Politics in Puerto Rico are complicated and intense. The current legislature could also be described as frivolous and wasteful, according to a recent computer-assisted investigation by El Nuevo Dia. The San Juan newspaper used electronic legislative filings to show that Puerto Rican legislators choose quantity over quality when proposing new measures. They devote their energy to saluting special occasions or launching trivial investigations, while neglecting serious economic and social problems.
In the middle of one of Puerto Rico's worst economic crises, more than half of the legislative efforts were dedicated to congratulating people, often for no extraordinary reason. Newcomer Nelson Del Valle Colón presented the most proposals overall, but almost 92 percent were congratulatory measures. Resolutions to investigate accounted for 16 percent of the total, yet most of the 690 investigations focused on inconsequential issues, and only 6 percent were completed.
Joint resolutions to allocate funds accounted for 9 percent, with 340 resolutions to allocate a total of $120 million from the deficit-ridden general fund for all sorts of agencies, organizations, and individuals. This occurred within a government that had to shut down several agencies, including public schools, in June 2006 due to insufficient funds. Legislation on core issues like public health and education received little attention.