As Spain marked the 519th anniversary of Columbus setting foot in the New World, the United States was also celebrating - during September and October - our Hispanic heritage. On October 12th, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, the highest ranking Hispanic official in the U.S. government, hosted President Obama during remarks at the White House Forum on Latino American Heritage.
We are at a high point in our relationship, with increasing cooperation bilaterally and on the global stage around a shared global agenda, with Spanish investment growing in the United States and record numbers of Americans studying and vacationing in Spain. But there are more than 50 million reasons why the relationship could be even better.
There are 50 million Spanish-speaking Americans living in the United States and another 4 million in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. They are the United States' fastest growing ethnic group, and the U.S. government, businesses and local communities are all recognizing that fact. Already the country's largest ethnic group, by 2050 the Spanish-speaking population will double, comprising over a quarter of the population. With this population growth comes a corresponding increase in economic and political power. In the 2008 election, four states that had voted for George Bush in 2004 supported President Obama, and it was Hispanic voters that made the difference. Already, this group's purchasing power, even after the recession, is calculated at over one trillion dollars, roughly equal to three times Spain's projected 2011 exports.
While Spanish-speaking Americans in the United States are by no means a homogenous group - well over 60 percent were born there but immigrants come from all over Latin America - by and large they tend to share two important traits; a love of the United States and linguistic and cultural ties to their Spanish heritage.
At a time when the relationship between the United States and Spain is on an upswing, with increasing economic ties and a shared perspective on most global issues, it only makes sense to appeal openly to this increasingly important demographic to improve our relationship even further. There are enormous opportunities, and we have barely scratched the surface.
Among the most important connection between the United States and Spain is our economic relationship. Spain is the sixth largest economy in Europe, with 12% of Europe's GDP, and also the 11th largest investor in the U.S. Unbeknownst to many, Spain is the second fastest growing source of foreign direct investment in our country, second only to Singapore.
Over the last three years, direct investment by Spanish companies in the United States increased from $12,000 million to $47,500 million supporting an estimated 69,000 jobs and that number has only increased. But that is only a drop in the bucket compared to 2.3 million Spanish-speaking-owned businesses that generated almost $350,000 million in sales last year and employed a quarter of a million workers. These businesses represent a potential bridge into the U.S. market, but the biggest Spanish-speaking companies in the U.S. produce and export goods only to Latin America. I would like to see them turn their eyes to Spain, both as a market and potential partner for expansion.
The United States business presence in Spain is strong as well. Over 650 U. S. firms in Spain employ more than 300,000 workers, and these firms alone represent seven percent of Spain's GDP. But I think we can use our historical ties to leverage the Spanish-speaking community in the United States to do even better. I say that every chance I get, and I have brought many U.S. officials and businesses to Spain to carry that message here as well.
At the end of September, Assistant Secretary Jose W. Fernandez, a high ranking economic official at the Department of State was here to address the Spain - U.S. Latino Business Forum which has strong ties with Spanish-speaking businesses in New York and beyond. A week before that I was in Florida speaking to the U.S. - Spain Chamber of Commerce in Miami and Florida International University, which has 56% of Spanish-speakers among its students. And that is just two weeks.
Over the last year, the U.S. Embassy in Madrid has hosted visits by a score of high-ranking U.S. officials, and dozens of business people, looking to increase U.S. exports to Spain, expand business activity here and lure Spanish investment to the United States. The Spanish business community and the Spanish government's business promotion authorities have also been busy in the United States. Together we can use the language of Cervantes and the common heritage of 50 million Spanish-speaking Americans to build stronger bridges between our communities and increase prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic.
How would Spain like it if a bunch of Swedes plopped themselves down and refused to speak Spanish? And given how the rest of Europe has reacted to foreign contingencies moving in and not assimilating they are just as unhappy as Americans with the Latinos. More Europeans exploiting the indigenous of the Americas. After all the Latinos who illegally migrate to the US are not the white Spaniards, they are the poor Indians who have very little opportunity in their own homelands.
This is a cheap move by Spain.
Even visiting the United States can be very frustrating due to all of the rules and biases. I have many relatives in Spain and for the most part we americans are the more backward branch of the clan.
As for the US relationship with monarchies, I know that the US is based on certain Ideas that come in direct contradiction to "The Former Way Of Things". That must be why all US presidents, from Eisenhower to Ford (not JFK, but just because he didn't have enough time), were very comfortable hugging and flattering Francisco Franco:
http://www.elpais.com/fotografia/espana/Franco/presidedente/Eisenhower/elpdianac/20090405elpepinac_2/Ies/
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=2693#axzz1b5dYhaPs
http://www.generalisimofranco.com/franco/001/franco_nixon1970.jpg
http://www.foto-campua.com/web%20images/Nixon-y-franco.jpg
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=4954#axzz1b5dYhaPs
In a sea of EU many of the most wealthy understand that in a short time inflation and the failing currency will make their wealth cut in half. So investing in the USA, as crazy as we are is still safer then investing in a banking system that is way over balanced by bad debt and is filled with countries that have no ability to expand commercially.
This also results in cultural encounters (which in my opinion, is even more interesting).
In Spain, basically, the U.S. is known for the films, in which we normally receive an image of ordinary American lives in a residential area of single family homes with at least two cars, married, two or three children, dog, barbecue ... Heh, heh. Well, if so, I want to go live in USA.
I do not think that 100% of Americans live that way. Surely there will be many, of course, as in Spain there are many people living at that level. But not 100%.
What is Spain's image in the U.S.? ... Apparently (again, apparently), we all dressed as a bullfighter, only we eat paella and wine and talked much screaming.
That's not true, I assure you (although there may be some specimen like that), and probably not be true that the ordinary American thinks that the Spanish.
Is it important that everyone knows the other? ... I do not know. Surely each in our respective countries, we are waiting for our own problems. But neither is it fair that the little we know about each other only are the topics.
(Sorry for my bad English)
In any case, you may be right about Americans. But I have had to travel to many countries (a country that I have yet to travel is the U.S., but after that I do not think they'll let me get in) and always, always!, I had to break the topics that I was wearing from Spain.
We receive biased information often and almost always, made up of our neighboring countries.
Why should not we virtualize the aliens with increasingly ridiculous appearance?
But as the blogger, Whitemeriot points out the Spanish-speaking people in our nation are from central and South America. They want to see a Western Hemisphere fair-trade region that requires labor, environmental and quality standards and fairly spread opportunity for the masses that can only be attained through protectionism from external mercantilism.
Those few American leaders who argue that our government and people must get our own house in order---including making American-English as the legal language---are wise leaders. We are no example to others when we are indebted and at the mercy of international corporate monopoly and foreign sovereign states.
We must regain control of our own finances, trade, domestic production and employment or be cast upon the trash heap of failed nation-states. Self-governance must not be sacrificed for higher values such as world-wide banking or trade cartels or simply the economic colossus of a few. Our idled humanity first priority is to be put back to work and purpose. Our economic system is broken. Our government must be employer of our dangerously declining present until an honorable, just private economic system is redesigned as was the American economy of FDR, HST, Eisenhower (and Kennedy with some caveats). We must be fearless and willing to try the untried, to address our trade deficits, unemployment and dwindling tax revenue and out-sourced manufacturing directly and without hesitation or excuses.
Spain has borrowed itself broke. Their Nanny State is coming to an end. The goal has been to hold it all up until 2013....apparently to try and get Obama re-elected but they may collapse before then.
(Ha..never miss a chance to do business)