Posted on 01/03/2003 10:54:30 PM PST by lewislynn
br>Jan. 3, 2003, 10:38PM
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration is starting a Spanish-language Web site designed to give 1.2 million Hispanic-owned businesses better access to information on government grants, trade and high-tech issues.
The Spanish site can be found at http://www.commerce.gov.
"The Hispanic community has an ally in President Bush," Commerce Secretary Don Evans said Friday.
It's a message Bush emphasized as a candidate for Texas governor and president, and one he hopes will win him support from the nation's fastest-growing ethnic minority as he heads toward a 2004 re-election campaign.
The number of U.S. Hispanics rose by 58 percent during the past decade to 35.3 million, according to census figures -- just under the 35.4 million figure for black Americans, the nation's largest minority. As many as 1 million Hispanics will be registered to vote by 2004.
The Web site is a sign of Bush's target within a community that has traditionally leaned Democratic: Hispanic business owners. Hispanics, especially women, form the nation's fastest-growing group of business owners.
"I think it's a good first step, a symbolic step, in recognizing the importance of the Hispanic community," said George Herrera, president of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which was consulted on the new site.
Although Bush, who speaks some Spanish, has pleased many Hispanics with his appointments, Herrera's group acknowledges that there's much ideological space to be bridged between Hispanics and the administration on such issues as raising the minimum wage and immigration reform for noncitizens who work in the United States.
Health care policy, too, is a prickly topic: Hispanics, just 11 percent of the U.S. population, account for 35 percent of those without health insurance.
I'm confused, are you talking about Mexican bigots or American bigots?
Unless you're referring to his personl wealth, where would Bush get money to give away to anyone?... let alone Mexicans.
We had our first black president in Clinton, now we have our first Mexican president in Bush
They've already started the hiring process.
Who's watching the White House? (Michelle Malkin)
U.S. Office of Personnel Management
Hispanic Employment Initiative
"American citizens of Hispanic ancestry still remain the only underrepresented minority group in the federal government."
- OPM Director
We are aggressively working to remedy this situation and encourage other federal agencies to do the same. See the following links regarding this initiative.
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release
October 12, 2000
By the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to improve the representation of Hispanics in Federal employment, within merit system principles and consistent with the application of appropriate veterans' preference criteria, to achieve a Federal workforce drawn from all segments of society, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Policy. It is the policy of the executive branch to recruit qualified individuals from appropriate sources in an effort to achieve a workforce drawn from all segments of society. Pursuant to this policy, this Administration notes that Hispanics remain underrepresented in the Federal workforce: they make up only 6.4 percent of the Federal civilian workforce, roughly half of their total representation in the civilian labor force. This Executive Order, therefore, affirms ongoing policies and recommends additional policies to eliminate the underpresentation of Hispanics in the Federal workforce.
Sec. 2. Responsibilities of Executive Departments and Agencies. The head of each executive department and agency (agency) shall establish and maintain a program for the recruitment and career development of Hispanics in Federal employment. In its program, each agency shall:
(a) provide a plan for recruiting Hispanics that creates a fully diverse workforce for the agency in the 21st century;
(b) assess and eliminate any systemic barriers to the effective recruitment and consideration of Hispanics, including but not limited to:
(1) broadening the area of consideration to include applicants from all appropriate sources;
(2) ensuring that selection factors are appropriate and achieve the broadest consideration of applicants and do not impose barriers to selection based on nonmerit factors; and
(3) considering the appointment of Hispanic Federal executives to rating, selection, performance review, and executive resources panels and boards;
(c) improve outreach efforts to include organizations outside the Federal Government in order to increase the number of Hispanic candidates in the selection pool for the Senior Executive Service;
(d) promote participation of Hispanic employees in management, leadership, and career development programs;
(e) ensure that performance plans for senior executives, managers, and supervisors include specific language related to significant accomplishments on diversity recruitment and career development and that accountability is predicated on those plans;
(f) establish appropriate agency advisory councils that include Hispanic Employment Program Managers;
(g) implement the goals of the Government-wide Hispanic Employment Initiatives issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in September 1997 (Nine-Point Plan), and the Report to the President's Management Council on Hispanic Employment in the Federal Government of March 1999;
(h) ensure that managers and supervisors receive periodic training in diversity management in order to carry out their responsibilities to maintain a diverse workforce; and
(i) reflect a continuing priority for eliminating Hispanic underrepresentation in the Federal workforce and incorporate actions under this order as strategies for achieving workforce diversity goals in the agency's Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Annual Performance Plan.
Sec. 3. Cooperation. All efforts taken by heads of agencies under sections 1 and 2 of this order shall, as appropriate, further partnerships and cooperation among Federal, public, and private sector employers, and appropriate Hispanic organizations whenever such partnerships and cooperation are possible and would promote the Federal employment of qualified individuals. In developing the long-term comprehensive strategies required by section 2 of this order, agencies shall, as appropriate, consult with and seek information and advice from experts in the areas of special targeted recruitment and diversity in employment.
