Subject: ICYMI - LATINO Magazine: Americas Economic Recovery Is Great Because Of Latinos
From: Kristian Ramos <[email-masked]>
To: Kristian Ramos <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 9 May 2016 14:47:28 -0400

*Friends, j**ust wanted to make sure you saw my latest in Latino Magazine
on how Latinos have contributed so much to our economic recovery. While
things arent perfect they are absolutely much better, Latinos have been a
big part of this process. Feedback as always is welcome. - Kristian *

*Americas Economic Recovery Is Great Because Of Latinos*

My abuelos both came from Mexico to the United States because they believed
that America was the greatest country in the world.  One abuelo was a
mechanic, the other a construction worker, both among the hardest workers
around.

Growing up, my abuela told me that my grandfather would go to work tired,
sick and hurt, simply because he had children to feed. Once, he worked in
the snow with a broken leg carrying produce from the back of a truck into a
warehouse.  The other worked in 110 degree weather shoveling asphalt to
ensure that his family of five had food on the table.

My abuelos work ethic inspired their children to become successful
professionals including business owners, engineers and doctors.  They are
now productive role models contributing to the greatness of our country.

My grandparents story is a perfect example of the American dream and a
direct refutation to Donald Trump’s noxious statements that Mexico is
sending rapists, murderers and criminals to the United States and not much
else.

The subtext of Trump’s noxious statements is that the more Latinos and
immigrants come to America the more it declines in greatness. Trump’s
argument is not just insulting rhetoric, but it is simply not based in
fact.  A perusal of the roll of Latinos and immigrants on America's economy
provides strong evidence of just how wrong Trump and other conservatives
are about our contributions to America.

Over the last ten years, Latino representation has increased in number and
proportion in the United States.  During this time overall economic health
has not declined but *improved*
<http://money.cnn.com/2016/01/08/news/economy/us-economy-jobs-second-best-year-since-1999/>.
America’s economic standing is healthy and Latinos and immigrants are
contributing.

Scapegoating immigrants and Latinos is nothing new, it  is common during
economic downturn.  The irony here is that while our economy is not
perfect, we are actually in the middle of an economic upswing.

In 2014, America had the best jobs *year*
<http://money.cnn.com/2015/01/09/news/economy/december-jobs-report-unemployment/>
since the halcyon economic boom time of the late 1990’s. Furthermore, many
do not realize in 2014, the unemployment rate dipped below 5%, nearing what
most *economists*
<http://www.wsj.com/articles/economists-see-u-s-on-cusp-of-full-employment-wsj-survey-says-1444313041>
consider "full employment."

Currently, unemployment is down by half from its peak of 10% in 2009 and a
majority of U.S. households enjoyed healthy income gains in 2013 and 2014.
Overall *unemployment*
<http://www.vox.com/2015/9/5/9262673/unemployment-rate-obama-reagan> is
currently lower than at any point in the Ronald Reagan administration. In
fact, Americans experienced *average*
<http://www.fastcompany.com/3055151/the-future-of-work/employees-will-get-the-biggest-salary-increase-in-years-in-2016>
wage increases of 2.5% and saw their paychecks go up too.

Far from being the economic nuclear wasteland depicted by Trump and other
conservatives, America's economy has improved greatly over the last eight
years.  As for our community, far from hurting America's economic growth,
Latinos and immigrants are helping to improve it.

Hispanics are becoming more educated, with their college enrollment between
the ages of 18 to 24 more than *tripling*
<http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/04/24/more-hispanics-blacks-enrolling-in-college-but-lag-in-bachelors-degrees/>
from 1996 to 2012, according to Pew Hispanic Research.   As a result,
Latinos’ share of new entrants into the civilian labor force reached 20
percent in white and gray collar jobs.  Which is to say that far from being
drains on the work force we are working.

Latino *employment*
<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/09/business/economy/job-growth-for-hispanics-is-outpacing-other-groups.html?_r=0>
is increasing faster than all other groups, our strong work ethic and work
contributions have helped drive the overall unemployment down. Hispanic
households made *more*
<http://www.ndn.org/blog/2016/04/whatever-some-candidates-tell-you-incomes-most-americans-have-been-rising>
income progress in 2013 and 2014 than any other group.

Latinos are hard workers who contribute both spending power, labor output
and business growth.  We contribute *$1.5 trillion*
<http://www.retailleader.com/top-story-consumer_insights-hispanic_buying_power_to_increase_50_percent_by_2015__nielsen-695.html>
in buying power to the U.S. economy.  By 2019, Latinos will account for
*10.6%*
<http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/latinas-are-becoming-one-retail-industrys-most-powerful-consumers-n378086>
of total U.S. buying power.  Latino workers will account for 40% of *employment
growth*
<http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2015/02/24/hispanics-could-account-for-40-of-u-s-job-growth-by-2020/>
in
next 5 years.  Most importantly, immigrants and Latinos *helped*
<http://www.wsj.com/articles/immigrants-latinos-helped-drive-business-creation-last-year-1432771383>
drive an uptick in new business creation, according to a measure of 2014
U.S. startup activity.

It is not just Latinos who are making our economy stronger, undocumented
immigrants *contribute* <http://www.itep.org/immigration/> significantly to
state and local taxes, collectively paying an estimated $11.64 billion a
year.  Contributions range from almost $2.2 million in Montana with an
estimated undocumented population of 4,000 to more than $3.1 billion in
California, home to more than 3 million undocumented immigrants.

All of this data points to a simple irrefutable fact, Latinos and
immigrants are contributing in very meaningful ways to America’s greatness.

My grandfathers were proud of what they accomplished in their lifetimes.
They had limited English skills but made their dreams come true by helping
their children get college educations.  They were simply immigrants, who
came to this country because they wanted better lives for their children.
Their lessons and legacy were to teach us the value of hard work, education
and dignity. They are the embodiment of what makes America great.

America’s melting pot has always created some level of anxiety and nativism
in the conservative movement. There is no excuse for fear mongering and
scapegoating, especially since there is little evidence to substantiate the
ideas that America is in decline, or that Latinos and immigrants are
hurting our country.

Regardless of Trump’s baseless comments about Latinos and immigrants, our
economy is strong because of the contributions of the Latino community.
Next time you hear Trump or anyone else denigrating Latinos and immigrants,
you tell them we contribute mightily and  deserve respect.

###