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Colonial Mindsets and Ancillary Sword

I came to the U.S. from Puerto Rico because of the economy, a slo-mo apocalypse that many people I know here can't begin to understand. I have family and friends who still live there, and I've been following how it's been reported in the U.S. as a result. $72 billion is an astounding number, and is a debt the island will likely never be able to repay in full. However, the U.S. government appointed a group to preside over Puerto Rico's economy. The Junta wasn't voted for, yet they will have the power to override the democratically elected government of Puerto Rico whenever payments to service the debt are endangered. This could mean pension plans and other welfare could be slashed to ensure the debt is serviced. It also means that young people (up to 25 years of age) can be subject to a minimum wage of $4.25. I've seen many articles which...

September 6, 2016
Latino, Science Fiction

Alternate Universe Essay for Lightspeed Magazine’s People of Colo(u)r Destroy Science Fiction

I read through all of the personal essays written for Lightspeed Magazine's People of Colo(u)r Destroy Science Fiction, edited by the enthusiastic and all-around good human being Sunil Patel. Each one of the essays offers a window into why the writer finds the field of science fiction is important to them. Full disclosure: I submitted several times during the open call, and as of this writing still have something under consideration. That said, after reading the essays, I was inspired to write one, too. "But you're not really Puerto Rican. . ." I was born and raised in Puerto Rico. My mom was Puerto Rican, and my dad was from Philly. Both of them were teachers for the local U.S. Army military base, Fort Buchanan. As a result, I was able to write and read in both English and Spanish by the time I started in Kindergarten. My parents weren't big into science fiction, but...

March 6, 2016
Fantasy, Latino, Science Fiction

Puerto Rico’s Economy’s in Trouble (You’ll Probably Not Guess Why If You Read the Wall Street Journal)

The Wall Street Journal published a piece talking about how the island's population has decreased due to continued economic problems. I'm not sure if the author Nick Timiraos was avoiding any context for his reporting, not aware how several of his points are nonsensical given the situation, or if he is engaging in the type of glib misdirection that passes as journalism these days. Case in point: The island’s bondholders and the insurance companies that have guaranteed those bonds say Puerto Rico’s elected leaders have made the crisis worse by resisting deeper spending cuts and tax increases. When he refers to "resisting deeper spending cuts and tax increases," this means: closing more than 150 schools which have already been shuttered, cutting pension plan payments to retired public service people, which are used to pay for everyday things like groceries, rent or mortgage payments, and the insanely high electric bills. Add to these costs, the general...

January 5, 2016
Latino