. citizens” in time for World War I… but in 1922, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the U.S. constitution did not apply to Puerto Rico, and therefore they were not entitled to a minimum wage?
5. Since 1920, due to Sec. 27 of the Merchant Marine Act (aka “the Jones Act”), Puerto Rico has been prohibited from developing its own shipping industry?
6. Due to this same Jones Act, for the past 96 years, Puerto Ricans pay 15-20% more for every consumer product, than people on the U.S. mainland?
7. The Jones Act accounts for a loss of $600 billion over the past 96 years?
8. If it weren’t for the Jones Act, Puerto Rico could have paid its “public debt” of $73 billion…not just once, but eight times over?
9. The per capita income of Puerto Rico is roughly $16,000 – less than half that of Mississippi, the poorest state in the U.S. Yet Puerto Ricans are paying an 11.5% sales tax and 24 cents per kilowatt hour for their electricity, while people in New York City are paying 8.2 cents per kilowatt hour?
10. Teachers, students and health care workers held massive demonstrations over the past year, involving hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans, that were never reported by the mainland U.S. media?

The U.S. Congress passes laws for an island that it knows nothing about.

The only voices they hear, thanks to Citizens United, are the lobbyists who line their pockets and whisper the “correct policy” in their ears.

Puerto Rico is facing a crushing public debt. But an even greater danger to Puerto Rico, is that the U.S. governing class has no knowledge – and no interest – in the history of Puerto Rico, or the day-to-day reality of its residents.

They receive “reports” about us from ignorant statisticians, and self-interested consultants.

They create “policy” with information from lobbyists and IMF economists.

They do not have a clue about what they’re doing.

We are too far away.

We are Macondo.

We are worse than an invisible man.

We are an invisible island.

For a history of the War Against All Puerto Ricans, read the book…

Buy it Now

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