The Economy of a Latino Community. The Challenges and Opportunities for Latinos in the Twenty-Five Years of Latin American Politics
As midterm elections approach, the conversation around Latino voters has come into focus yet again. While politicians try to win the Latino vote in battleground states, the nuances and complexity within the community are often erased.
The Latino community is not immune to the same economic problems that most Americans are facing. A large number of small business owners are restaurants, construction, landscaping, services in general, as well as professional jobs that do not get the benefit of tax credits and capital gains.
“Also, because family nucleus is also a hallmark of our culture, taking care of family members who are not doing well is an expectation. … The economic stress is very real, there is no wealth for one or two generations, if you are into the country.
“The Gun Problem”: Latino Voter Issues Towards More Funding for Schools and a New Opportunity for Higher Education in the United States
“The gun issue is huge for me — as parent, as a citizen. Semi-automatic weapons have no place or need in our society, regardless of age. An age ban won’t fix the problem. It is too easy to get a gun in the U.S.
The so called ‘gun lobby’ is related to that. We live in a society where the money and influence of gun manufacturers is more powerful and important than the safety of our citizens. It doesn’t make sense for me to put my kids in school when a troubled individual plans to shoot up the school or a movie theater. … I’m very proud of the fact that I never shot a gun in my life.
Education is a core part of our culture. Most Latino parents want their kids to attend college, and they are huge on making sure that happens. I have lived in Florida for 1.5 years and in Washington for 10 years and I now realize how different education is in other parts of the country.
It isn’t much addressed by politicians, especially in swing states where that could be an important part of who we vote for. … I would like to see politicians working with local governments to give more money to these schools.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/11/02/1129660076/latino-voter-issues-midterms
Latino Voter Issues during Inflation: How to Prevent the Next Great Hurricane? A Comment on the Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Inflation is at a four-decade high. Most Americans are concerned about this, but especially marginalized communities. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York analyzed inflation and found that people of Latino and African descent were more affected by it.
“Sometimes I feel like politicians don’t want a voice or to truly represent me, they just want my vote by pandering. I don’t identify with a politician just because they are Hispanic or Latino, and I want them to be more aware of the challenges they face in their community.
I have to live with my family and save for a place to move from because of the rising cost of living, which is why inflation is very important to me. Finding a decent apartment at a reasonable price in the DFW area has not been easy.
Every single year the U.N. has called for the decolonization of Puerto Rico. The bandera flag was not allowed to be flown and a crime was involved in independence movement as recently as the 1950s. These people are Americans, but no one cares.
“See it through that the money given to Puerto Rico after the storms is actually used to improve the infrastructure to withstand the next great storm.”
Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/11/02/1129660076/latino-voter-issues-midterms
Latino Voter Issues Midterms: Is It Necessary to Expect Legalization to End or Forbids Religious Freedom?
I am a Hispanic woman and I live in a red state which supports taking away rights that I consider fundamental. I wish the politicians would fight for fundamental rights like access to health care, privacy and so many other things that seem to be being denied.
The focus should be on making it more affordable in the community when it comes to accessing health care. I know that abortion and the health care surrounding it is important, but it’s not the only part.
“This election circuit seems to be mostly about legalization, both abortion and marijuana. … I don’t want promises to legalize, I want real change to infrastructure.”
According to Gallup, 21% of people in the United States say they’re no religion for the year 2021. This has been mentioned a number of times when discussing religion in the United States, but not when discussing religious freedom or reporting on conflicts where someone proclaims that their religious freedom is under attack.
“The concern that I have with this argument being used is it works towards creating a precedence that favors a religious view of a particular group, which can help a certain religion to be considered a standard. I believe a question like, “How much will this affect someone else’s right to be religious?” is needed to be asked when discussing an argument of religious freedom.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/11/02/1129660076/latino-voter-issues-midterms
Latino Voter Issues: Midterms vs. Economic Growth in the U.S. and Where Puerto Ricans Live
“I live across from a rented corn field and every year I watch people like my grandfather work their butts off to grow the food that we put on our tables. Yes, some Puerto Ricans worked in the fields and orchards like my grandfather and uncle did.
“I’ve visited the fields and trailers my family worked and lived in, cooking over a fire because there’s no electricity or running water in their ‘accommodations.’ “
I believe in the power of capitalism. Equality of opportunity and regulations encouraging market competition are the two most critical components for growing the economy and stabilizing society. Education in the U.S. lags behind other countries and by studying the American curriculum to make it internationally competitive for the 2020s, it will be possible to get outstanding returns on investment. That is why education is essential to me, as I believe without it, my parents’ immigration to the U.S. would have been for nothing.
It is a perfect solution for the climate and connecting our cities. This promotes cross-economic growth and dramatically reduces the need for individual motor vehicles. As a Floridian, I cannot stress how annoying it is. I can’t take a train ride to Miami and have to drive for 5 hours.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/11/02/1129660076/latino-voter-issues-midterms
The Impact of a Latino’s Minority on Public Works, Education, and Civil Rights: A Call for a Reformed United States of Government
“I live in a major metropolitan city. Shouldn’t politicians talk to me about my civil rights, infrastructure, and education if they want the Latino vote? Why aren’t they talking about how being Latino negatively affects a person’s life and education, and their job prospects?
It’s not surprising that voting is the most pressing contemporary issue. Every effort needs to be made to strengthen the right of every age eligible citizen to vote and not have their vote diluted and subverted by gerrymandering, neo-Jim Crow measures or other subversive forms of scheming. Individual state legislative action that erodes the right to vote is a call to return to an Articles of Confederation form of government, which didn’t go so well.”
I wish politicians would stop demonizing us. Many Latin Americans have been in this country for generations. We play a large part in the country’s stability. We pay taxes, give to our communities, and hire many people.
“Cliché, but immigration and asylum reform. The system is not working. Don’t get rid of it, and don’t throw more police at it. Actual bureaucratic reform, more asylum-seeker stations, more pencil pushers and re-evaluate immigration policies.”
“I have a master’s degree, and I am unable to find a job that would provide me with career advancement. I worked for a variety of jobs from the grocery store, to government and non-profit sectors. I was not able to move up because of fierce competition and most of these jobs — and career advancement — tend to go to whiter individuals. I feel like I’m not appreciated by employers despite having an advanced degree. There seem to be implicit biases that hurt us Latinos/Latinas’ job prospects.”