What I find interesting about section 936 is that I thought that its demise contributed to the current economic crisis. Seemed to fit into the colonial narrative in that the origin of its demise was with a deal between Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich. In this article that I read, the origin is described thusly. I’ll get the citation later.
“…The Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996… gave the Clinton Administration its desired step increases in the minimum wage, offered small businesses an off-setting tax credit to help pay for the increase, and used the demise of Section 936 to pay for the new credit.”
This seems like a total colonial move where the powers in the metropolis make decisions for the periphery. However, the really interesting thing about the article is that section 936 most recently was ineffective.
September 02, 2016, 10:05 am By Jose Aponte-Hernandez The Hill
A state representative in Puerto Rico and is the former Speaker of the House for the territory.
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-budget/294141-no-to-the-return-of-section-936
As the Author states first…
“As the firms located on the island enjoyed large profits and low tax bills, the situation on the ground, for our people, did not improve.”
and finally the bottomline was…
“Section 936 companies only serve themselves. They do not create jobs, improve wages or promote economic growth.”
So it was more complicated. The metropolis got rid of a program that benefited mostly the blood sucking corporations. As far as I can tell, the events don’t neatly fit into a narrative as reality usually doesn’t. That’s why narratives are usually fiction.
pepitothinking 