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The highest rates of childhood poverty in the United States are in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, where half of all children under age 5 live below the poverty line.  The Territories also share America’s highest unemployment rates, facing deficits so large that Puerto Rico alone has laid off at least 17,000 public employees.  Considering the island’s population of 4 million, that’s the equivalent of giving a pink slip to everybody in Dallas.  

If there was ever any doubt about our allegations around real job creation in the USVI generated by the Captain Morgan Rum(Diageo) federal funds giveaway, read the article below from www.cruciansinfocus.org

http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/06/02/diageos-use-of-outside-employees-not-in-violation-of-contract-with-dejongh-administration/

PUERTO RICO, VIRGIN ISLANDS GO HEAD TO HEAD ON RUM, FUELING TENSIONS IN CONGRESS

BY DAN EGGEN

It's the preferred drink of Caribbean tourists and swashbuckling pirates alike, and now it's at the heart of a nasty political dispute: The rum wars have come to Washington.

SEE ENTIRE ARTICLE

Yesterday afternoon Mayor Bloomberg opened the doors once again of Gracie Mansion to kick start the festivities around the largest parade in the nation, the National Puerto Rican Day Parade.

The Puerto Rican communities on the mainland and the one on Island have learned to set their differences aside, at least for a week, in order to celebrate our cultural pride and honor our leaders in front of a national audience.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the National Puerto Rican Coalition (NPRC) and our membership, we would like to express our most sincere sympathies to the family, friends, and people of Caguas for the loss of Mayor Willie Miranda Marin.

By Rafael A. Fantauzzi, President & CEO, National Puerto Rican Coalition, Inc.

Wed, May 26, 2010 10:07 AM

Washington, DC – Recently, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) treated Puerto Rico and its elected representatives with disregard and disrespect. It held that Puerto Ricans don’t deserve the same quality of access to telecommunications services that other Americans enjoy. This is wrong and this must be reversed.

“The recently passed Arizona immigration law illustrates a complete disregard for the contributions of Hispanics and Puerto Ricans alike in the state of Arizona. With over approximately 22,000 Puerto Ricans residing in Arizona, this law threatens discrimination against all Hispanics,” stated Rafael Fantauzzi, President and CEO of the National Puerto Rican Coalition. “Puerto Ricans are taking this issue very seriously and we will continue to work with our partners to ensure that discrimination of any kind is not tolerated in America.”

In a ceremony today hosted by SEIU Health Care Chair Dennis Rivera at SEIU headquarters, the National Puerto Rican Day Parade (NPRDP), the National Puerto Rican Coalition, Inc. (NPRC), and leaders of the community presented Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez the official distinction as the 2010 National Puerto Rican Day Parade Grand Marshall. The National Puerto Rican Day Parade, which will take place June 13th on New York’s Fifth Avenue, draws close to 2 million people and is recognized as the largest parade in the nation.