Bryan Roach 2018 Platform
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V. Resolve the Question of Political Status
After 100 years of American rule, the time has come for Virgin Islanders to demonstrate political maturity and properly exercise our right of self-determination.
Our relationship with the federal government has a great impact on the resources available to our Government. Issues such as the mirror tax system, the cap on Medicaid allotments, and the international designation as it relates to customs, to name a few, have a profound effect on our quality of life.
The inability to have a direct voice, no matter how small, on the decisions of our federal government is unacceptable. The next four years gives us a chance to develop a proper community-wide education process on the issue of political status.
We can educate the public on a binary choice: (1) do we wish to pursue greater integration with the United States, or (2) do we wish to pursue greater autonomy and independence.
There are potential opportunities and drawbacks to both decisions. But we have a chance to lead our community through the discussion and put it to a vote at the General Election in 2022.
