LatinaLista — Ever since Congress made it known that they were willing to cut funds to the US Census, namely scrapping the American Community Survey, the US Census Bureau has been put on the defensive.

In video presentations and releases, officials with the US Census Bureau have tried to show the public why the work they do is so important to the nation. The latest show-and-tell is the launch of a new Census initiative called “How do we Know.”

Capitalizing on the nation’s interest with Pinterest, the picture-centric social media platform where users share images, the US Census is creating more infographics and interactive features as part of the new initiative. Clearly, it’s a way to make the information they’re in charge of gathering more easily understood by the public — and Congress.

The first infographic is in honor of Independence Day.

As we celebrate this Independence Day, we reflect on how our Founding Fathers enshrined the importance of statistics in our Constitution as a vital tool for measuring our people, places and economy. Since 1790, the U.S. Census has been much more than a simple head count; it has charted the growth and composition of our nation. The questions have evolved over time to address our changing needs. Today, the Decennial Census, the Economic Census and the American Community Survey give Congress and community leaders the information they need to make informed decisions that shape our democracy. These statistics are how we know how our country is doing.

The first “How Do We Know” is a downloadable pdf with enough images and interesting facts and trivia to make it a fun read for even the most casual history buff.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:

Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force Base and welcomed home some of our last troops to serve in Iraq. Together, we offered a final, proud salute to the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought – and several thousand gave their lives.

We gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has made the United States safer and more respected around the world. For the first time in nine years, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq. For the first time in two decades, Osama bin Laden is not a threat to this country. Most of al Qaeda’s top lieutenants have been defeated. The Taliban’s momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home.

These achievements are a testament to the courage, selflessness, and teamwork of America’s Armed Forces. At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations. They’re not consumed with personal ambition. They don’t obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand. They work together.

Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example. Think about the America within our reach: A country that leads the world in educating its people. An America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs. A future where we’re in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren’t so tied to unstable parts of the world. An economy built to last, where hard work pays off, and responsibility is rewarded.

We can do this. I know we can, because we’ve done it before. At the end of World War II, when another generation of heroes returned home from combat, they built the strongest economy and middle class the world has ever known. My grandfather, a veteran of Patton’s Army, got the chance to go to college on the GI Bill. My grandmother, who worked on a bomber assembly line, was part of a workforce that turned out the best products on Earth.

The two of them shared the optimism of a Nation that had triumphed over a depression and fascism. They understood they were part of something larger; that they were contributing to a story of success that every American had a chance to share – the basic American promise that if you worked hard, you could do well enough to raise a family, own a home, send your kids to college, and put a little away for retirement.

The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important. We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules. What’s at stake are not Democratic values or Republican values, but American values. We have to reclaim them.

Let’s remember how we got here. Long before the recession, jobs and manufacturing began leaving our shores. Technology made businesses more efficient, but also made some jobs obsolete. Folks at the top saw their incomes rise like never before, but most hardworking Americans struggled with costs that were growing, paychecks that weren’t, and personal debt that kept piling up.

In 2008, the house of cards collapsed. We learned that mortgages had been sold to people who couldn’t afford or understand them. Banks had made huge bets and bonuses with other people’s money. Regulators had looked the other way, or didn’t have the authority to stop the bad behavior.

It was wrong. It was irresponsible. And it plunged our economy into a crisis that put millions out of work, saddled us with more debt, and left innocent, hard-working Americans holding the bag. In the six months before I took office, we lost nearly four million jobs. And we lost another four million before our policies were in full effect.

Those are the facts. But so are these. In the last 22 months, businesses have created more than three million jobs. Last year, they created the most jobs since 2005. American manufacturers are hiring again, creating jobs for the first time since the late 1990s. Together, we’ve agreed to cut the deficit by more than $2 trillion. And we’ve put in place new rules to hold Wall Street accountable, so a crisis like that never happens again.

The state of our Union is getting stronger. And we’ve come too far to turn back now. As long as I’m President, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum. But I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place.

No, we will not go back to an economy weakened by outsourcing, bad debt, and phony financial profits. Tonight, I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last – an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values.

This blueprint begins with American manufacturing.

On the day I took office, our auto industry was on the verge of collapse. Some even said we should let it die. With a million jobs at stake, I refused to let that happen. In exchange for help, we demanded responsibility. We got workers and automakers to settle their differences. We got the industry to retool and restructure. Today, General Motors is back on top as the world’s number one automaker. Chrysler has grown faster in the U.S. than any major car company. Ford is investing billions in U.S. plants and factories. And together, the entire industry added nearly 160,000 jobs.

We bet on American workers. We bet on American ingenuity. And tonight, the American auto industry is back.

What’s happening in Detroit can happen in other industries. It can happen in Cleveland and Pittsburgh and Raleigh. We can’t bring back every job that’s left our shores. But right now, it’s getting more expensive to do business in places like China. Meanwhile, America is more productive. A few weeks ago, the CEO of Master Lock told me that it now makes business sense for him to bring jobs back home. Today, for the first time in fifteen years, Master Lock’s unionized plant in Milwaukee is running at full capacity.

So we have a huge opportunity, at this moment, to bring manufacturing back. But we have to seize it. Tonight, my message to business leaders is simple: Ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your country, and your country will do everything we can to help you succeed.

We should start with our tax code. Right now, companies get tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas. Meanwhile, companies that choose to stay in America get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world. It makes no sense, and everyone knows it.

So let’s change it. First, if you’re a business that wants to outsource jobs, you shouldn’t get a tax deduction for doing it. That money should be used to cover moving expenses for companies like Master Lock that decide to bring jobs home.

Second, no American company should be able to avoid paying its fair share of taxes by moving jobs and profits overseas. From now on, every multinational company should have to pay a basic minimum tax. And every penny should go towards lowering taxes for companies that choose to stay here and hire here.

Third, if you’re an American manufacturer, you should get a bigger tax cut. If you’re a high-tech manufacturer, we should double the tax deduction you get for making products here. And if you want to relocate in a community that was hit hard when a factory left town, you should get help financing a new plant, equipment, or training for new workers.

My message is simple. It’s time to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs overseas, and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here in America. Send me these tax reforms, and I’ll sign them right away.

We’re also making it easier for American businesses to sell products all over the world. Two years ago, I set a goal of doubling U.S. exports over five years. With the bipartisan trade agreements I signed into law, we are on track to meet that goal – ahead of schedule. Soon, there will be millions of new customers for American goods in Panama, Colombia, and South Korea. Soon, there will be new cars on the streets of Seoul imported from Detroit, and Toledo, and Chicago.

I will go anywhere in the world to open new markets for American products. And I will not stand by when our competitors don’t play by the rules. We’ve brought trade cases against China at nearly twice the rate as the last administration – and it’s made a difference. Over a thousand Americans are working today because we stopped a surge in Chinese tires. But we need to do more. It’s not right when another country lets our movies, music, and software be pirated. It’s not fair when foreign manufacturers have a leg up on ours only because they’re heavily subsidized.

