I guess you have a point. Although it still astounds me that entire towns plummet into poverty in such a short period of time. It takes years to build a stable community and within say 3-5 years its gone! Since you know way more than I do perhaps you can answer some nagging questions I have.
1. Why do latino's like to share housing? I'm not talking about roommates either. More like the folks behind me, 5 FAMILIES, kids and all.
2. Have latino's ever heard of birthcontrol? Don't give me the catholic thing, I am a catholic and only have 3 kids; thats all I thought I could afford.
3. In my immediate area, there has been a HUGE influx of latino's. While our schools were not perfect, why do the youth engage in gang activity.
4. Is graffiti a cultural thing? What does tagging a neighborhood mean?
5. Do you think it is fair that my sister-in-law, who is from Germany had to pay a few grand to get her legal status? Oh and by the way, she married an American citizen and she is a RN, a profession that is desperately needed here, more so than a landscaper.
I don't think that there are genetic reasons why "Latinos" share houses...I think it's mostly economical reasons. I will say that it is a cultural thing for multiple generations to live under one roof.
My grandparents lived with us until they passed away, and I can tell you that it was a great thing.
It's also traditional for the children to live at home until they marry.
I think that the birth thing has to do with the median age of Hispanics in the US, versus the median age of non-Hispanics.
Let's look at Arizona:
Olivas said that what's fueling Hispanic birth rates is the group's median age in Arizona: 24.1 vs. 36 for all other ethnic groups combined.That means the Hispanic population in general is of prime reproductive age, with half being younger than 24 and half being older.
The median age for Anglo residents in the state is 38.
I think the gang thing pretty much comes with immigration and low incomes.
We saw Italian gangs, Irish gangs, and gangs of nearly every other culture as those groups settled into the country.
I don't understand graffiti, but here's something interesting:
"Modern graffiti art originated in New York City, and it was known first as "New York Style" graffiti. This art form began in the late 1960's when teens used permanent markers to tag or write their names, followed by the number of the street on which they lived, in subway cars. This trend originated with the appearance of "Taki 183" which was the tag of a Greek American boy named Demitrius. Tagging soon became a way to get one's name known throughout the city. However, it should be noted that tagging appeared in Philadelphia before New York. The monikers, "Cornbread" and "Top Cat" were well known in Philadelphia, and when Top Cat's style appeared in New York, it was dubbed as "Broadway Style" for its long skinny lettering." -- Source
Re: your last question...
I came here legally, waited nearly a decade to come, and by no means do I approve of people entering this country illegally.
I do however, try to identify the underlying reasons why we have this problem, and I have learned a lot along the way.
Illegal aliens are the symptom, not the disease.
Follow the money, and you'll get your answers.
1. Why do VietNamese like to share housing? I'm not talking about roommates either. More like the folks behind me, 5 FAMILIES, kids and all.
2. Have VietNamese ever heard of birthcontrol? Don't give me the catholic thing, I am a catholic and only have 3 kids; thats all I thought I could afford.
3. In my immediate area, there has been a HUGE influx of VietNamese. While our schools were not perfect, why do the youth engage in gang activity.
4. Is graffiti a cultural thing? What does tagging a neighborhood mean?
5. Do you think it is fair that my sister-in-law, who is from Brazil had to pay a few grand to get her legal status? Oh and by the way, she married an American citizen and she is a RN, a profession that is desperately needed here, more so than a landscaper.
On point 5, I guess it depends on whether you are sick; or the facilities manager of a corporate campus where the geese are crapping in the executive entrance and the grass is knee-deep ;)