Experts say Hurricane Maria, which hit in 2017, exposed an already deteriorating system.

“The collapse is caused mainly by debt and the economic crisis in Puerto Rico and historic privatization of the health care system there. Our research shows patients are waiting for six to eight months to get an appointment with a specialist. If that’s not a sign of collapse, I don’t know what is,” said Varas-Diaz.

    • PeleSpirit@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      4·
      1 year ago

      That is depressing. For the uninformed, myself included, since I didn’t realize the Mariana Islands were part of the US:

      The United States currently administers three[8][12] territories in the Caribbean Sea and eleven in the Pacific Ocean.[note 3][note 4] Five territories (American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) are permanently inhabited, unincorporated territories; the other nine are small islands, atolls, and reefs with no native (or permanent) population. Of the nine, only one is classified as an incorporated territory (Palmyra Atoll). Two additional territories (Bajo Nuevo Bank and Serranilla Bank) are claimed by the United States but administered by Colombia.[9][14][15] Historically, territories were created to administer newly acquired land, and most eventually attained statehood.[16][17] The most recent territories to become U.S. states were Alaska on January 3, 1959, and Hawaii on August 21, 1959.[18] The Republic of the Philippines, along with the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau, which were administered as a U.N. trust territory, but sometimes grouped with U.S. territories — later became independent nations.[note 5]

      Source

      • SoylentBlake@lemm.ee
        6·
        1 year ago

        If they pay taxes, they deserve statehood. If not, give them independence.

        The age of colonialism is over. No taxation without representation, its kinda what we’re all about

          • SoylentBlake@lemm.ee
            2·
            1 year ago

            The, obviously immoral, institutionalized racism in America (I said OBVIOUSLY for those in the back) has also had, and still does have, geoplitical ramifications as well. Further compounding the issue is the media, on the rare event it does get reported, it’s almost always relegated to the back pages and never followed up on.

            When the Nazi’s (for clarity, that is the anachronistic 20th century spelling used to describe the German wave; the current 21st centuries spelling is NatC’s - for Christian NATionalists, generally located in southeastern North America, tho not always, and not always just in the Americas).

            I’m sorry, that aside aside; When the Nazi’s received criticism from the Roosevelt administration about their treatment of the Jews (which was, in fact, reported on extensively during the war, the only surprise was the efficiency and extensiveness of the Germans, today much appluaded, record keeping), the Nazi’s immediately clapped back with how America treats its black citizens. German officials spent a good amount of time in the mid 1930s, before any hostilities broke out in Europe, studying the souths Jim Crow laws for themselves so they could best implement their future aparteid state. Backed up with passport stamps and photographic evidence, Germany’s rebuff effectively humiliated American opinion off the world stage.

            Not known for learning from their mistakes, America continued doing what it does best, convincing the working class that they’re the source of all their problems.

            At the same time, the other never reported topic that America leads the world in, was amped up to 11. And that’s rewriting history thru domestic propaganda campaigns. America did so well at this, that early in the 21st century it once again tried it’s hand on the world’s moral stage…

            And was quickly reminded by the Chinese, who’re deflecting their own allegations of crimes against humanity in their treatment of the Uyghers, that once again America’s institutionalized racism, as shown evident thru its prison system, is a “functioning” aparteid state against non-white and poor white Americans, and forged the way, and that China was merely doing what has been shown as acceptable.

            …when the rule of law is so corrupted that it’s applied unequally, no one, rich or poor, respects the law. Those without the means to defend themselves may fear it, but no one respects it