Tonight, I’m announcing the creation of a Trade Enforcement Unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trade practices in countries like China. There will be more inspections to prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our borders. And this Congress should make sure that no foreign company has an advantage over American manufacturing when it comes to accessing finance or new markets like Russia. Our workers are the most productive on Earth, and if the playing field is level, I promise you – America will always win.

I also hear from many business leaders who want to hire in the United States but can’t find workers with the right skills. Growing industries in science and technology have twice as many openings as we have workers who can do the job. Think about that – openings at a time when millions of Americans are looking for work.

That’s inexcusable. And we know how to fix it.

Jackie Bray is a single mom from North Carolina who was laid off from her job as a mechanic. Then Siemens opened a gas turbine factory in Charlotte, and formed a partnership with Central Piedmont Community College. The company helped the college design courses in laser and robotics training. It paid Jackie’s tuition, then hired her to help operate their plant.

I want every American looking for work to have the same opportunity as Jackie did. Join me in a national commitment to train two million Americans with skills that will lead directly to a job. My Administration has already lined up more companies that want to help. Model partnerships between businesses like Siemens and community colleges in places like Charlotte, Orlando, and Louisville are up and running. Now you need to give more community colleges the resources they need to become community career centers – places that teach people skills that local businesses are looking for right now, from data management to high-tech manufacturing.

And I want to cut through the maze of confusing training programs, so that from now on, people like Jackie have one program, one website, and one place to go for all the information and help they need. It’s time to turn our unemployment system into a reemployment system that puts people to work.

These reforms will help people get jobs that are open today. But to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow, our commitment to skills and education has to start earlier.

For less than one percent of what our Nation spends on education each year, we’ve convinced nearly every State in the country to raise their standards for teaching and learning – the first time that’s happened in a generation.

But challenges remain. And we know how to solve them.

At a time when other countries are doubling down on education, tight budgets have forced States to lay off thousands of teachers. We know a good teacher can increase the lifetime income of a classroom by over $250,000. A great teacher can offer an escape from poverty to the child who dreams beyond his circumstance. Every person in this chamber can point to a teacher who changed the trajectory of their lives. Most teachers work tirelessly, with modest pay, sometimes digging into their own pocket for school supplies – just to make a difference.

Teachers matter. So instead of bashing them, or defending the status quo, let’s offer schools a deal. Give them the resources to keep good teachers on the job, and reward the best ones. In return, grant schools flexibility: To teach with creativity and passion; to stop teaching to the test; and to replace teachers who just aren’t helping kids learn.

We also know that when students aren’t allowed to walk away from their education, more of them walk the stage to get their diploma. So tonight, I call on every State to require that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn eighteen.

When kids do graduate, the most daunting challenge can be the cost of college. At a time when Americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt, this Congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling in July. Extend the tuition tax credit we started that saves middle-class families thousands of dollars. And give more young people the chance to earn their way through college by doubling the number of work-study jobs in the next five years.

Of course, it’s not enough for us to increase student aid. We can’t just keep subsidizing skyrocketing tuition; we’ll run out of money. States also need to do their part, by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets. And colleges and universities have to do their part by working to keep costs down. Recently, I spoke with a group of college presidents who’ve done just that. Some schools re-design courses to help students finish more quickly. Some use better technology. The point is, it’s possible. So let me put colleges and universities on notice: If you can’t stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down. Higher education can’t be a luxury – it’s an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.

Let’s also remember that hundreds of thousands of talented, hardworking students in this country face another challenge: The fact that they aren’t yet American citizens. Many were brought here as small children, are American through and through, yet they live every day with the threat of deportation. Others came more recently, to study business and science and engineering, but as soon as they get their degree, we send them home to invent new products and create new jobs somewhere else.

That doesn’t make sense.

I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration. That’s why my Administration has put more boots on the border than ever before. That’s why there are fewer illegal crossings than when I took office.

The opponents of action are out of excuses. We should be working on comprehensive immigration reform right now. But if election-year politics keeps Congress from acting on a comprehensive plan, let’s at least agree to stop expelling responsible young people who want to staff our labs, start new businesses, and defend this country. Send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship. I will sign it right away.

You see, an economy built to last is one where we encourage the talent and ingenuity of every person in this country. That means women should earn equal pay for equal work. It means we should support everyone who’s willing to work; and every risk-taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become the next Steve Jobs.

After all, innovation is what America has always been about. Most new jobs are created in start-ups and small businesses. So let’s pass an agenda that helps them succeed. Tear down regulations that prevent aspiring entrepreneurs from getting the financing to grow. Expand tax relief to small businesses that are raising wages and creating good jobs. Both parties agree on these ideas. So put them in a bill, and get it on my desk this year.

Innovation also demands basic research. Today, the discoveries taking place in our federally-financed labs and universities could lead to new treatments that kill cancer cells but leave healthy ones untouched. New lightweight vests for cops and soldiers that can stop any bullet. Don’t gut these investments in our budget. Don’t let other countries win the race for the future. Support the same kind of research and innovation that led to the computer chip and the Internet; to new American jobs and new American industries.

Nowhere is the promise of innovation greater than in American-made energy. Over the last three years, we’ve opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration, and tonight, I’m directing my Administration to open more than 75 percent of our potential offshore oil and gas resources. Right now, American oil production is the highest that it’s been in eight years. That’s right – eight years. Not only that – last year, we relied less on foreign oil than in any of the past sixteen years.

But with only 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves, oil isn’t enough. This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy – a strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs.

We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly one hundred years, and my Administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy. Experts believe this will support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade. And I’m requiring all companies that drill for gas on public lands to disclose the chemicals they use. America will develop this resource without putting the health and safety of our citizens at risk.

The development of natural gas will create jobs and power trucks and factories that are cleaner and cheaper, proving that we don’t have to choose between our environment and our economy. And by the way, it was public research dollars, over the course of thirty years, that helped develop the technologies to extract all this natural gas out of shale rock – reminding us that Government support is critical in helping businesses get new energy ideas off the ground.

What’s true for natural gas is true for clean energy. In three years, our partnership with the private sector has already positioned America to be the world’s leading manufacturer of high-tech batteries. Because of federal investments, renewable energy use has nearly doubled. And thousands of Americans have jobs because of it.

When Bryan Ritterby was laid off from his job making furniture, he said he worried that at 55, no one would give him a second chance. But he found work at Energetx, a wind turbine manufacturer in Michigan. Before the recession, the factory only made luxury yachts. Today, it’s hiring workers like Bryan, who said, “I’m proud to be working in the industry of the future.”

