Why Every American Should Care About Puerto Rico’s Austerity Crisis

Last month, Huffington Post Latino Voices covered the protests against cuts in the University of Puerto Rico budget proposed by the administration of Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla, highlighting why regular Americans should care about their fellow Caribbean territory folk.

The piece did a good job of correcting certain misconceptions, like the ever-recurring one of media outlets referring to stateside Puerto Ricans as immigrants. It also highlights the abyss of information between the mainland and the islands, where significant issues need to be addressed that ought to receive national attention.

From the piece:

You might not guess from the amount of media attention the island gets on the mainland, or from how often the U.S. media incorrectly refers to Puerto Ricans living in the states as “immigrants,” but everyone born on the island is an American citizen and holds a U.S. passport. However, the 3.7 million currently living on the island aren’t eligible to vote for president — just those who move to one of the 50 U.S. states.

So if you missed it, take a minute and read it over and share this piece. It might help spread the word about the debacle in Puerto Rico.