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The Unspeakable Peril For Latinos
nypost.com ^ | July 11, 2008 | Rich Lowry

Posted on 07/11/2008 10:31:28 AM PDT by Free ThinkerNY

John McCain and Barack Obama both gave speeches at the League of United Latin American Citizens convention in Wash ington - and in the 4,600 words they spoke between them didn't mention assimilation once.

Never mind that assimilation is the key to the historic success of American immigration. We all know how it classically works: An immigrant group comes to the US with low levels of education and income, living in ethnic enclaves and clinging to its original culture; then, its children improve their socio-economic lot, and the children-of-the-children get even further ahead, until they are all doctors and lawyers living in the suburbs and recalling the culture of the homeland mainly during holidays or ethnic festivals.

But for the bulk of new Latino immigrants - Mexican-Americans - it's not working this way. In their book-length study "Generations of Exclusion," UCLA sociologists Edward E. Telles and Vilma Ortiz paint an alarming picture of assimilation proceeding only haltingly and sometimes stalling out entirely.

Telles and Ortiz use extensive post-1965 survey data from Los Angeles and San Antonio to follow four generations of Mexican-Americans. Generally, they find clear progress from the first generation to the second, in educational attainment, income and linguistic and cultural assimilation. But then progress gets slower and sometimes reverses.

Consider education. After big initial gains, Torres and Ortiz found, "Mexican-American schooling remained fairly flat in succeeding generations."

Education affects economic status. "Our findings show a consistent lack of economic progress across generations-since-immigration," they write, and "income and earnings for the fourth generation do not differ significantly from those of the second and third generation." The upshot: "The income inequality between Mexican-Americans and other Americans worsened in most cases between 1970 and 2000."

How about moving out of ethnic enclaves?

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: aliens; assimilation; immigration; mccain; obama

1 posted on 07/11/2008 10:31:28 AM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
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To: Free ThinkerNY
The welfare plantation works just as effectively on Hispanics as it does on other dependent groups.
2 posted on 07/11/2008 10:36:17 AM PDT by Carry_Okie (We have people in power with desire for evil.)
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To: Carry_Okie

Yep! bttt


3 posted on 07/11/2008 10:37:24 AM PDT by Matchett-PI (Driving a Phase-2 Operation Chaos Roadster that burns both gas AND rubber!)
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To: Matchett-PI

Yep, the liberals nowadays say that America is not a melting pot anymore. Instead, we’re a salad bowl, full of different ingredients mixed together but still separate and distinct ingredients. Some of us are lettuce, some of us are tomatoes, some of us are croutons, and the rest of us are different flavors of salad dressing. Or so they say.


4 posted on 07/11/2008 10:39:45 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Spanish: the language of poverty.


5 posted on 07/11/2008 10:41:27 AM PDT by Ratblaster
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Any group that fails to assimilate will fail in America.

It does not mean you deny your culture and heritage - it means you behave as a mainstream American.

You need look no further than the core Obama constituency that will turn out 92% or more in his favor in November.


6 posted on 07/11/2008 10:42:10 AM PDT by AbeKrieger (There is a special place in Hell for Lyndon Johnson.)
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To: Dilbert San Diego
Conservatives are the mixing utensils...

Liberals are the compost pile...

7 posted on 07/11/2008 10:43:01 AM PDT by C210N (The television has mounted the most serious assault on Republicanism since Das Kapital.)
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To: Free ThinkerNY
The quisling candidates don't want assimilation anymore than the reconquista colonists.
8 posted on 07/11/2008 10:45:54 AM PDT by isrul (Help make every day, "Disrespect a muzzie day.")
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To: C210N

The liberals sure do lecture us about being a nation of immigrants and our ancestors came here, yadda, yadda, yadda.

A big question which should be asked, is, do we have a right to keep our American culture, or do we have to accomodate newcomers? Should we have to change to accomodate them, or is the burden on them to change to accomodate themselves to America?

This may be more important esp. with Muslim immigration. I think in Britian they are agitating to have Sharia law within their communities there. Can you imagine that happening here? Shouldn’t there be a pre-supposition that any immigrant wants to come to America to be part of what America is, rather than wanting to change America to be like their home countries?


9 posted on 07/11/2008 10:50:41 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: Dilbert San Diego
The liberals sure do lecture us about being a nation of immigrants and our ancestors came here, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Not a nation of "immigrants", but of "settlers." Immigrants may come and go, but settlers come to till the soil, to build a country, to work and improve it, and to defend what they create.

Words mean things, and liberals know it too, even while they deny it.

10 posted on 07/11/2008 10:55:56 AM PDT by thulldud (Congress does not want answers. They want scapegoats. (andy58-in-nh))
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To: Ratblaster
Spanish: the language of poverty

You are correct. My wife is from Mexico but her father sent her to schools in Mexico to learn English as well as her normal studies. He did this for all his children and then sent them to the University of Texas. All of them graduated. He paid out of state tuition for all of them. All three have good jobs. My wife graduated at the top of her class in computer science.

The government gave them nothing and they asked for nothing. Spanish and English is spoken in my house, I am Anglo but grew up on the border. When we go out of the house to work the name of the game is English not Spanish. My wife is living the American Dream because she can compete in our society in ENGLISH.

Each and every program the government comes up with caters to the Spanish speakers in their native tongue. This is the recipe for economic enslavement of the non English speaking individuals.

11 posted on 07/11/2008 11:03:06 AM PDT by cpdiii (roughneck, oilfield trash and proud of it, geologist, pilot, pharmacist, iconoclast.)
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To: Dilbert San Diego

Instead, we’re a salad bowl,
((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
Divide and conquer.
Kill the Goose that lays the Golden Egg.
etc.


12 posted on 07/11/2008 11:04:38 AM PDT by CHEE (Stink, Steam and All)
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To: cpdiii

A great report. Any chance you could write it up for Latino publications? It’s exactly what they need to hear over and over and over again.


13 posted on 07/11/2008 11:34:44 AM PDT by Veto! (Opinions freely dispensed as advice)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

It’s really very simple.

The Mexicans come here for the MONEY and the GOVERNMENT BENIES.

They could care less about our culture and being assimilated.


Which reminds me of a quick joke.

From the dyslexic Borg:

“Borg we are. Your ass will be laminated.”


14 posted on 07/11/2008 12:08:52 PM PDT by upchuck (As we doggedly march towards dystopia, my poor country is losing it's mind. God help us!)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

McCain can pander to hispanics all he wants - he will not recieve my vote. I wont vote for Obama but I actually believe he is better than McCain - I would rather go over the cliff at 100mph than putter along at 10mph with McCain. If America is going to be ruined at least let get it on with Obama - McCain will only stab conservatives in the back while he smiles to their face - I want to know my enemy.


15 posted on 07/11/2008 12:14:35 PM PDT by sasafras (Diversity = Mandated Racism)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

They have a choice: become one of US or stay one of THEM.

Too many are choosing the latter.

It’s great to be proud of your Latino heritage. It’s stupid to be proud of dropping out of high school, being a gang member, or being an unwed mother or father as a teenager.


16 posted on 07/11/2008 2:05:29 PM PDT by jimt
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Our leaders have been drinking diversity koolaid and want us all to do it, too. Drink it!


17 posted on 07/11/2008 8:07:32 PM PDT by ViLaLuz (2 Chronicles 7:14)
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