Our experience with shale gas shows us that the payoffs on these public investments don’t always come right away. Some technologies don’t pan out; some companies fail. But I will not walk away from the promise of clean energy. I will not walk away from workers like Bryan. I will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here. We have subsidized oil companies for a century. That’s long enough. It’s time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that’s rarely been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that’s never been more promising. Pass clean energy tax credits and create these jobs.

We can also spur energy innovation with new incentives. The differences in this chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change. But there’s no reason why Congress shouldn’t at least set a clean energy standard that creates a market for innovation. So far, you haven’t acted. Well tonight, I will. I’m directing my Administration to allow the development of clean energy on enough public land to power three million homes. And I’m proud to announce that the Department of Defense, the world’s largest consumer of energy, will make one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history – with the Navy purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year.

Of course, the easiest way to save money is to waste less energy. So here’s another proposal: Help manufacturers eliminate energy waste in their factories and give businesses incentives to upgrade their buildings. Their energy bills will be $100 billion lower over the next decade, and America will have less pollution, more manufacturing, and more jobs for construction workers who need them. Send me a bill that creates these jobs.

Building this new energy future should be just one part of a broader agenda to repair America’s infrastructure. So much of America needs to be rebuilt. We’ve got crumbling roads and bridges. A power grid that wastes too much energy. An incomplete high-speed broadband network that prevents a small business owner in rural America from selling her products all over the world.

During the Great Depression, America built the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge. After World War II, we connected our States with a system of highways. Democratic and Republican administrations invested in great projects that benefited everybody, from the workers who built them to the businesses that still use them today.

In the next few weeks, I will sign an Executive Order clearing away the red tape that slows down too many construction projects. But you need to fund these projects. Take the money we’re no longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the rest to do some nation-building right here at home.

There’s never been a better time to build, especially since the construction industry was one of the hardest-hit when the housing bubble burst. Of course, construction workers weren’t the only ones hurt. So were millions of innocent Americans who’ve seen their home values decline. And while Government can’t fix the problem on its own, responsible homeowners shouldn’t have to sit and wait for the housing market to hit bottom to get some relief.

That’s why I’m sending this Congress a plan that gives every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage, by refinancing at historically low interest rates. No more red tape. No more runaround from the banks. A small fee on the largest financial institutions will ensure that it won’t add to the deficit, and will give banks that were rescued by taxpayers a chance to repay a deficit of trust.

Let’s never forget: Millions of Americans who work hard and play by the rules every day deserve a Government and a financial system that do the same. It’s time to apply the same rules from top to bottom: No bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts. An America built to last insists on responsibility from everybody.

We’ve all paid the price for lenders who sold mortgages to people who couldn’t afford them, and buyers who knew they couldn’t afford them. That’s why we need smart regulations to prevent irresponsible behavior. Rules to prevent financial fraud, or toxic dumping, or faulty medical devices, don’t destroy the free market. They make the free market work better.

There is no question that some regulations are outdated, unnecessary, or too costly. In fact, I’ve approved fewer regulations in the first three years of my presidency than my Republican predecessor did in his. I’ve ordered every federal agency to eliminate rules that don’t make sense. We’ve already announced over 500 reforms, and just a fraction of them will save business and citizens more than $10 billion over the next five years. We got rid of one rule from 40 years ago that could have forced some dairy farmers to spend $10,000 a year proving that they could contain a spill – because milk was somehow classified as an oil. With a rule like that, I guess it was worth crying over spilled milk.

I’m confident a farmer can contain a milk spill without a federal agency looking over his shoulder. But I will not back down from making sure an oil company can contain the kind of oil spill we saw in the Gulf two years ago. I will not back down from protecting our kids from mercury pollution, or making sure that our food is safe and our water is clean. I will not go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny you coverage, or charge women differently from men.

And I will not go back to the days when Wall Street was allowed to play by its own set of rules. The new rules we passed restore what should be any financial system’s core purpose: Getting funding to entrepreneurs with the best ideas, and getting loans to responsible families who want to buy a home, start a business, or send a kid to college.

So if you’re a big bank or financial institution, you are no longer allowed to make risky bets with your customers’ deposits. You’re required to write out a “living will” that details exactly how you’ll pay the bills if you fail – because the rest of us aren’t bailing you out ever again. And if you’re a mortgage lender or a payday lender or a credit card company, the days of signing people up for products they can’t afford with confusing forms and deceptive practices are over. Today, American consumers finally have a watchdog in Richard Cordray with one job: To look out for them.

We will also establish a Financial Crimes Unit of highly trained investigators to crack down on large-scale fraud and protect people’s investments. Some financial firms violate major anti-fraud laws because there’s no real penalty for being a repeat offender. That’s bad for consumers, and it’s bad for the vast majority of bankers and financial service professionals who do the right thing. So pass legislation that makes the penalties for fraud count.

And tonight, I am asking my Attorney General to create a special unit of federal prosecutors and leading state attorneys general to expand our investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages that led to the housing crisis. This new unit will hold accountable those who broke the law, speed assistance to homeowners, and help turn the page on an era of recklessness that hurt so many Americans.

A return to the American values of fair play and shared responsibility will help us protect our people and our economy. But it should also guide us as we look to pay down our debt and invest in our future.

Right now, our most immediate priority is stopping a tax hike on 160 million working Americans while the recovery is still fragile. People cannot afford losing $40 out of each paycheck this year. There are plenty of ways to get this done. So let’s agree right here, right now: No side issues. No drama. Pass the payroll tax cut without delay.

When it comes to the deficit, we’ve already agreed to more than $2 trillion in cuts and savings. But we need to do more, and that means making choices. Right now, we’re poised to spend nearly $1 trillion more on what was supposed to be a temporary tax break for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans. Right now, because of loopholes and shelters in the tax code, a quarter of all millionaires pay lower tax rates than millions of middle-class households. Right now, Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary.

Do we want to keep these tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans? Or do we want to keep our investments in everything else – like education and medical research; a strong military and care for our veterans? Because if we’re serious about paying down our debt, we can’t do both.

The American people know what the right choice is. So do I. As I told the Speaker this summer, I’m prepared to make more reforms that rein in the long term costs of Medicare and Medicaid, and strengthen Social Security, so long as those programs remain a guarantee of security for seniors.

But in return, we need to change our tax code so that people like me, and an awful lot of Members of Congress, pay our fair share of taxes. Tax reform should follow the Buffett rule: If you make more than $1 million a year, you should not pay less than 30 percent in taxes. And my Republican friend Tom Coburn is right: Washington should stop subsidizing millionaires. In fact, if you’re earning a million dollars a year, you shouldn’t get special tax subsidies or deductions. On the other hand, if you make under $250,000 a year, like 98 percent of American families, your taxes shouldn’t go up. You’re the ones struggling with rising costs and stagnant wages. You’re the ones who need relief.

Now, you can call this class warfare all you want. But asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense.

