In his end-of-show commentary on Monday, Neil Cavuto opined on the issue of Puerto Rican statehood. His commentary is mostly tongue-in-cheek (example: "Let's say Puerto Rico becomes our 51st state. Where do we put that 51st star on our flag? Go ahead, figure that out."), but it does hit the big issue: "It's got to decide: Either become a state of this country, or a self-sustaining republic. Nothing in-between, which is kind of what this commonwealth enjoys now."
As the husband of Puerto Rican, I have had many discussions with members of my wife's family about Puerto Rican statehood. My conclusion is that commonwealth is akin to limbo. I would prefer to see the island choose. It should choose to be either a state (and follow either the resource-rich model of Alaska or the tourist-driven model of Hawaii) or an independent country (and follow the example of many Latin American democracies, with all of the growing pain that comes with this step).
Either road entails great risks, but the current condition of limbo is hindering the full economic and political development of the island. I believe that in fifty years, Puerto Rico will be one or the other, but certainly not a commonwealth. Until the decision is made as to which one, the island will be half one and half the other, thereby delaying its inevitable development as a state or a country.
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