Sec. 4. Responsibilities of the Office of Personnel Management. The Office of Personnel Management is required by law and regulations to undertake a Government-wide minority recruitment effort. Pursuant to that on-going effort and in implementation of this order, the Director of OPM shall:
(a) provide Federal human resources management policy guidance to address Hispanic underrepresentation where it occurs;
(b) take the lead in promoting diversity to executive agencies for such actions as deemed appropriate to promote equal employment opportunity;
(c) within 180 days from the date of this order, prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this order;
(d) within 60 days from the date of this order, establish an Interagency Task Force, chaired by the Director and composed of agency officials at the Deputy Secretary level, or the equivalent. This Task Force shall meet semi-annually to:
(1) review best practices in strategic human resources management planning, including alignment with agency GPRA plans;
(2) assess overall executive branch progress in complying with the requirements of this order;
(3) provide advice on ways to increase Hispanic community involvement; and
(4) recommend any further actions, as appropriate, in eliminating the underrepresentation of Hispanics in the Federal workforce where it occurs; and
(e) issue an annual report with findings and recommendations to the President on the progress made by agencies on matters related to this order. The first annual report shall be issued no later than 1 year from the date of this order.
Sec. 5. Judicial Review. This order is intended only to improve the internal management of the executive branch. It does not create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable in law or equity except as may be identified in existing laws and regulations, by a party against the United States, its agencies, its officers or employees, or any other person.
THE WHITE HOUSE,
October 12, 2000.
I'm a panderer, not a philanderer
"How many are illegal aliens?"
Exaclty!
Good News for Illegal Aliens
Fox News
Tuesday, July 24, 2001
Source
WASHINGTON A study group headed by Secretary of State Colin Powell and Attorney General John Ashcroft has recommended that the United States grant guest-worker status and possibly legal residency to some of the millions of undocumented Mexican immigrants.
The proposal, sent to the White House Friday, would be "part of our continued effort to work with the Mexican government toward our shared goal of a more orderly, more humane, legal and safe migration," spokesman Scott McClellan said.
The working group, co-chaired by Powell and Ashcroft, "recommends creation of a new, temporary guest-worker program that would allow for some of the workers to achieve permanent resident status over a period of time," McClellan said.
The plan would give guest-worker status to the immigrants and eventually could lead to permanent legal status to some of the 3 million Mexicans now in the United States unlawfully.
The New York Times, which first reported the recommendation, quoted unidentified administration officials and outside experts as saying 1 million to 2 million of the 3 million Mexican illegals could benefit from the program.
McClellan and a Justice Department spokesman said Tuesday the proposal contained no figures on how many people it could affect.
McClellan said many details remain to be worked out and numerous decisions made during discussions that are continuing between White House staff and the working group.
President Bush's domestic policy and national security advisers are currently studying the matter, McClellan said. The Justice-State task force hopes to have recommendations by September, when Mexican President Vicente Fox visits Bush in Washington.
In the past, Bush has stopped short of endorsing blanket amnesty for Mexicans in this country illegally.
White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said a week ago that Bush was committed to working with the Mexican government to ease what has been a disorderly process along the 2,000-mile border.
Mexican President Vicente Fox welcomed the development at the time, saying he was committed to "as many rights as possible for as many Mexican immigrants as possible as soon as possible."
Congressional conservatives have opposed anything beyond allowing Mexicans to stay as temporary laborers.
Republican Sen. Phil Gramm of Bush's home state of Texas said last week that any proposal to grant amnesty would set a bad example for 7 million Mexican immigrants who have legally applied to enter the country and are waiting for their paperwork to be approved.
Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, introduced legislation last week to create a program that lets farm workers now working in the United States become permanent residents after working 150 days a year for four years.
Any decision on granting legal status of Mexicans in the United States illegally would have political ramifications for Bush. He has actively courted the Hispanic vote, which could be an important voting bloc for the 2004 presidential election.
Not to mention NOT securing our borders with Mexico. Or help those living next to the border live sane lives - not having to fear for their life and be under constant siege as illegals frolick all over their property. Dare I mention, giving social security benefits to illegals? Or the cost of illegals already such as public schooling, health care etc.. Nah, Bush puts the allure of a second term over what should be common sense.
I wonder if other minority groups will pick up on this. The GWB administration is favoring Hispanics, with a large percentage of that group here illegally and/or unnecessarily, while Blacks, many of whom have citizenship that can be traced back to before the Civil War, have affirmative action that is unnacceptable to the Republican Party?
If Gore were President, the websites would be in Chinese.
Ah yes, nice start Mr. President; what can you do for us next.
Note folks that this guy's hispanic chamber of commerce - in the USA - was a consultant on this; did anyone from FR get asked what they thought of the idea?
The AP is easy to indentify by headlines - look for key words like "targets", "chides", "siezes", and "blasted". Examples - Kerry chides Bush..., Hillary siezes on..., Daschle blasted... And so on.
Try it and see if I'm right, :)
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