We don’t begrudge financial success in this country. We admire it. When Americans talk about folks like me paying my fair share of taxes, it’s not because they envy the rich. It’s because they understand that when I get tax breaks I don’t need and the country can’t afford, it either adds to the deficit, or somebody else has to make up the difference – like a senior on a fixed income; or a student trying to get through school; or a family trying to make ends meet. That’s not right. Americans know it’s not right. They know that this generation’s success is only possible because past generations felt a responsibility to each other, and to their country’s future, and they know our way of life will only endure if we feel that same sense of shared responsibility. That’s how we’ll reduce our deficit. That’s an America built to last.

I recognize that people watching tonight have differing views about taxes and debt; energy and health care. But no matter what party they belong to, I bet most Americans are thinking the same thing right now: Nothing will get done this year, or next year, or maybe even the year after that, because Washington is broken.

Can you blame them for feeling a little cynical?

The greatest blow to confidence in our economy last year didn’t come from events beyond our control. It came from a debate in Washington over whether the United States would pay its bills or not. Who benefited from that fiasco?

I’ve talked tonight about the deficit of trust between Main Street and Wall Street. But the divide between this city and the rest of the country is at least as bad – and it seems to get worse every year.

Some of this has to do with the corrosive influence of money in politics. So together, let’s take some steps to fix that. Send me a bill that bans insider trading by Members of Congress, and I will sign it tomorrow. Let’s limit any elected official from owning stocks in industries they impact. Let’s make sure people who bundle campaign contributions for Congress can’t lobby Congress, and vice versa – an idea that has bipartisan support, at least outside of Washington.

Some of what’s broken has to do with the way Congress does its business these days. A simple majority is no longer enough to get anything – even routine business – passed through the Senate. Neither party has been blameless in these tactics. Now both parties should put an end to it. For starters, I ask the Senate to pass a rule that all judicial and public service nominations receive a simple up or down vote within 90 days.

The executive branch also needs to change. Too often, it’s inefficient, outdated and remote. That’s why I’ve asked this Congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy so that our Government is leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the needs of the American people.

Finally, none of these reforms can happen unless we also lower the temperature in this town. We need to end the notion that the two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction; that politics is about clinging to rigid ideologies instead of building consensus around common sense ideas.

I’m a Democrat. But I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln believed: That Government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more. That’s why my education reform offers more competition, and more control for schools and States. That’s why we’re getting rid of regulations that don’t work. That’s why our health care law relies on a reformed private market, not a Government program.

On the other hand, even my Republican friends who complain the most about Government spending have supported federally-financed roads, and clean energy projects, and federal offices for the folks back home.

The point is, we should all want a smarter, more effective Government. And while we may not be able to bridge our biggest philosophical differences this year, we can make real progress. With or without this Congress, I will keep taking actions that help the economy grow. But I can do a whole lot more with your help. Because when we act together, there is nothing the United States of America can’t achieve.

That is the lesson we’ve learned from our actions abroad over the last few years.

Ending the Iraq war has allowed us to strike decisive blows against our enemies. From Pakistan to Yemen, the al Qaeda operatives who remain are scrambling, knowing that they can’t escape the reach of the United States of America.

From this position of strength, we’ve begun to wind down the war in Afghanistan. Ten thousand of our troops have come home. Twenty-three thousand more will leave by the end of this summer. This transition to Afghan lead will continue, and we will build an enduring partnership with Afghanistan, so that it is never again a source of attacks against America.

As the tide of war recedes, a wave of change has washed across the Middle East and North Africa, from Tunis to Cairo; from Sana’a to Tripoli. A year ago, Qadhafi was one of the world’s longest-serving dictators – a murderer with American blood on his hands. Today, he is gone. And in Syria, I have no doubt that the Assad regime will soon discover that the forces of change can’t be reversed, and that human dignity can’t be denied.

How this incredible transformation will end remains uncertain. But we have a huge stake in the outcome. And while it is ultimately up to the people of the region to decide their fate, we will advocate for those values that have served our own country so well. We will stand against violence and intimidation. We will stand for the rights and dignity of all human beings – men and women; Christians, Muslims, and Jews. We will support policies that lead to strong and stable democracies and open markets, because tyranny is no match for liberty.

And we will safeguard America’s own security against those who threaten our citizens, our friends, and our interests. Look at Iran. Through the power of our diplomacy, a world that was once divided about how to deal with Iran’s nuclear program now stands as one. The regime is more isolated than ever before; its leaders are faced with crippling sanctions, and as long as they shirk their responsibilities, this pressure will not relent. Let there be no doubt: America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal. But a peaceful resolution of this issue is still possible, and far better, and if Iran changes course and meets its obligations, it can rejoin the community of nations.

The renewal of American leadership can be felt across the globe. Our oldest alliances in Europe and Asia are stronger than ever. Our ties to the Americas are deeper. Our iron-clad commitment to Israel’s security has meant the closest military cooperation between our two countries in history. We’ve made it clear that America is a Pacific power, and a new beginning in Burma has lit a new hope. From the coalitions we’ve built to secure nuclear materials, to the missions we’ve led against hunger and disease; from the blows we’ve dealt to our enemies; to the enduring power of our moral example, America is back.

Anyone who tells you otherwise, anyone who tells you that America is in decline or that our influence has waned, doesn’t know what they’re talking about. That’s not the message we get from leaders around the world, all of whom are eager to work with us. That’s not how people feel from Tokyo to Berlin; from Cape Town to Rio; where opinions of America are higher than they’ve been in years. Yes, the world is changing; no, we can’t control every event. But America remains the one indispensable nation in world affairs – and as long as I’m President, I intend to keep it that way.

That’s why, working with our military leaders, I have proposed a new defense strategy that ensures we maintain the finest military in the world, while saving nearly half a trillion dollars in our budget. To stay one step ahead of our adversaries, I have already sent this Congress legislation that will secure our country from the growing danger of cyber-threats.

Above all, our freedom endures because of the men and women in uniform who defend it. As they come home, we must serve them as well as they served us. That includes giving them the care and benefits they have earned – which is why we’ve increased annual VA spending every year I’ve been President. And it means enlisting our veterans in the work of rebuilding our Nation.

With the bipartisan support of this Congress, we are providing new tax credits to companies that hire vets. Michelle and Jill Biden have worked with American businesses to secure a pledge of 135,000 jobs for veterans and their families. And tonight, I’m proposing a Veterans Job Corps that will help our communities hire veterans as cops and firefighters, so that America is as strong as those who defend her.

Which brings me back to where I began. Those of us who’ve been sent here to serve can learn from the service of our troops. When you put on that uniform, it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white; Asian or Latino; conservative or liberal; rich or poor; gay or straight. When you’re marching into battle, you look out for the person next to you, or the mission fails. When you’re in the thick of the fight, you rise or fall as one unit, serving one Nation, leaving no one behind.

