Free Republic

Simply asking someone “Where are you from?” or calling America "the land of opportunity” is now considered offensive at some colleges and universities, where such “micro-aggressions” are detailed in training programs and seminars for new faculty and staff. Other examples of “offensive” statements include, “I believe the most qualified person should get the job,” “Affirmative action is racist,” Everyone can succeed in this society, if they work hard enough,” When I look at you, I don’t see color,” and “I don’t believe in race.” A full list of these “offensive” statements can be seen here. The newly forbidden terms were...

America may still think of itself as the land of opportunity, but the chances of living a rags-to-riches life are a lot lower than elsewhere in the world, according to a new study published on Wednesday. The likelihood that a child born into a poor family will make it into the top five percent is just one percent, according to "Understanding Mobility in America," a study by economist Tom Hertz from American University. By contrast, a child born rich had a 22 percent chance of being rich as an adult, he said. "In other words, the chances of getting rich...

When Isidoro Vilarino fled Cuba with his wife and two young children in the 1980 Mariel boatlift, he was like most of the other 125,000 refugees - destitute, with few job skills and only the clothes on his back. Vilarino had worked on his father's livestock farm in the rural mountain town of Buey Arriba, near where Fidel Castro based his revolution to take over the country in the 1950s. Life was comfortable until Castro nationalized Cuban land and his father's farm in the early 1960s. Vilarino had to quit school and get a job working in a bar as...