PLAN B: The Economic Development of the Eastern Region of Puerto Rico Through the Decolonization of Vieques
The Problem: Vieques Has Been Alternately Abused & Abandoned for 100 Years
The people of Vieques have never been treated respectfully by governments of either the US or Puerto Rico. Our 8,000 plus US citizens are isolated from the main island and the levers of power, and the elite class that governs the Commonwealth views our inhabitants more as inmates than equal denizens. Our needs are overshadowed by powerful special interests on the main island. The PR government does NOT govern for or with us, but rather does unto us whatever it wishes. Our schools are the worst of the worst, our medical care is dismal, our infrastructure decayed, our crime rate horrible, and access to materials and services on the main island is restricted by the collapsed government-run ferry service. We are a colony of a colony.
The Solution: Decolonization of the Island of Vieques and the Former Roosevelt Roads Navy Base Combined to Create the Independent Country of Vieques
The US hasn’t really helped the economic development of Puerto Rico, but more importantly, the Commonwealth leadership has suffered from gross incompetence and corruption which has destroyed the island economy and encumbered its ability to reconstruct a thriving recovery within the foreseeable future. Plan B offers a path to develop a powerful economic engine that will have a significant spillover effect on the surrounding Puerto Rican municipalities in the eastern part of the main island.
Making It Possible: A Viable Transition Funding Plan
Decolonization, in a practical sense, requires both Congressional authorization and US ongoing support for the entire period of the transition. While there is clear historical precedent, we have additional unique issues that can make it even more compelling for federal cooperation. We can utilize funds that are in-part already allocated for us. The plan is “10:50:350”:
10: A ten-year transition into an independent, decolonized nation;
50: An annual $50,000,000 transfer payment to Vieques for 10 years;
The US gives a net of $20 billion to Puerto Rico every year, which averages about $5,700 per person. With 9,200 Vieques residents, that’s the equivalent of $50M.
350: Cash payments to Vieques totaling $350,000,000 by the US Navy;
The Superfund cleanup of the east end bombing range is slated to require 10 more years, cost well in excess of $250M, and leave 2% of the island unsafe and uninhabitable. The Navy has approved this funding already for Vieques.
Plan B is intended to provide a rough road map to decolonization. There are many moving parts to the process, the most important of which is the will of the current residents of Vieques. With many issues to consider and resolve, there is a tremendous amount of community consensus building required. It is hoped that this book can aid in this process while also facilitating coordination and agreements with external stakeholders.
Plan B explores many facets of transitioning a small island into a small country through the process of decolonization. The country will be the size of very small, manageable city, but it will require the creation of systems and mini-institutions to enable it to interact internationally. Challenges await the construction of physical and operational infrastructure while the essential function of economic development will take center stage. Our local population does not have the expertise to accomplish these tasks by ourselves, and the use of outside consultants will be imperative.
We can do this – with a lot of help from our friends! 
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