I love Star Parker. She had the guts to run against now former Congressman Laura Richardson in a heavily Democratic district in South Los Angeles-Carson. She tells it like it is, and she cuts through the crap.
I was dismayed, however, with certain arguments in her recent article entitled:
"The Republican Hispanic Challenge"
She declared her agreement with failed GOP Presidential candidate Mitt Romney that President Obama won the Presidency because he gave gifts to Hispanic voters.
First of all, that is just patently untrue. Besides the executive order not to prosecute young illegals in this country, who are in this country through no fault of their own, President Obama has in fact deported more illegal immigrants than than all the previous presidents combines, from Eisenhower to Bush II. I would submit that Obama's executive order failed to address serious issues, liking maintaining the rule of law in the United States with proper border control and welfare-state reform which expands opportunity as opposed to dependence.
Second of all, to say "He gave them something" suggests that everyone with a Spanish surname or a barrio address is on the dole. That's just insulting. Furthermore, no political party can hope to win the approval or support of any constituency if the leadership or speakership insists on insulting or talking down to one segment of the population.
I will never forget the comments from Senator-elect Ted Cruz of Texas:
"Have you ever seen a Hispanic panhandling on the street?"
Not a chance. The work ethic is real for every person who seeks a better life in this country. Free-market economist Murray Rothbard established reasonably that less government and more opportunity has given migrant communities, no matter where their nation of origin, the sure chance of a prosperous life.
The notion that Hispanic individuals in this country are "begging for a handout" does not ring true.
I am certain that conservative African-American Parker has no interest in casting aspersions on any one group of people. The entitlement mentality of any person in any country is disturbing and delusional, since the state has less of other people's money to give, in the first place. She is right to go on the attack against a culture of expecting something from the state, or that the state has the right to take everything from us to meet an end of equality for all.
Still, comments such as these require scrutiny:
But the big challenge is that, although these constituencies would be far better off in a nation with limited government and conservative values, they by and large have already bought into the welfare state.
As an example of "Hispanic" fiscal reform, Puerto Rico's governor Luis Fortuno instituted massive spending cuts following the devastating revelation that the previous governor's promised favors and spent money which the island nation no longer had. The governor instituted a 90% cut in the country's budget. Fortuno's recent reelection loss was a slim, weak victory for his challenger, more likely mirroring the poor showing of the national Republican conference, with Romney's anemic campaigning picking up steam too late to secure Republicans or independents to go the polls. I imagine that the next Governor of Puerto Rico will think twice before rescinding the reforms instituted by Fortuno, since major corporate interests have offered their interest to invest in the country.
Somehow, many Republicans have bought the myth that the immigration issue is the main barrier between Hispanics and the Republican Party.
The real issue comes down to asserting values and permitting individuals to assess the outcomes. Anyone is open to these opportunities. People deserve to hear more than "self-deportation" as an immigration policy. Enough with demagoguing one group of people. Limit and streamline the "white" welfare state, and allow for a freer immigration policy. Nothing could be simpler.
Parker then pays attention to more disconcerting demographic issues:
Median Hispanic income is $38,409 compared to a national median income of $60,088.
Fifty three percent of Hispanic babies are born to unwed mothers and the high school graduation rate of Hispanic kids is 65.9 percent.
Thirty eight percent of Hispanic children live in single-parent households.
These statistics cannot support an assumption ofendemic state-sponsored dependence. Democrat Jerry Brown had to slash the welfare state here in the Golden State. The above outcomes are the result of a tax-and-spend President whose policies have enlarged deficit-driven government programs. President Bush created a number of faults and fallouts during his adminstration, but President Obama has furthered these ruinous policies, coupled with no leadership or vision beyond blaming someone else.
Parker then outlines the real reforms that Hispanics, that all Americans need:
What America’s Hispanics need is a growing, prosperous economy so they can work and get a decent wage. The anemic, government larded economy of today is not going to deliver this to them.
They need to get their kids out of failing public schools and have choice to attend private, church schools. And they need to live in a nation in which the traditional family is the standard and it is once again shameful for women to give birth out of marriage.
These are the issues that every politician, every person who wants to serve in the public interest must focus on. Republicans care about voucher programs. They are not beholden to teachers unions, unlike a number of Democratic operatives in the state of California. Voucher programs have proliferated in different states. Why not here?
When she sticks to the facts, she is spot on. When she gets stuck on the comment, she oversteps her argument. It's time for the GOP to hear the needs and present the best opportunities better to all communities, regardless of race, status, or condition. The Republicans have a better record on civil rights. They just need to let everyone know, including the Hispanic community. Neither "gifts", not "handouts", but a gift for letting families and local communities lend a hand: this legacy belongs to the Republican Party -- all they have to do is make it plain.
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