I think we can all agree that Larry Whitten's probably racist. More importantly, he's stupid. If this was another region of the United States (let's say Nebraska), then his decision would be no less wrong, but I think we could agree that it might be a little justified. Folks in the good ol' white bread Midwest might have a little more difficulty adjusting to the Hispanic names and such. But this is New Mexico, for crying out loud. Now, I'm not an expert on New Mexico, but it seems to me that the population there comprises a good chunk of Hispanics. You would expect guests to be used to Hispanic culture and to Spanish being spoken in their presence.
In short, I think what we have here is one man shooting himself in the foot with his personal preferences. His logic for doing this is misguided, and frankly, I don't think that customers are going to care whether they have to say "Mar-teen" or "Martin." This is America. Some people have ethnic names. Get over it.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Latinos and the census boycott
I'd first like to say that I don't see how boycotting the 2010 Census is going to help Latinos make a statement on the issue of illegal immigration. If they hope to give a greater voice to issues of immigration reform, then it seems to me that they are just shooting themselves in the figurative foot, because a Census boycott would lead to decreased representation. I'm inclined to agree with Cabrera that this strategy is going to have negative consequences in spite of the good intentions.
As for whether or not illegal immigrants ought to be counted in the US Census. . . . I would have to say yes, but perhaps not for reasons that people might think. I don't support illegal immigration. I believe that if you're going to come to the United States, then you should go about doing so according to government procedures. However, I think it's a good idea to include illegal immigrants (not sure if that's the PC term) in the Census because doing so would provide a more accurate understanding of who is living inside our borders. Statistics can make a pretty good stab at the number of illegal immigrants in this country, but of course we can't know the real number because they are without documentation. Participation in the Census would provide a good idea as to the scope of this issue.
Secondly, once we have an idea of how many illegal immigrants are residing within the United States, it might be easier to formulate a plan to make them legal US citizens. I don't pretend to know how, exactly, but it seems to be a good start.
As for whether or not illegal immigrants ought to be counted in the US Census. . . . I would have to say yes, but perhaps not for reasons that people might think. I don't support illegal immigration. I believe that if you're going to come to the United States, then you should go about doing so according to government procedures. However, I think it's a good idea to include illegal immigrants (not sure if that's the PC term) in the Census because doing so would provide a more accurate understanding of who is living inside our borders. Statistics can make a pretty good stab at the number of illegal immigrants in this country, but of course we can't know the real number because they are without documentation. Participation in the Census would provide a good idea as to the scope of this issue.
Secondly, once we have an idea of how many illegal immigrants are residing within the United States, it might be easier to formulate a plan to make them legal US citizens. I don't pretend to know how, exactly, but it seems to be a good start.
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