One of my proudest possessions is the flag that the SEAL Team took with them on the mission to get bin Laden. On it are each of their names. Some may be Democrats. Some may be Republicans. But that doesn’t matter. Just like it didn’t matter that day in the Situation Room, when I sat next to Bob Gates – a man who was George Bush’s defense secretary; and Hillary Clinton, a woman who ran against me for president.

All that mattered that day was the mission. No one thought about politics. No one thought about themselves. One of the young men involved in the raid later told me that he didn’t deserve credit for the mission. It only succeeded, he said, because every single member of that unit did their job – the pilot who landed the helicopter that spun out of control; the translator who kept others from entering the compound; the troops who separated the women and children from the fight; the SEALs who charged up the stairs. More than that, the mission only succeeded because every member of that unit trusted each other – because you can’t charge up those stairs, into darkness and danger, unless you know that there’s someone behind you, watching your back.

So it is with America. Each time I look at that flag, I’m reminded that our destiny is stitched together like those fifty stars and those thirteen stripes. No one built this country on their own. This Nation is great because we built it together. This Nation is great because we worked as a team. This Nation is great because we get each other’s backs. And if we hold fast to that truth, in this moment of trial, there is no challenge too great; no mission too hard. As long as we’re joined in common purpose, as long as we maintain our common resolve, our journey moves forward, our future is hopeful, and the state of our Union will always be strong.

Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.

###
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LatinaLista — Frustration and disappointment continue to rise among the Latino community with the Obama administration over its policy for deporting undocumented immigrants.

In spite of a much publicized announcement earlier this year that those immigrants not considered a national security threat nor had a criminal record would be spared deportation, the opposite has occurred in immigration courts across the country.

The seemingly contradictory policy is frustrating not only affected immigrants, their families and the larger community but it’s taking a toll on immigration lawyers too.

One immigration lawyer, Bryan Johnson, is speaking out.

A report by TRAC released on December 5, 2011 reveals that the Obama Administration has been blatantly misrepresenting deportation statistics in an effort to minimize the ugly fact that he is deporting non-criminals in record numbers.

The statistics were obtained through a FOIA request made to the Department of Justice (DOJ), a government agency that is separate from the Department of Homeland Security. (DHS)

In deportation proceedings initiated during July-September 2011 by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the nation’s 50 plus immigration Courts, only 7,378 individuals – just 13.8 percent of the total – were charged with having engaged in criminal activities. Of those targeted, the proportion of alleged “criminals” is down significantly from the already low level of 16.5 percent during FY2010.

This report demands questions of the Obama administration’s representations on immigration enforcement. In fact, Obama even felt it necessary to have Cecilia Munoz pen an article with the title: “In the Debate Over Immigration and Deportation, the Facts Matter.” In that article, the following statistics were provided:

• There was a greater than 70% increase in the deportation of those with criminal records from FY2008 to FY2010, and a decrease of those without criminal records.
• Today more than half of all removals are people with criminal records.
• And among those removed who had no criminal records, more than two-thirds were either apprehended as they crossed the border, were recent arrivals, or were repeat violators of immigration law, meaning that they had previously been deported.

Yet curiously DHS has refused to provide the same records that DOJ just released. Trac explains:

TRAC’s findings appear to contrast sharply with the White House’s announcement that: “Under the President’s direction, for the first time ever the Department of Homeland Security has prioritized the removal of people who have been convicted of crimes in the United States.”

 

The findings also are hard to reconcile with ICE’s recent press statements that claimed that during the past year the agency had targeted a large and increasing number of convicted criminals for deportation.

Unfortunately, while the agency could easily clear up these apparent discrepancies it has chosen not to do so. Indeed, for twenty months, in clear violation of public disclosure laws, ICE has persisted in withholding from TRAC the case-by-case data TRAC requested under FOIA that the agency maintains on these same court proceedings — information precisely parallel to what the Department of Justice already determined must be released to the public from its own files.

 

DHS and other government offices have failed to rectify this matter despite TRAC’s appeals to DHS’s Director of Disclosure and FOIA Operations, as well as to the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS). (emphasis added)

The records ICE is withholding would show just which ICE programs — such as Secure Communities or others — have contributed to fewer alleged criminals being targeted for deportation in court proceedings. The data would also allow the public to judge whether ICE’s actual activities match ICE’s announced policies to target serious criminals, and those who pose threats to public safety, as well as to better monitor how the agency exercises prosecutorial discretion in whom it seeks to deport.

In addition, TRAC contacted ICE’s Public Relations office on November 7, 2011 asking for explanations of the figures given in the agency’s October 18, 2011 press release that claimed the agency’s FY 2011 accomplishments closely matched announced ICE priorities. At a meeting with ICE officials November 10, the agency promised to promptly provide answers to a series of TRAC questions that asked for details backing up the agency’s claims. Again and again, however, the promised answers did not materialize. ICE’s Public Affairs office continues to say the promised answers will be forthcoming.

 

Regardless of whether one is an advocate for comprehensive immigration reform, the stark discreprancies between what this report shows and what the Obama administration says should be of concern to everyone.

For example, is the administration overtly lying to the American public? Does ICE really prioritize deportations, or do they randomly deport whomever may come across their path?

The hard facts – those revealed from Department of Justice Records rather than the voice of bureaucrat – suggest the worst: the administration is lying to the public and simply deporting as many people as it can, irrespective of their own purported rationale for focusing resources on the biggest and baddest illegals.

Bryan Johnson, Esq. is Partner at Amoachi and Johnson, PLLC, a New York law firm dedicated to the practice of U.S. Immigration Law.

By Uriel J. Garcia
Cronkite News Service

WASHINGTON – Former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona announced Thursday that he will seek the Democratic nomination in 2012 to replace outgoing Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.

Carmona, who has never held elected office, becomes at least the 10th candidate in a crowded field. He made his announcement Thursday in an emailed statement and could not be reached for further comment.

“Like most Arizonans, it’s clear to me that Washington is broken, and it is time for honest people with real-world experience to step forward to solve the problems we are facing and get our economy going again,” his statement said.

He is a latecomer to a field that includes three other Democrats, a Green Party candidate and five Republicans, including Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Mesa, who has a substantial fundraising lead on the other candidates.

Published reports said Carmona, who served as former President George W. Bush’s surgeon general, had been courted by many Democrats, including some in the White House, to enter the race.

While Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Tucson, had been expected to mount a Senate campaign in 2012, those plans were interrupted by the January shooting that left her severely wounded. Uncertainty about the possibility of a Giffords’ run left many hesitant to jump in to the race, according to published reports.

But Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, said Thursday that Carmona would not have jumped in to the race if the doctor knew that his “friend” Giffords would be making a bid for Senate.

Carmona knows Giffords from his time as a medical professor at the University of Arizona, as a Pima County health official and as a deputy sheriff in the county.

