THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume VII, Issue # 51, March 13, 2005
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
THE LATINO FACE OF AMERICA
By Alan Caruba
MASSIVE IMMIGRATION OF LATINOS INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: THE GROWING IMPACT OF THIS LATINO
INFLUX ON AMERICAN CULTURE & POLITICS, ON THE ETHNIC CHARACTER OF THE U.S. POPULATION, & ON THE AMERICAN
ECONOMY & WORKFORCE -- WHAT THE NUMBERS TELL US ABOUT OUR NATION'S FUTURE
FULL STORY:
A funny thing happened to me while I was pushing a cart up and down the aisles of my local Pathmark supermarket. I hit one aisle
and suddenly realized that a very large portion of it was devoted to Goya and other products favored by Latinos. Not being a
Hispanic, or Latino — the terms are interchangeable — I had not noticed that before, but the fact is, New Jersey and nearby New
York are major population centers for Latinos, even though much of the Hispanic population remains spread throughout the
Southwest and, of course, throughout California.
In the past, I have written some pretty harsh analysis of the impact of illegal immigration on the United States of America. I have not
favored the further granting of amnesty to the eight to twelve million illegal aliens here, most of whom are from Mexico, South
America, and Caribbean nations. There is, however, a power in numbers and in history. They are both relentless when examined
without prejudice.
Let me share some numbers with you from an interesting book, Right Before Our Eyes: Latinos Past, Present & Future
(Scholargy Publishing, 1555 W. University Drive, Suite 108, Tempe, AZ 85281, www.scholargy.com) by Robert Montemayor with
Henry Mendoza.
Latinos are the largest and the youngest ethnic minority in the United States.
At approximately 40 million today, Latinos account for 13.7 percent of the U.S. population.
By 2050, one out of every four Americans will be Latinos, a number that will exceed 100 million.
In 2020, one out of six workers in the U.S. will be Latino; in 2050, it will be one out of four.
Latinos will spend $700 billion this year.
Latinos represented between 6 to 8 million votes in the 2004 presidential election; they
were estimated to represent the critical swing vote in six States.
All of a sudden, I began to think that maybe Social Security might not go broke, if those illegal aliens were given the opportunity to
become tax-paying Americans with a better opportunity to have their children schooled so they too can join the workforce as the
baby-boomers head toward retirement. What does America need? A “geezer” workforce, or one that taps the ability of native-born
and immigrant Latinos?
A lot of Americans are going to be very surprised to discover that the taxpayer base in ten years and the workforce in 2020 are
going to be predominantly Latino. It will be same kind of surprise I felt when I realized that aisle in Pathmark represented a change I
hadn’t really noticed.
Part of the problem is that Latinos, particularly native-born, have had an especially hard time climbing the ladder of success in
America. The appointment of Alberto G. Gonzalez as the first Latino U.S. Attorney General was widely heralded, but Latinos remain
under-represented at the executive levels of business, education, law, politics, and policy. There are exceptions, yes, but they remain
exceptions.
Latinos are virtually invisible, with the exception of entertainers like Jennifer Lopez and Salma Hayek, musicians such as Emilio and
Gloria Estefan, and, from the world of sports, golfers LeeTravino, Chi Chi Rodriquez, or Nancy Lopez. Baseball has many Hispanic
stars such as Alex Rodriquez, Sammy Sosa, and Manny Ramirez. When you look to science, aerospace, art, architecture, medicine,
the military and politics, the names of Latino achievers are barely known to most people, let alone to the vast Hispanic community.
These days, the mainstream media focuses more on Latinos than it does on African-Americans. But, when you read or hear about a Latino,
it is most likely because he has been arrested. This media focus totally ignores the growing Latino middle class. For those born here
and others who arrive here legally or illegally, there is an astonishing 600 Spanish-language radio stations and an estimated 550
Spanish-language magazines, newspapers, and websites. As Montemayor notes, “It is an industry all its own, and it exists within
the largest English-speaking country in the world.”
Language is a major sore point among advocates and critics of immigration. All previous groups that arrived on our shores --
Italians, Russians, Germans, Poles, and others -- embraced English as the unifying language of the United States of America. It is
language that, more often than not, stymies the progress of Hispanic immigrants and, if history is any guide, it is the necessity to
learn English that will permit them to make a life for themselves and their children here.
Education is the key to progress, but our education system is in meltdown, poorly serving an entire generation of young Americans
and, more often than not, neglecting Hispanic children to the point of their dropping out in numbers too great to ignore without peril
to the growth of our economy and the well being of our society.
The numbers of Latinos born here and coming here cannot be ignored. Ways must be found to integrate new Hispanic immigrants
into our society, nor should we forget that there are already millions of first, second, third and fourth generation Latinos for whom
America is their home. A group that will spend $700 billion this year alone cannot be ignored, and that aisle in Pathmark says they
are not being ignored.
For those who resist this, a bit of history. Hispanic explorers had begun their travels around the North American continent centuries
before their English counterparts. Years before the first English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, Spanish explorers had discovered
and traversed most of what would become the Southeastern States of the U.S.A. (traveling from Florida to Texas), “discovered Lake
Michigan in the north, trekked down the Mississippi River, crossed New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada and Arizona, and claimed the
California coast extending as far north as Vancouver Island. In 1565, the Spanish admiral Pedro Menendez de Aviles founded St.
Augustine, Florida.” It would serve as Spain’s military headquarters in North America for the rest of the 16th century.
There are all kinds of issues swirling around the fact that some 400,000 illegal immigrants from Mexico, South America, and the
Caribbean are arriving yearly. There are national security issues, education issues, medical care issues, crime issues and language
issues, but there aren’t values issues. Latinos who risk everything, including their lives, to come here want to work, want their
children to have a better life, and want to live in a nation that offers real opportunity. And many come here legally, but go unnoted
against the television images of those who do not.
So, let’s face it. The future face of America is going to be less English, less Greek, less Scandinavian, less Russian, less Irish, less
Italian, less German, less Polish. We are going to learn to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, along with St. Patrick’s Day.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
Immigration & Illegal Aliens
Political Culture, Patriotism, & American National Identity
Ethnic & Racial Politics
Alan Caruba is a veteran business and science writer, a Public Relations Counselor, and Founder of the National Anxiety Center, a
clearinghouse for information about media-driven scare campaigns. Caruba writes a weekly commentary, "Warning Signs," posted
on the Internet website of the National Anxiety Center, which is located at
www.anxietycenter.com.
© Alan Caruba 2005
Published with Permission of Alan Caruba
ACaruba@AOL.Com
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Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
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