Well, it looks like people aren’t paying enough attention to the guy who lost the last election:

Statehood party president Sen. Pedro Rossello, who has been at the center of the political standoff, said lawmakers do not have to act on the recommendations of the committee.

“Those who have the power to legislate are the legislators,” said the former governor, who was not elected to his post. “The Legislature can’t transfer this power to a committee — particularly to a committee that hasn’t been elected by the people.”

Rossello gained his position after being appointed by the New Progressive Party, which supports statehood. The appointment came after he lost the governor’s race to Acevedo Vila in 2004.

As candidate for governor, Rossello proposed a 7-percent sales tax as a way to avoid an impending budget shortfall. However, he has challenged current efforts to impose a sales tax of 5.9 percent — saying it was too high.

The more I hear about that guy, the most I dislike him. I think he’s really giving the statehood party a bad name–I’ve heard that a number of statehood politicians are distancing themselves from him. It makes sense, because it sure does look like he’s trying to egg people on. And for what? So that people can stay out of work longer? What does he expect to gain from all this–does he want to take control of an even more destroyed and bankrupt island? I don’t get it.

With any luck, the actual elected lawmakers will go with the committee decision (here’s hoping it’s a reasonable one). It’s about the best thing they can do right now, since they can’t seem to come up with any other decent ideas. Why, for example, put forward that silly 401K idea, when they could collect more by increasing “sin” taxes. Heck, I guess they’ve never bought a pack of smokes in Chicago, where they are over $6! (Down here it’s $3.75 for Marlboro.) If you gotta tax something, tax the “sin”–not grandma’s food and medicine. Duh!