PUERTO RICO: Land of Lost Dreams

Crime affects Puerto Rico main economic motor of tourism and retail. Some of my friends were indirectly involved with shoot outs between cars. In fact while I was doing this report, I found out that former Governor Carlos Romero Barcelo family members were killed by drive by shootings between cars. Not all news is reported as this would cripple the tourism industry of the island. A secret the government wants to keep quiet. Seems to me, that the Puerto Rican media covers up a lot of issues. Another problem with crime is not only with the criminals, but actually the police. As over this past decade, many will be arrested, not by the police themselves, but by the F.B.I. As a few police agents became and I am sure still are, security agents for drug lords around the island. Is incredible that some members of the police department are just as bad, maybe worse since they are suppose to protect us, are just as corrupt. One story of police infidelity was called fittingly “Operation Lost Honor”. At one time it was the F.B.I. single largest case of police corruption. The corrupted police agents were told to go to the U.S. Navy base, of course, at Roosevelt Roads for ‘’training’’ purposes, but in reality, it was a way to arrest these corrupted officers disarmed, so they would pose no threat to the arresting agents of the F.B.I. Possible, just possible, we have a corrupt police department, due to the theory of ‘’monkey see, monkey do’’. As the police see others around them corrupt, so they follow the system, and become corrupt themselves. Which again brings the other theory of the ‘’fish rots from the head down’’. As the government is corrupt, so too will the workers of the government. Which leads to people losing hope and faith in their own government to make their lives a little easier. Not only will they lose faith and hope, but question their own future and the future they will leave their children. I am sure the mental health of the island must be at a low of some sort. So I went to investigate on this subject. With rising unemployment, and an economy in disarray, many Puerto Ricans become victims of mental disorders. This will only get worse throughout the next few years from this time, as the island falls more and more into an economic abyss, with March 2008 unemployment rate of nearly 10%, will rise to 15% by March 2009, higher than any state in the union. The double edge sword will be, that with the budget problems of the island, the government will cut mental assistance to cover health care costs, as these peoples conditions will only get more serious and will constitute to use more dramatic actions for their illnesses. Question is, what will happen to the new patients of mental illness, where will the funding and help come from!? Now with all these problems listed above, the government pushes the issue to be proud to be ‘’Boricua’’. how can you be proud of the items disclosed before hand? Don’t get me wrong, Puerto Rico has a beautiful past, but that is in the past, the present and future, is nothing to be proud of. As I was researching these items, I would continue to visit Roosevelt Roads for lunch. It still was there for me. It was my isolation from the madness outside. I continued to work my accounts and they were growing quite well. I would even wash cars with Batat’ for gas money for the week, and a beer and pinchos for fun. And Johanna, when she was bored, or didn’t have anyone else to hear her problems would give me a call. I would later find out from Johanna that our old pastor from Manati would become a millionaire. Funny, when I first met him he had nothing, after four short years, a millionaire. I guess I am in the wrong business! While driving to work, I noticed something, that Puerto Rico uses speed limits in miles per hour, but their road signs are in kilometers. Never have I seen this in any other foreign country. And just when you think it cant get any worse, ex. Governor Pedro Rossello returns to make another run for governor. The return of the bad penny is back!