The Patriot Post® · Gov's Resignation Exposes Puerto Rico's Corruption

As the pressure mounted after days of protests following the publication of leaked messages shared between Puerto Rico’s Gov. Ricardo Rossello and members of his inner circle — messages that mocked and disparaged women, homosexuals, and Hurricane Maria victims — Rossello, a Democrat, announced his resignation effective Aug. 2. Rossello had initially resisted calls for his resignation, stating that he would serve out his term and not seek reelection, but that only further fueled public outrage.

This latest incident serves to turn a spotlight on Puerto Rico’s long-time corrupt government. As The Wall Street Journal succinctly puts it, “Think Illinois, 10 times worse.” The fact of the matter is PR has been plagued by unchecked government corruption for years due in large part to socialism. PR has long been run by leftist Democrats who buy votes by promising ever-more government-provided “free stuff.” As a result, the country finds itself awash in debt, to the tune of $74 billion in 2016, more than 100% of its GDP.

Meanwhile, PR’s corrupt leftist ruling class seeks only to deflect responsibility and blame. An example was San Juan Mayor Carmen Cruz following her own failure to adequately prepare for and respond to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria. She instead took to the airways to blast Trump, who responded by pointedly noting that government corruption was the main thing hampering relief and reconstruction efforts. It was a rebuke for which he was widely mocked by Democrats and the Leftmedia, but he has been proven accurate.

Following this latest “Rickyleaks” scandal, as it has been dubbed, Trump once again highlighted Puerto Rico’s corruption problem: “A lot of bad things are happening in Puerto Rico. The Governor is under siege, the Mayor of San Juan is a despicable and incompetent person who I wouldn’t trust under any circumstance, and the United States Congress foolishly gave 92 Billion Dollars for hurricane relief, much of which was squandered away or wasted, never to be seen again. This is more than twice the amount given to Texas & Florida combined. I know the people of Puerto Rico well, and they are great. But much of their leadership is corrupt, & robbing the U.S. Government Blind!”

Puerto Rico’s economic problems — the country has been mired in a recession since 2006 — are directly due to the fraudulent promises of socialists. More government control does not usher in the promised utopia of more health, wealth, and happiness. Rather it only breeds greater corruption, abuse, and negligence at the expense of hard-working citizens.