'Grasshoppers' in Puerto Rico Continue To Rail Against Trump and the U.S.

[navy-vet]

Menendez Skips Off To Caribbean During Trial Break
http://dailycaller.com/2017/09/29/me...g-trial-break/

Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez isn’t letting something like a corruption trial get in the way of his perceived legislative duties.
Menendez jetted off to Puerto Rico on Thursday to assess how well the Trump administration is coping
with the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria on the American protectorate.

Menendez doesn’t think President Donald Trump is doing enough to alleviate the situation and demanded more money for assistance.

Which I bet he will be willing to disperse.....

[Danke]

Yes! That was my first thought when Ender made that comment. Also, there's many more ships from many ports outside of the US waiting to fill the yards which lack drivers to deliver the supplies.

Well he is getting his information from the Huffington post, VOX, NYTs, etc...

[Ender]

Yes! That was my first thought when Ender made that comment. Also, there's many more ships from many ports outside of the US waiting to fill the yards which lack drivers to deliver the supplies.

I did clarify that in later threads. The Jones Act was put on hold for Texas & Florida, so that help could be faster & cheaper- but not for Puerto Rico.

Meet the Jones Act, an obscure 1920 regulation that requires that goods shipped from one American port to another be transported on a ship that is American-built, American-owned, and crewed by US citizens or permanent residents.

For most Americans, this isn’t a big deal — it enriches a small number of American shipowners while introducing some weird distortions into the overall pattern of economic activity in the United States.

For the residents of the island of Puerto Rico, though, the Jones Act is huge. Basic shipments of goods from the island to the US mainland, and vice versa, must be conducted via expensive protected ships rather than exposing them to global competition. That makes everything Puerto Ricans buy unnecessarily expensive relative to goods purchased on either the US mainland or other Caribbean islands, and drives up the cost of living on the island overall.

[Ender]

Well he is getting his information from the Huffington post, VOX, NYTs, etc...

So, why don't YOU explain the Jones Act, Mr Danke.

And make sure to be completely upfront on how it is crony capitalism- has nothing to do with the free market- and seriously hurts places like Puerto Rico & Hawaii.

[Danke]

So, why don't YOU explain the Jones Act, Mr Danke.

And make sure to be completely upfront on how it is crony capitalism- has nothing to do with the free market- and seriously hurts places like Puerto Rico & Hawaii.

I did.

[Ender]

And to help, here's Ron Paul on Facebook:

One of the worst ideas that Donald Trump ran on for President were the ideas of mercantilism and protectionism. America is overloaded with politically-connected corporations getting laws passed that tilt the tables to their advantage. The last thing we need are more of these crony laws.

But protectionist measures, even though they're a bad idea, sell very well.

They're like the idea of "FREE" Healthcare. Yeah, it's a deadly idea, but it sells extremely well.

Wouldn't you know ... Irony has struck again.

Because the protectionist Jones Act was so horrendous by blocking aid to Puerto Rico, the protectionist President Trump was forced to "temporarily" repeal it.

Don't toy with us Mr. President.

We don't need a "temporary" breather from a bad idea. Get rid of the Jones Act for good!

We need to be freed from every protectionist measure that is put into place by politically-connected and crony corporations.

https://www.facebook.com/ronpaul/pos...56070773721686

And The Liberty Report:

http://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/...-protectionism

[Danke]

LOL. A corporation can incorporate and always fly under a foreign flag and make just as much if not more profits. It is the worker who would get screwed and by that I mean the US worker.

[Ender]

LOL. A corporation can incorporate and always fly under a foreign flag and make just as much if not more profits. It is the worker who would get screwed and by that I mean the US worker.

I'll stand with Ron Paul- I think he's a bit more knowledgeable about the free market than you.

[Danke]

I'll stand with Ron Paul- I think he's a bit more knowledgeable about the free market than you.

Free market is one thing. And that was not what was being discussed. Look at the posts that were here and what was that brought up. We're talking about the Jones act. And how that would affect workers more than corporations as you have stated ( that somehow corporations would be against repealing the Jones act ). In this thread you keep trying to shift the goalpost.

[Ender]

Free market is one thing. And that was not what was being discussed. Look at the posts that were here and that was that brought up. We're talking about the Jones act. And how that would affect workers more than corporations as you have stated

Read post #36-

[juleswin]

What? Texas & Florida are special but Puerto Rico, an American territory, is at fault for their crisis? Plus it IS an island and help from surrounding states/counties is a little more difficult.