“He’s going to win the primary,” said Grijalva. “And in the general election (Carmona) is going to be a formidable opponent for Flake.”

Before he can do that, however, he has to win the Aug. 28 primary against the other Democrats, including former Arizona Democratic Party Chairman Don Bivens.

Since announcing his bid one month ago, Bivens has raised more than $344,000 and had $284,000 on hand as of Sept. 30, the most-recent campaign filing with the Federal Election Commission.

In a statement on his campaign site Thursday, Bivens welcomed Carmona into the race and said he looked “forward to a vigorous debate and primary campaign.” While he said “some in D.C. have selected their candidate for Arizona,” Bivens touted his own endorsements from top party officials in the state and the fact that he is a lifelong Democrat.

Bivens’ fundraising pales next to Flake’s and his nearest Republican rival, Wilford Cardon. Flake reported having $2.3 million in the bank as of Sept. 30, and Cardon reported having $1.1 million on hand, according to their FEC filings.

Political analysts said that with none of the state’s Democratic House members willing to risk their seats to challenge Flake, national Democrats are turning to other options.

“Democrats right now are looking for anybody with some name recognition,” said Roldolfo Espino, a political science professor at Arizona State University.

National Republicans are calling Carmona the candidate for the “Washington Democrat establishment,” referring to the reports that White House officials had urged him to run.

“Whichever candidate emerges from this contentious Democrat primary, he’ll have a difficult time,” said Brian Walsh, director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, in a statement.

The Washington is group dedicated to helping elect Republicans to the Senate.

Griljalva said that even though Carmona served under a Republican administration and is now running as a Democrat, his campaign would bring a moderate voice to a Republican-controlled state.

“Compared to the extremists on the right, I rather have him there,” Grijalva said.

Rodd McLeod, political consultant and a former Giffords’ campaign manager, said he would be helping Carmona set up his team and that a more “formal” announcement for his candidacy will be made in the coming weeks.

LatinaLista — While the federal deficit is a scary enough scenario, it remains for too many people an abstract event. It’s not until Washington starts eliminating programs and reducing funding for others that the seriousness of the situation comes home.

Unfortunately, the very programs targeted for cuts or elimination are some of the very programs that huge segments of the population depend on to maintain a decent quality of life. One of those programs is Medicare.

It is known that without Medicare many Latino, black and low-income seniors and families would not be able to have good healthcare. The trouble is Washington is looking at cutting back reimbursements for Medicare patients.

If that happens, many fear that too many doctors will stop seeing Medicare patients.

In the following Guest Voz piece, Betty L. Streckfuss, R.N., a longtime member of the healthcare profession and an advocate for patients’ rights, speaks about the prospect of what Congress wants to do about Medicare reimbursements and its potential impact on a vulnerable population.

Our nation’s economic vitality is threatened by the growing federal deficit which some law makers seem to feel can only be fixed by cutting back on Medicare reimbursement. That very visible target cited time and time again, for some, seems to be a logical place to carve.

Yet, cutting more from the programs millions of patients rely on, especially seniors, low income minorities, and persons with disabilities, cannot be tolerated.

No question that Washington must reduce the deficit, but spending cuts and changes to Medicare will negatively impact medical innovation, patient care and even access to physicians.

Some of the proposals will definitely limit patient services and access to affordable treatments and medications. The concerns are also being expressed by many legislators from both sides of the aisle….they, too, are at risk of having much of their authority curtailed.

Who but the Federal Government can wield such power?

A newly proposed, planned and named board will be the decision makers. They are known as the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) and we all must be alert to the possibility of activation in 2014.

Reality has set in…the IPAB is a fact, but if the present administration is defeated in the next election many in Washington feel the act creating the board will be repealed immediately.

It must be! Here are some reasons why.

IPAB was created as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) under the new HealthCare Plan, to cut Medicare each year (we’ve already seen the beginning with the 21 percent cut in re-imbursement last year) in order to meet annual savings targets.

This 15 member board of un-elected members will be accountable to no member of Congress. They will have the power to decide what, when and where long-term solutions will be available to Medicare patients.

Choices for necessary treatments, medications and providers will be jeopardized by those cuts and the choices will be selectively fewer. The IPAB will be the authorization entity that considers all forms of treatments and care. They certainly won’t be guilty of blatantly denying a needed medical service but the re-imbursement for a given procedure, treatment or medication will be so low that a qualified provider will be difficult to find…if not impossible.

No rationing, just a way around it. Remember both political parties have champions that are against the IPAB.

The most intolerable caveat to this entire proposal and the power of the IPAB is that patients will have no recourse to the decisions made. Once reached, and a patient’s ability to seek service is nullified, there will be no appeal panel, no one to seek another source for service under Medicare.

Do I feel anxiety?

Yes! I am as concerned as anyone in my age group that a procedure or medication will not be available to me. We are of the generation that saw a cure for tuberculosis, measles, whooping cough, venereal diseases and treatments for diabetes, hypertension, cardiac insufficiency and so much more.

Unknown numbers of us are former health care professionals who worked to make the dream of longevity real. We participated in studies and investigational drugs and procedures and yes, finally our generation can say, “we helped increase longevity through our determination to wipe out diseases that took young lives”.

We find it difficult to imagine such terms as “redistribution of wealth” but impossible to grasp a “redistribution of health” program. Now, ask yourself what you can do.

You can listen, question and engage…keep yourself informed and keep your legislator aware that you are waiting for the next move because you are going to raise your voice and loudly defend your right to the care you have earned.

Betty L. Streckfuss, R.N. is elected speaker pro tem to the Texas Silver Haired Legislature 2011 and an appointed member to the Texas Legislative Committee on Aging. A past delegate of the White House Conference on Aging, she is also the author of a column dedicated to senior issues and interests for the Galveston County Daily News

Metro Latino USA

Washington, DC – The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the American Immigration Council (AIC) released a new survey finding that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and attorneys across the country are applying different standards on prosecutorial discretion despite the issuance of national policy memoranda this summer.

The report, which includes information about all 28 ICE offices nationwide, shows that most ICE offices have not even implemented the two headquarters’ memos.

These discrepancies reflect a need for ICE and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) leadership to issue additional guidance to its rank and file.

“We felt that ICE’s June 2011 memoranda about the use of prosecutorial discretion in certain types of immigration cases were clear and straightforward,” said AILA President Eleanor Pelta.

“But,” Pelta continued, “these survey results show that ICE agents and attorneys are not willing to use the discretion they are responsible for implementing without further guidance. They are asking for more, and the agency’s leadership should help them get it,” said Pelta.

According to Benjamin Johnson, Executive Director of the American Immigration Council, “the June 2011 memo lays out a basic premise in law enforcement: the proper exercise of discretion is an integral part of any law enforcement effort to focus its resources effectively,” she said.

