Texas needs a Latino-focused Think Tank. It is confounding and disconcerting that none currently exist. Preferably, the Think Tank should be an independent non-institutional organization that can contribute to critical policy dialogue and a catalyst to impact public and private policymaking.
Latinos are a diverse population that also encompass their respective achievement of social and economic progress across the states’ 12 distinct economic regions. The authors argued that much more progressive policies are needed than even before the Covid-19 pandemic. That Latino political engagement and messaging must increase to influence policymaking.
Texas’ ideology to accommodate the tax policy needs of the corporate sector while limiting human capital investments (e.g., education, health, housing, economic development) that equalize opportunities for economic mobility are legendary. The state’s regressive tax structure is a core pilar of this ideology where Latino and Black households are inequitably impacted. They pay more than […]
Political pundits have tried to make sense of the disappointing 2020 outcome in Texas for those of us who have wanted to see the state turn blue. In this essay, I provide my analysis of what happened, the challenges that we face, and the opportunities that we have in turning Texas blue….
Immigrants are a vital part of Texas’ economy. Their consumer spending power totaled 120.3 billion dollars, and they paid $40.6 billion dollars in local, state, and federal taxes. They are significant economic contributors to every Congressional District….
More than 100,000 Latinos have now lost their lives to COVID-19. This past week we went over this lamentable threshold. It took about ten months for 50,000 Latinos to die from the pandemic, but it only took four months to add another 50,000. More than 29,000 Latinos have died in California and more than 23,000 […]
The 3rd Texas Latino Policy Symposium (TXLPS III) urged local and state Covid-19 recovery support and structural policymaking change. Covid-19 further exposed Texas’s inadequate and unequal investments in education, employment, housing, health care, and economic development.
The coronavirus pandemic has rocked our world, completely changing our lives and our routines. It is a significant threat to Latinos’ 2020 census response and outreach efforts. Money and political power are at stake. Texas community outreach strategies are already challenged by President Trump’s administration discriminatory and inhumane policies directed at immigrants, and the state’s […]
Jobs (wage), health care (costs), and immigration including treatment of all Latinos were among the top issues for Texas Latino according to a UnidosUS and Latino Decisions conducted “2020 Texas Latino Electorate Survey”. The survey details Latino expectation from ideal candidates; current level of ‘party support’; and a detailed family related issues they want candidates […]
Latinos have experienced inequitable and discriminatory state and local public policies with negative impacts over generations. Progress has been made but challenges remain. Improvements in the social and economic mobility of Latino families first occurred because of significant labor movements of the 1920s. Further improvements followed from post-World War II Mexican American civic organizing and […]