It also took Trump a week+ after the disaster, to suspend the Jones Act so ships could come.

It was suspended for 10 days just so everyone knows that this deregulation from Trump was only temporary.

[Danke]

It was suspended for 10 days just so everyone knows that this deregulation from Trump was only temporary.

He campaigned on protecting American jobs. So is that regulation or dregulation?

[juleswin]

He campaigned on protecting American jobs. So is that regulation or dregulation?

Good point but I just wanted it to be know that it was a temporary suspension. Clinton, Bush, Obama has been protecting the hell out of those same job(many of them union jobs) not shocked at all to see Trump follow in their footsteps.

[Swordsmyth]

Menendez Skips Off To Caribbean During Trial Break
http://dailycaller.com/2017/09/29/me...g-trial-break/

Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez isn’t letting something like a corruption trial get in the way of his perceived legislative duties.
Menendez jetted off to Puerto Rico on Thursday to assess how well the Trump administration is coping
with the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria on the American protectorate.

Menendez doesn’t think President Donald Trump is doing enough to alleviate the situation and demanded more money for assistance.

I give 50/50 odds that he slips off to an island with no extradition.

[Brian4Liberty]

I give 50/50 odds that he slips off to an island with no extradition.

An Epstein island?

[Swordsmyth]

An Epstein island?

Probably.

[goldenequity]

Stoking the fires... agent Lemon spewing coast to coast

MSM Relentless

[Danke]

Jorge Rodriguez, 49, is the Harvard-educated CEO of PACIV, an international engineering firm based in Puerto Rico that works with the medical and pharmaceutical sectors. The Puerto Rican-born engineer says he has dispatched 50 engineers to help FEMA rehabilitate the devastated island — a commonwealth of the United States — after Hurricane Maria. He refuses to work with the local government, which he called inept and riddled with corruption.
[IMG]https://********************************/2017/09/jorge_l-_rodriguez_portrait_149764824.jpg?quality=90&strip =all&w=600[/IMG]Jorge L. RodriguezFor the last 30 years, the Puerto Rican government has been completely inept at handling regular societal needs, so I just don’t see it functioning in a crisis like this one. Even before the hurricane hit, water and power systems were already broken. And our $118 billion debt crisis is a result of government corruption and mismanagement.


The governor Ricardo Rossello has little experience. He’s 36 and never really held a job and never dealt with a budget. His entire administration is totally inexperienced and they have no clue how to handle a crisis of this magnitude.
For instance, shortly after the hurricane hit, the government imposed a curfew from 6 pm to 6 am and then changed it. Now, it’s 7 pm to 5 am, and makes no sense. The curfew has prevented fuel trucks from transporting their loads. These trucks should have been allowed to run for 24 hours to address our needs, but they have been stalled, and so we have massive lines at gas stations and severe shortages of diesel at our hospitals and supermarkets.
I’m really tired of Puerto Rican government officials blaming the federal government for their woes and for not acting fast enough to help people on the island. Last week I had three federal agents in my office and I was so embarrassed; I went out of my way to apologize to them for the attitude of my government and what they have been saying about the US response. When the hurricane hit we had experts from FEMA from all over the US on the ground and I was really proud of their quick response. The first responders and FEMA have all been outstanding in this crisis, and should be supported.


http://nypost.com/2017/09/30/inept-p...o/amp/?ref=yfp

[Brian4Liberty]

He refuses to work with the local government, which he called inept and riddled with corruption.

Sounds like Louisiana.

[Raginfridus]

For the last 30 years, the Puerto Rican government has been completely inept at handling regular societal needs...

You mean an entrenched culture of malgovernance and not a really big hurricane, or Donald J Trump's magical presidential powers, made Puerto Rico the disaster it is today?



... huh

[pcosmar]

Yes! That was my first thought when Ender made that comment. Also, there's many more ships from many ports outside of the US waiting to fill the yards which lack drivers to deliver the supplies.

And just who is preventing the Puerto Rician People from getting in trucks and driving them?

Government Bosses??

The people will be happy to unload those ships,, if allowed to do so.
Like any other disaster..

[Ender]

And just who is preventing the Puerto Rician People from getting in trucks and driving them?

Government Bosses??

The people will be happy to unload those ships,, if allowed to do so.
Like any other disaster..

Major problems also include no power on the island and very limited gas/food. The cell towers have been obliterated, so contacting anyone is futile.

A mountain of food, water and other vital supplies has arrived in Puerto Rico’s main Port of San Juan.

