Morning NewsTaco

Monday September 10, 2012

Hispanic voters projected to make up 8% of Colorado electorate (The Denver Post): A new study by the Center for Immigration Studies projects that Hispanic voters will make up 8 percent of the total electorate in the upcoming election in toss-up states including Colorado.

Michelle Obama praises Hispanics’ “critical role” (EFE/Fox News Latino): First lady Michelle Obama on Wednesday praised the “critical role” of the Latino community in helping achieve her husband’s vision for the country and she promised to fight for approval of the DREAM Act, which would provide a path to legalization for qualified undocumented young people.

Hispanics in North Carolina fight deportations (EFE/Fox News Latino): Hispanics in North Carolina have formed a support group for families whose members are facing deportation. The group consists of about 40 people who meet at least once a week at the headquarters of the Latin American Coalition in Charlotte, where 11,480 immigrants have been deported since 2006 under the 287(g) program, which makes members of participating local law enforcement agencies responsible for immigration enforcement.

Julian Castro: Obama will get 70% of Hispanic Vote (Daily Political): San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro has been riding the fame and recognition he has received since his keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention earlier this week in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has made a number of appearances and press rounds, while rallying the Hispanic voters behind President Barack Obama.

Latinos’ enthusiasm gap worries Dems (San Francisco Chronicle): Four years ago, President Obama promised immigration reform in his first year, but he never delivered. This time around, the Latino vote – so crucial to Obama’s chances for re-election – seemed to be fading.

Dairy farms rely on Hispanics (Green Bay Press Gazette): At 2 a.m. Alfredo Rodriguez goes to his job near Casco to take care of what he calls “the hospital cows.” Ten hours later, as an assistant herd manager, he will still be there.

Air pollution and the risk to Hispanic people (Las Vegas Sun): About 90 percent of Hispanics in the United States live in urban areas. These are areas where pollution from cars and trucks and major transportation arteries contaminate our air with smog, soot, carbon, mercury, lead and other toxic substances. It is estimated that 80 percent of Hispanics live in areas that fail to meet all U.S. EPA air quality standards, compared with 65 percent of blacks and 57 percent of Caucasians.

A list of top health disparities affecting Hispanics in the U.S. (Voxxi): Health disparities are a serious concern for one of the nation’s fastest growing minorities, and while many people understand how socioeconomic factors and limited access to insurance hinders the population, not everyone is aware of just how many health disparities affect the Hispanic community in the U.S.

 Why It’s Time for Hispanic-Owned Businesses To Become More Strategic (Huffington Post): The 2012 U.S. Census revealed that Hispanic-owned small businesses are growing at nearly twice the rate of the national average with annual revenues at $350B (though many industry insiders believe this is a conservative estimate with the true figure being well-north of $600B). The U.S. Minority Business Development Agency reports that between 2002 and 2007, Hispanic owned businesses grew faster than the national average of 44 percent in 28 states. Clearly, the impact of the Hispanic population and the entrepreneurial spirit we bring with us is influencing the emergence of Hispanic-owned small businesses. – and with this rapid growth the need for Hispanic specific resources and support to help enable revenue generation and profitability is at an all-time high.

What’s next in Arizona immigration battle? (CNN): A legal chapter closes now that a federal judge has lifted an injunction on Arizona’s “show me your papers” provision of its tough immigration law, but the legal combat won’t end and will merely take a new direction, analysts and attorneys say.

Hispanics Play Pivotal Role in the 2012 Political Conventions and Election (PBS): For the first time, Hispanic politicians were major speakers at both national conventions, illustrating the growing power wielded by those politicians and Hispanic voters, who make up a critical portion of the population in three swing states. Ray Suarez reports.

Dems see Latino-based future as union clout wanes (Albany Democrat Herald): On a precarious political bridge, Democrats are desperately trying to reach a promising future before their old foundation crumbles behind them. Union clout has eroded. But Hispanic strength is growing, raising long-term hopes. What about now?

San Jose-based Mi Pueblo Foods threatened with boycott over immigration status checks (San Jose Mercury News): The Bay Area’s biggest Latino grocery chain is trying to avert a threatened boycott after it began checking the immigration status of all its new hires through a federal work-verification program. “This is a decision that doesn’t come easily,” said spokeswoman Perla Rodriguez of the 21-store Mi Pueblo Foods chain. “The immigrant community, that’s the core of who we are.”

Texas Republicans Send Conflicting Messages to Latinos (Bloomberg): Senate candidate Ted Cruz, a Cuban- American, and Mexican-American George P. Bush, nephew and grandson of presidents, are rising Republican stars in Texas, where courts have blocked laws they deem unfair to Latinos.

Accenting the importance of the Latino vote (Los Angeles Times): No one kept stats, but it’s likely that some kind of record for use of a foreign language at the two conventions was shattered, with bursts of Spanish flying como pajaritos (like little birds). A cynic could say that it’s mercenary and calculated, a sort of political and linguistic version of the late 1970s Bill Murray”Saturday Night Live” skit “Quien Es Mas Macho?” — except more like, “Quien Usa Mas Español?”

NYPD Report Says 96 Percent Of Shooting Victims Are Black or Latino (Huffington Post): The New York Police Department released new data showing the vast majority of victims and perpetrators of violent crime in the city are black and Latino, in what experts said was likely part of a broader effort to defuse allegations of racial bias in the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy.

Lost in Translation: GOP Struggles With Hispanics (Wall Street Journal): Dotted with businesses flashing names such as Las Delicias and El Rey del Pollo, Charlotte’s Central Avenue should be fertile ground for Republicans seeking inroads into the state’s booming Latino community.

Despite voter ID law, minority turnout up in Georgia (Atlanta Journal Constitution): Turnout among black and Hispanic voters increased from 2006 to 2010, dramatically outpacing population growth for those groups over the same period. On the other hand, Georgia’s top elections official could not point to a single case of ballot fraud the voter ID law had prevented.

Voter ID Wars (New York Times): While investigating voting in America for the documentary film “Electoral Dysfunction,” I heard versions of this line over and over from the laws’ backers. The message is clear: “If you’re too lazy to get a government-issued photo ID, then you probably don’t deserve to vote. And please, let’s not forget 9/11.” (The airplane reference is a handy conversation-stopper.)

Texas, Iowa Voter Rule Changes at Issue in Court Hearings (Bloomberg): A U.S. appeals court heard arguments over challenges to a law passed by Texas Republicans limiting voter registration efforts before the Nov. 6 presidential election, while lawyers in state court in Iowa debated a plan to purge non-citizens from voter rolls.

Rejected voter ID law, maps ruled discriminatory not deterring Texas Republicans (Washington Post): On Election Day in Texas, the mere act of voting would have been fresh flexing of Republican power: Show a photo ID, then cast a ballot in a political district likely drawn to favor GOP candidates. The script has changed, though, with two federal courts sizing it up as minority discrimination.

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