I saw on a social media feed an article titled “Poverty is growing in Puerto Rico, under US colonialism: 57.6% of children live in poor households”¹ written by Ben Norton for the Geopolitical Economy Report, which is an independent media outlet that provides news and analysis to understand the changing world. In this article, he says, “In 2022, the poverty rate in the colonized US ‘territory’ grew from 40.5% to 41.7%, according to US Census Bureau data. A staggering 57.6% of Puerto Rican children live in poverty. And 38.8% of families are below the poverty line. Poverty has been growing in Puerto Rico even at a time when more people are working. The unemployment rate fell from 13.1% to 9.9% in 2022, while poverty got worse.” He then went on describing the political status of the island, comparing the median household of Puerto Rico with those of Mississippi, West Virginia, and Louisiana and of course added inflation to the list of reasons why poverty is so high on the island. What is missing from this article? The actual reasons for the high poverty rates in Puerto Rico which by the way are the same reasons why there is such much poverty in the mainland.

I’m going to provide some observations since I grew up in Puerto Rico and I was part of that $21,967 median household income (actually less) that he mentioned in the article. I will also provide some recommendations at the end.

First, it is always easy to blame others, and using colonialism as the main cause is getting old. In most cases, at least in Puerto Rico, poverty is based on the choices made by people. It doesn’t matter how many times you tell people that they need to finish high school, not have children out-of-wedlock, and to get a job. The sad reality is that young (and not so young) people in Puerto Rico continue to disregard this great and wise advice. When you have a single mom or dad or a young couple that didn’t finish high school (or finish school in some cases), have one or more kids, and are not working, but instead receiving welfare, then you cannot expect a different outcome except for living in poverty. Another issue in Puerto Rico is the unwillingness to move to other cities or out of Puerto Rico in pursuit of better opportunities. Due to our cultural desire to stay close to our families and friends, we miss opportunities and would rather live in suboptimal conditions.

Second, even if you have a job, you can’t spend more than your income; that’s just simple math. Part of the problem in Puerto Rico (and other parts of the world) is that people are spending way too much and forgetting about saving. We get a job, and we go on autopilot buying expensive cars, houses, watches, stuff for the house, etc. Planning for the future is out of the equation. You need to learn to delay gratification if you want to prosper.

Third, as mentioned in my previous posts, there is a lot of corruption in Puerto Rico, and the elected officials are not leading our people. Instead, they are looking for ways to advance their own personal goals and get rich at the expense of the Puerto Rican people. Since these elected officials are not leading, they are not seeking opportunities to improve the quality of life in our cities. Schools are in bad shape, skilled trade training is nonexistent, and employment opportunities are few because elected officials are giving those jobs and contracts to friends instead of hiring qualified people.

Lastly, we need to move away from the discussion about how colonialism, Spain, and the United States are responsible for our troubles. I have been to over 40 countries, and the problems causing poverty are pretty much the same, so it has nothing to do with our political status. It has to do with personal responsibility.

I learned a long time ago that if you don’t like your current situation, then you need to change it. And sometimes, you need to focus on changing your family tree so you don’t repeat the mistakes of your ancestors. The old advice about finishing high school, pursuing skilled trade training or college, finding a job, starting a family, saving money to buy your first house, and planning for retirement is still applicable. That is the path that I followed, and it wasn’t easy, but it can be done. You need to be prepared to move heaven and earth to achieve your goals. Sitting idle and blaming others is not going to get you there.

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1. https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/09/26/poverty-puerto-rico-children-poor-families/ ↩︎

• Ed’s Notes