If, as this survey reveals, many local immigration officials are unwilling to accept this basic premise, then the challenge for DHS and ICE is to back the memo up with the leadership, training and support necessary to make sure that these policies are actually being implemented.”

The June 17, 2011, memo outlines for ICE agents and attorneys the factors that would deem an immigration case a low priority for enforcement action. They include ties to America including service in the U.S. armed forces, schooling, contributions to the community, and other equities for enforcement officials to consider when deciding what course of action to take in a particular case.

Key findings from the AILA/AIC survey, Holding DHS Accountable on Prosecutorial Discretion, highlight the fact that while a few ICE offices have begun to implement the guidance, most have not and many are…

Finish reading Survey Reveals ICE Officials’ Sporadic Exercise of Prosecutorial Discretion

LatinaLista — On Veteran’s Day, it’s easy to read opinion pieces praising veterans and veterans’ families for their sacrifices. Yet, it’s not often that we read a commentary that goes beyond praising and takes the nation to task for how veterans are treated once the parades are done and the applause dies down.

Professor Samuel Freeman

In the following opinion piece, originally published in the Rio Grande Guardian, Rio Grande Valley Vietnam war veteran and political science professor, Samuel Freeman, does just that.

Freeman speaks up for the veteran and he does it with passion, eloquence and a conviction that underscores the need for change in the nation’s attitude towards our war veterans.

At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, battlefields fell silent save the cheers of those fortunate enough to have survived, and the “Great War” ended.

With roughly 18 million killed and missing (and presumed dead), it was, at the time, the bloodiest war in human history.

Originally called “Armistice Day” by proclamation of Woodrow Wilson, to remember and celebrate the end of the “Great War,” on 1 June 1954, Congress passed and President Eisenhower signed legislation formally changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day to honor our veterans of all wars.

Sadly, there have been numerous wars since for which to honor our veterans who have served and sacrificed for our nation.

On 11 November, federal and state offices, and many non-retail businesses will close. Maybe sometime during the day families will gather to celebrate and honor their loved ones; those present in body and those present only in spirit.

Throughout the day, there will be parades, celebrations, and copious praise of our troops and how heroically they have performed in all of our wars.

Special and well-deserved praise will be devoted to our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. But, if we really, honestly, cared about our veterans, we would treat them much better than we do.

First, we would not send them to fight wars of imperial aggression for the greater glory of two-bit politicians, most of whom are gutless cowards themselves.

Second, we would treat them better once they return home. Yes, the welcome home parades are nice; but I would suggest parades are of little real consequence in the long run. While they are nice; but, as the saying goes, “they don’t feed the baby.”

While we now have the best “GI benefits,” especially for education, since our World War II veterans’ benefits, veterans trying to take advantage of their education benefits often are harassed by the VA, which sets very narrow and intolerant guidelines for veterans’ education.

For many veterans trying to obtain an education, the VA is an almost constant vexation. The VA’s attitude appears to be our veterans seeking an education are slackers and scammers.

Relatedly, we are not doing nearly enough for our veterans with Post Traumatic Stress, and the rate for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is higher than for Vietnam veterans. Our failure here is nothing short of criminal.

Equally important is veterans’ horrible unemployment rate. While the “official” national unemployment rate has dipped slightly last month to 9.0 percent, the jobless rate for Iraq and Afghanistan era veterans actually increased from 11.7 to 12.1 percent.

In Texas, the veteran unemployment rate is worse –13.1 percent. One would think, in a state full of self-proclaimed super patriots, super patriotic employers would fall all over themselves to hire veterans.

Not so.

For many of these super patriot employers, veterans, especially combat veterans are an anathema.

The hypocrisy of welcoming veterans home with a parade, a handshake, a slap on the back should not be surprising and no jobs. For too many people in this country, our veterans are little more than dust on their shoes; a means to an end.

The problem is so bad President Obama is pushing a bill to bribe employers to hire veterans by giving them special tax breaks.

Why should employers have to be bribed to hire a veteran?

What we effectively have today, with our “all volunteer” military is a “poverty draft” where the poor, who disproportionately are minorities, are of no use beyond being cannon fodder for ruling class wars of imperial aggression.

Thus, we should not be surprised, when the boxes come home gift wrapped, they do not come home to affluent America, or so much to middle class America, as they come home to poor America, minority America.

We should not be surprised (that) both unemployed veterans and those who died in service to their country come overwhelmingly from the poorest regions of the U.S.

The Rio Grande Valley serves as a perfect example.

An Iraq veteran with multiple combat tours I met a few months ago spoke ruefully of the parade thrown for his unit when he returned home; but how, when he left the service, no one would hire him, including some of the people who shook his hand the day of the parade.

Then there are those gift wrapped boxes that keep flowing back to the Valley — 42 so far. A few weeks ago, we lost three of our sons in quick succession. Of the Valley news media, KGBT-TV, Channel 4, gave an accurate count of our losses, and is to be commended for having done so. Local print media routinely under reports the number of sons we have lost.

As of 5 November 2011, the Valley has lost 42 sons in Iraq or Afghanistan, while the total U.S. dead is 4,481. Servicemen from the Valley constitute 0.67 percent of those who have died.

However, according to the 2010 census, the population of the Valley comprises 0.41 percent of the nation’s total population. That is, the Valley, comprising 0.41 percent of the nation’s population, has suffered 0.67 percent of the nation’s losses in Iraq and Afghanistan, for a proportion of deaths 1.63 times higher than our proportion of the population.

Using 2000 census data, in 2000, the Valley comprised 0.35 percent of the nation’s population, resulting in losses for Valley servicemen 1.91 times higher than the Valley’s proportion of the national population.

NONE of the local news media bother to report the disproportionately high losses of servicemen from the Valley.

This Veterans Day, if you honestly value the service and sacrifices of our veterans, tell them. More importantly, if you are an employer, believe yourself to be patriotic, and have a job opening, hire a veteran.

We are loyal and work hard.

If you are “just an ‘average’ citizen” who honestly appreciates the service of those who willingly stand in harm’s way, risking limb, life and emotional stability, thank the veterans you know.

Then, protest these wars of imperial aggression. Demand their end. Tell the slick and the cowardly politicians who never wore the uniform, or, if they did, never served on the battlefield, they will receive your vote if and only if they work tirelessly to end these damned wars.

Do those things, and your veterans will know you mean it when you celebrate Veterans Day with them, and when you tell them you appreciate their service and sacrifice.

If you are unwilling to do these things, you are a hypocrite and you do not deserve the honor of shaking the hand of any veteran.

To my brothers and sisters, thank you; and Happy Veterans Day!

Samuel Freeman is a political science professor who teaches at a university in South Texas. A Vietnam War veteran, Freeman writes columns regularly for the Guardian and the Pharr News Journal.

LatinaLista – Sorpresa, sorpresa! A new poll released yesterday by the bipartisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns shows that Latinos believe in sensible gun laws that keep people safe.

