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Democratic Party Platform

Image result for puerto rico flag

Has the headline of this post put you to sleep already? If so, enjoy the zees.

If not, you may be interested in this link: from Huffington Post.

That represents where discussion stood as of July 1, anyway.

As it happens, July 1 was the day Puerto Rico defaulted on its general obligation bonds.  The last-minute Congressional action in contemplation of a restructuring of those debts was too last minute to prevent this.

Given this coincidence of timing: what does the platform say about Puerto Rico?

It gets a paragraph at the bottom of p. 16, after (and longer than) a separate graf on the "people of the territories" generally.

The paragraph on Puerto Rico takes while to get around to the debt issue, but it ends with that: "Finally, we believe that Washington must respect Puerto Rico’s local self-government as Congress and the Executive Branch work to provide the necessary tools and aid that Puerto Rico needs to restructure its debt so that it can get on a path towards stability and prosperity, while maintaining its autonomy."

Not sure what that means, beyond a generic expression of concern.  But if you've read my recent discussion in this blog of the SCOTUS decisions, PR, and sovereignty, you'll at least catch the quick allusions.

I'm happy to have been of service.

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