It's not what you think. Yes, the Census counts more than 50 million Hispanics in the US. But the new prominence of the Hispanic population shouldn't just matter because of their votes and the 2012 election cycle.
It's time for America as a whole to understand the real value, the unique characteristics and the new types of opportunities that Hispanics can create for the country. The identity crisis that Hispanics are faced with each day has made it difficult for them to advance, thus damaging their identity and limiting their contributions to the economy.
Today, we need the Hispanic professional and the broader Hispanic community in this country to start bringing their unique immigrant perspective to work and to help solve the enormous problems facing America today.
The news media are obsessed with the illegal immigrant discussion, but that should be a side issue in a country overrun with debt, mired in a recession, and -- most importantly -- stuck in a morass of self-doubt.
Who's going to get America moving again? The fiercely competitive global market requires everyone to begin contributing in newly meaningful and purposeful ways to the global economy. Hispanics must embrace this to-do like everyone else. They cannot afford to continue thinking of themselves as victims, and the US economy cannot afford that victim thinking either.
It's time for Hispanics to bring their immigrant values and resourceful thinking to bear on getting America moving again. The crisis of confidence is the important issue now, and Hispanics can help.
The time has come for Hispanics to embrace their unique cultural differences and realize the power that this diversity gives them. Hispanics must recapture their authentic identities and train non-Hispanics to understand them. Hispanics must embrace their immigrant perspective, circular vision, Latin passion, entrepreneurial spirit, generous purpose and cultural promise - the natural characteristics that are inborn in their culture and that allow them to be highly effective contributors to the economy. It's time for Hispanics to take it upon themselves to break out of their identity crisis and claim influence amongst their non-Hispanic peers.
Hispanics need to stop being viewed as victims of lost opportunities in their mother country and start being held accountable as new sources for innovation, economic prosperity, global influence and the economic revival of our country.
It's time for Hispanics to earn the right to be more influential in America. Population growth alone does not entitle Hispanics or any other group in society to own the resources of our great country.
Until Hispanics discover their authentic leadership role, they will continue to be misrepresented and misunderstood. Today, many non-Hispanic whites believe they are financing the Hispanic population growth. Hispanics must seize the moment, take on their responsibilities, and change the role of the Hispanic immigrant in the United States. At 50 million strong, and growing faster than any other group, Hispanics must grow up now.
As I discuss this issue with executives in the boardroom and professors in the classroom, they often refer to Hispanics as second-class citizens. And because of this, Hispanic professionals, adults and children would rather assimilate and reject their essential identities. If this assimilation continues, we will lose the brilliance and innovative flair of the Hispanic population, and the US economy will suffer as a result, in the competition with the rest of the world.
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The U.S has an employment problem, 15-30 million unskilled, uneducated foreigners don't help the problem, in fact they make it worse.
The worlds advancing in this age of technology, yet our schools are being dumbed down to cater to the huge influx of non-english speaking slow learning group of invaders. This to does not help the country, it simply makes keeping up much harder.
It's part of being an American. If the people came here to change their lives, that means living in and contributing to the American culture not expecting that theirs will be immediately accepted.
The United States of America has it's own language, a rich history, many cultures and even a special culture of it's own.
We already have plenty of Latin-American US citizens and many don't speak Spanish because that is not the language of the country they are part of. They became part of America.
The old ways based on customs and traditions didn't work. That is why people come here.
One successful attitude of immigrants has been "You're in a new place. Try something new."
Think outside the "cultural heritage" box. That's the American Way.
America is still open to "the huddled masses" and in fact more than a million people become citizens every year. Like any other country, including the Latin countries, becoming a citizen requires assimilation.
Good for you having served in the Navy. You should be aware of the value of patriotism then and understand why America demands respect for Her laws.
You should also understand why when becoming a citizen it is demanded that all loyalties to foreign governments be forsworn.
All those immigrants who came through Ellis and became citizens pledged to be Americans first and whatever ethnic group they were second. That is not to much to ask.
To insist that if America does not accept your culture as whole cloth then it is hateful shows an astounding sense of victimhood and superiority at the same time.
If Hispanics wish to live in a strictly Latin culture, there are several countries in the Western Hemisphere that are strictly Spanish and Latino cultured.
America is not one of them. Here people try to embrace and be a part of the culture, not just wrap it around their own people.
I would say look in the mirror to find the one who is doing the hating.
In neo-"latino" wonderland, integrity, honesty and truth are very inconvenient hurdles to be stepped over or slithered under.
The one that includes Chinese Cubans?, White Puerto Ricans, Black Dominicans? Lebanese Mexicans? Japanese Peruvians? Jewish Argentinians?
There is NO singular "latino" agenda, THAT is why there never has been and never will be a "latino" voice in the US that amounts to more than just hype every election cycle.
Right now that fictitious latino "voice" belongs to whoever grabs the megaphone.
Demographically that voice would seem to belong to Mexican-Americans because of their numbers. But since they can't even agree on whether they are "latinos", "hispanics", "chicanos" "mexicans" or "mexican-americans or decide to be English-speaking or Spanish-speaking or if they will actually endorse the ILLEGAL agenda --- a HUGE mistake that will cost them the support of the other "latinos" who don't buy into law-breaking.
I hope that helps.
Your quote, "If this assimilation continues, we will lose the brilliance and innovative flair of the Hispanic population, and the US economy will suffer as a result, in the competition with the rest of the world."
I've witnessed too many illegals on construction sites, making $22/hr USD, that are anti-assimilative, not understanding, nor able to speak English ~ who have been seriously injured and/or died of injuries
All related to their inability to understand and/or speak English ~ but, wanted that $22/hr USA construction job
Now, let's look closer into that impressive 50.5 million figure
PEWHispanic.org ~
Hispanic/Latinos eligible to vote ~ 21 million
Hispanic/Latinos eligible to vote, that actually vote ~ 2008 Election record high of 9 million
Percentage of Hispanic/Latino voters of the Hispanic/Latino Community ~ 17.8%.