But a shortage of truckers and the island’s devastated infrastructure are making it tough to move aid to where it’s needed most. Only 20% of truck drivers have reported back to work since Hurricane Maria swept through, according to a spokesperson for Puerto Rico’s Gov. Ricardo Rosselló.

On top of that, a diesel fuel shortage and a tangle of blocked roads mean the distribution of supplies is extremely challenging. Even contacting drivers is a problem because cell towers are still down.

“When we say we that we don’t have truck drivers, we mean that we have not been able to contact them,” Rosselló said.

Shipping companies have aid and supplies either waiting at the port to be delivered — or held up at ports in the mainland United States.

Shipping company Crowley is one of them. It has 3,000 containers sitting at the Port of San Juan filled with clothes, food, medicine, water, construction materials and even cars.

Crowley’s vice president in Puerto Rico, Jose Ayala, said the company can’t get truck drivers or trucks filled up with diesel to pick up supplies for distribution across the island.

Crowley has only been able to dispatch 4% of its 3,000 containers, he said.

“The problem has been with the logistics, the parts of the supply chain that move the cargo from our terminal to the shelves or to the tables of the people in Puerto Rico,” Ayala said Wednesday. “This hurricane was catastrophic.”

Meanwhile, Puerto Ricans are waiting hours in line to get gas, food and cash. Gas stations and supermarkets are rationing supplies, while banks are running low on cash.

[pcosmar]

Major problems also include no power on the island and very limited gas/food. The cell towers have been obliterated, so contacting anyone is futile.

Sounds like every Hurricane that hit the Keys. Including Irma which was a Cat 4 through my ole neighborhood.

The roads were cleared by the people that were there before Satellite views were available.
3 days to rig limited Phone contact. but folks had the roads open by then.

The only hindrance in aid or rebuilding (anywhere) is Govt Interference.

but there does seem a lot more whining from some.

[navy-vet]

And just who is preventing the Puerto Rician People from getting in trucks and driving them?

Government Bosses??

The people will be happy to unload those ships,, if allowed to do so.
Like any other disaster..

I heard it was the trucking union that has them on strike.

[navy-vet]

Teamsters have always been rife with corruption, so it's plausible.
.

[navy-vet]

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-w...buted-at-ports
Anyway it appears to me that there are plenty of logistical problems in getting the supplies to the needy, that goes beyond getting them to the island.

[navy-vet]

Puerto Rico has been an ongoing cluster long before the storms came along. Like Haiti it's a sink hole of despair and corruption.

[Ender]

Sounds like every Hurricane that hit the Keys. Including Irma which was a Cat 4 through my ole neighborhood.

The roads were cleared by the people that were there before Satellite views were available.
3 days to rig limited Phone contact. but folks had the roads open by then.

The only hindrance in aid or rebuilding (anywhere) is Govt Interference.

but there does seem a lot more whining from some.

A lot of private help has been going on from charitable orgs.

The main whining seems to be from Trump who has responded in typical brat-child behavior to Puerto Ricans who have wondered why gov help was coming so slow to them when Florida & Texas had an immediate response.

When people are dying or losing families, homes, and entire cities, calling them names and chastising them on tweets is rather inappropriate.

[AZJoe]

Much of Puerto Rico's poverty comes from US Big Corps & the denial of becoming a state & being virtually imprisoned by the US.

P.R. is certainly a controlled territory of Washington, but lack of statehood is not the cause of its economic woes. Lack of statehood is actually a big plus. It has kept PR from being an even worse basket case than it is.

• There is no federal income tax in PR at all
• The IRS does not exist in PR
• No one need spend exorbitant amount on accounting and accountants and tax prepares, for federal taxes
• No one need worry about federal tax consequences of their decisions in PR, and can make them based solely on business advantage.
• There is no Obamacare mandate in PR
• Right now Puerto Ricans do not share in the US national debt.

Statehood for Puerto Rico right now would be like throwing a drowning man an anchor.

And while PR is certainly a controlled territory of Washington, that is what is currently desired by the populace. The populace is not voting for independence. They are voting solidify submission to Washington. The main reason, is that there is a general mistaken belief that statehood is the solution to their government's bad fiscal policies and inescapable debt burden.

[goldenequity]

Puerto Rícan Cop Calls Radio Show in Tears



Puerto Rico Cop Says Mayor Of San Juan Sabotaging Hurricane Aid For Political Gain
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-1...political-gain




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US Aid Rotting at Ports
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017...rotting-ports/