According to the poll results:

Sixty-nine percent of Latino voters believe laws governing the sale of guns should be stronger.

A large majority of Latinos, including more than 70 percent of Latino Republicans, Latino gun owners and Latinos over 50, believe that people from other states should not be allowed to carry a loaded and concealed gun in their state unless they meet their state’s legal requirements.

Eighty-six percent – support requiring all gun buyers to pass a criminal background check, no matter where they buy the gun and no matter who they buy it from. Today, only federally licensed gun dealers are required to perform background checks, although 40 percent of U.S. gun sales are conducted through unlicensed sellers.

Seventy-six percent of Latinos favor a new Obama Administration program requiring gun dealers in border states to report when someone attempts to buy more than one semi-automatic assault rifle within a five-day period.

It shouldn’t be any surprise that Latinos support such restrictions. After all, the idea of some hot-tempered person pulling a gun out to show how tough they are is scary to any rational person, Latino or not.

However, the determination among Latinos to take a hardline stance against illegal gun ownership comes from either firsthand experience or sad headlines where gun violence directly impacts the Latino community way too often.

For example, the murder of a young Colorado man, the first in his family to attend college, who was shot on his way to burn some music CDs for his sister’s quinceañera; or the death of a Chicago  five-year-old who was just sitting next to his mother in the car on the way to abuelo’s house for dinner when a bullet pierced the car’s trunk and mortally wounded him or the shooting of an Oakland, California three-year-old, who was just sitting in his stroller on a sidewalk, and was unlucky enough to get in the way of shots being fired at two men standing near him.

In response to the death of the three-year-old, the Oakland, CA county prosecutor said:

“…It’s a reflection of the senseless gun violence we see out there. And to have it happen right in the middle of the day? That’s just horrific.”

The fact that too many of the people pulling the trigger are members of our own community should be reason enough to take a reality check and understand that while stricter gun laws may not solve the entire problem, it will help keep one more child, with so much potential, from passing before their time.

(Editor’s note: Latina Lista has accepted participation in the Media Matters Gun Facts fellowship. This post is written as part of the Media Matters Gun Facts fellowship. The purpose of the fellowship is to further Media Matters’ mission to comprehensively monitor, analyze, and correct conservative misinformation in the US media. Some of the worst misinformation occurs around the issue of guns, gun violence and extremism, the fellowship program is designed to fight this misinformation with facts.)

By Joshua Armstrong
Cronkite News Service

WASHINGTON – A strong Mexican economy is helping Arizona keep pace with other states in export sales this year, according to recent data from the International Trade Administration.

Mexico accounted for more than a third of the state’s international trade in the first half of 2011, when Arizona’s total export sales jumped $1.2 billion, to $8.9 billion. It was the highest year-to-date increase in at least five years.

The bump in exports follows 10 years in which Arizona had the fourth-slowest growth rate among states in international trade, according to the administration’s data.

Mexico’s quick recovery from the global recession, a strong peso and rising commodities prices are key factors in its increasing share of Arizona’s exports, said Lora Mwaniki Lyman, a border economy expert with the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management.

Exports to Mexico rose about a half-billion dollars to $2.9 billion in the first six months of the year. That total, not adjusted for inflation, is higher than the same period in 2008, which is currently Arizona’s best year in international sales. In the first half of that year, Arizona exported $2.8 billion in goods to Mexico and $10.8 billion overall.

“These Mexico numbers are very interesting,” Mwaniki Lyman said.

The Mexican economy rebounded quickly from the global recession, and its gross domestic product grew 5.4 percent in the first half of 2011, more than double the U.S. rate of growth, according to a Federal Reserve report from the Dallas office.

“Damage to the (Mexican) domestic banking industry was limited, and unlike in the U.S., there was no housing crisis or excessive consumer debt,” the report said.

Rising mineral prices, such as copper, were also a major factor, Mwaniki Lyman said.
Arizona is the largest copper exporter in the U.S. Average copper prices in the first half of 2011 averaged $4.24 per pound, up about $1 per pound from the same period a year earlier, Phoenix-based Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. said in a financial report.

A strong peso also increased the value of exports headed south of the border, Mwaniki Lyman said. An Arizona company that sold 1 million pesos worth of goods in March 2009 would have received about $68,000 in exchange; the same 1 million peso sale in May 2011 would have returned around $86,000 to the company.

But while the U.S. as a whole saw its export totals bounce back to pre-recession levels in 2010, Arizona was still lagging behind.

From 2000 to 2010, Arizona grew the fourth-slowest of all states in international trade, at a sluggish 9.1 percent clip. Forty states grew by more than 50 percent over the decade, and the national average was 64 percent.

While the increase in exports through June is good news for Arizona, the state still has a long way to go, said Barry Broome, president of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. He said those looking for Arizona to catch up to the other states will have to wait a few years.

Exports can diversify Arizona’s economy and raise wages, but the most significant changes can only happen if property values recover, Broome said.

Still, exports provide balance. Machinery, electronic, solar and pharmaceutical companies can lead Arizona’s export economy and reduce the state’s reliance on construction, Broome said. But he said a true recovery will require improvements in both exports and the domestic economy.

“We’re not going to see 5 percent unemployment until the housing market gets better,” he said.

By Martin Macias, Jr.
Extra News

CHICAGO – On Sept. 17 in New York City over 2,000 people began protesting nonviolently against corporate influence and against the financial crisis caused by greed and mismanagement of Wall Street firms.

More than one month later, the protests continue to grow and gain attention from politicians locally and nationally. On Sept. 23 a group assembled in Chicago, at LaSalle Street and Jackson Boulevard, in front of the Federal Reserve Bank, to begin Occupy Chicago.

What caused this?

Unemployment and foreclosures compounded the crisis faced by millions in the U.S while Wall Street banks accepted public bailouts and gave themselves bonuses while refusing to lend money.

“The nation’s banks are sitting on a historically high level of cash reserves of $1.64 trillion, but they refuse to help the country,” said LeeAnn Hall, who leads Washington’s Alliance for a Just Society. “Banks must pay their fair share of taxes, and help create jobs through small business loans.”

It has been amazing to see people’s resilience through the rain and cold weather. There are people from all walks of life at Occupy Chicago who are very smart and have visions for what world they want to live in. I’ve noticed a trend of mostly young whites leading a movement that stands to represent the “bottom 99 percent.”

People of color, undocumented immigrants and queer folks are definitely visible in Occupy Chicago but the building toward “safe, accessible and liberated spaces” remains to be seen.

A typical response I hear is that race (or other factors) should not detract from a movement working to bring change to everyone. I counter that an agenda that embraces perspectives and objectives of the historically oppressed communities benefits everyone not only a few.

The absence of racial diversity is particularly troubling given that the larger issues — poverty, foreclosures …

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