Editor's Note: Wednesday’s American Morning audience was fascinated by Jim Acosta's report of federal stimulus money being spent in U.S. territories abroad. Some viewers expressed opposition to being labeled, “non-American.” The consensus argued that this money was intended to benefit Americans despite their geographic location.
- Ken: Just saw your piece on stimulus money to the USVI. You seemed surprised that we are part of the USA. FYI – We carry US passports, have the USPS, FBI, Homeland security, TSA etc. and are indeed US citizens. Not only are we Americans in paradise but we unfortunately have pay our income taxes just like you mainlanders – so its only fair that we receive our fair share of the stimulus pork. By the way CNN doesn't even know we are Americans as your contact-us web page doesn't even offer VI as a state code – which is ironic for an international company – as just about every website in the world that asks for your state offers VI as the state code in the drop down. You guys need to get yourselves up to date.
- Michael: I just watched your story about the stimulus going to our home here in the Virgin Islands. I'm a bit upset on the slant. I am a US Citizen...born in Ohio and have lived here in the VI for 15 years. You refer to our islands as paradise and I will admit that the weather is not ever bad. But here we go to work and work hard just like everyone else. I personally work 60 hrs a week just to pay my bills ... you put that story across like we all hang out at the beach everyday and I can tell you that our cost of living here is 4 times that of most places in the mainland and our in come is below average… we pay 7& for a gallon of milk and $.42 (that's cents)per kilowatt hour of electricity… that is 5 times the national average… our only real income here is from tourism which has been seriously hurt by the recession .since people don't take vacations when they don't have jobs… our schools are the worst in the country and our roads are all in shambles… if you want to be fair… tell the whole story… shoot footage of the neighborhoods where the locals live… not just shots of the beach...it's just not a fair picture of what goes on here and as a longtime and daily viewer I am very upset by this story… either tell the whole story or don't tell it at all.
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