Bernie Sanders Statement: Sanders Sides with People of Puerto Rico

[imagine2015]

Press Release

Sanders Sides with People of Puerto Rico
May 20, 2016

Bernie Sanders

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Friday issued the following statement on a proposal in the U.S. House of Representatives to put Puerto Rico under control of a congressionally-appointed financial control board:

“We must never give an unelected control board the power to balance Puerto Rico’s budget on the backs of children, senior citizens, the sick and the most vulnerable people in Puerto Rico while giving the people of Puerto Rico absolutely no say at all in the process.

“We cannot allow Senate Majority Leader McConnell and Speaker Ryan to determine the fate of Puerto Rico by handpicking a majority of the control board’s members, while the people of Puerto Rico would be in charge of choosing none. That may make sense to groups representing Wall Street, but it makes absolutely no sense to me.

“Among other efforts, what Congress should do is to act immediately to give Puerto Rico the same authority granted to every municipality in this country to restructure its debt under the supervision of a bankruptcy court.

“The billionaire hedge fund managers on Wall Street cannot get a 100 percent return on their bonds while workers, senior citizens and children are punished. Wall Street vulture capitalists must not be allowed to get it all.

“Today, I am proud to stand in strong opposition to this bill not only with the people of Puerto Rico, but the AFL-CIO, UAW, SEIU, AFSCME, UFCW and other unions that recognize just how bad this bill would be.

“We must stop treating Puerto Rico like a colony and start treating the American citizens of Puerto Rico with the respect and dignity that they deserve.”

https://berniesanders.com/press-release/sanders-sides-people-puerto-rico/

[Ash_F]

1. A big deal. Where does Clinton stand on this one?

[Scootaloo]

3. Clinton doesn't so much "stand" as "slouch"

[truedelphi]

5. Ya gotta figure that verbally, should this concern for Puerto R. catch on,

She will announce how she stands with the people of Puerto Rico.

But given her "A" list of friends, she probably knows a few people who made a mountain of money while saddling Puerto Rico with oodles of inescapable debt.

[JaneyVee]

6. Bernie is late on this. Hillary released a statement months ago.

[Ash_F]

10. All I could find is this and it suggests she supports the bill

http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/20/news/economy/puerto-rico-hillary-clinton/

It sounds like a bad bill to me.

[Ash_F]

11. WHOOA and the bill exempts Puerto Rico from the new overtime rules!

http://www.vox.com/2016/5/20/11719332/puerto-rico-debt-crisis-deal

[scscholar]

12. This. He is always reacting

Rather than acting.

[Ash_F]

13. And it gives them the authority to lower the minimum wage bellow federal minimum wage!

I should stop looking things up.

[Jitter65]

14. And Hillary dispatched a team to specifically check out issues around the Zika virus in PR.

She has made statements about this too...long before PR was a thought to BS.

[truedelphi]

2. Gotta imagine the world would be a better place if more people

posted great stuff like you just did.

And made remarks like Bernie Sanders just did.

And had the educational ability to inform people (in hilarious fashion) about the various complex in's and out's of Puerto Rico's economic crisis, as done by John Oliver:

Kudos to all three of you!

[imagine2015]

4. Thank you for your kind remarks.

I wish I had 1/10th the ability of Oliver and Sanders.

Glad they are on our side!

[Retrograde]

7. He's in favor of statehood?

Isn't that what the people of Puerto Rico voted for in their 2012 plebiscite? Sounds good to me - if he can get congress to approve.

[Recursion]

8. I believe so, though that's not what this is about

He's talking about avoiding receivership, which is also a good idea.

[MisterP]

9. Borinken ki!