The State of Our People

Obama said on Tuesday that he is not focusing on the day to day fluctuations of the stock market the day the stock market fell to a 12 year low. Speaking to reporters at the end of a meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Obama said, "I'm absolutely confident that they will work, and I'm absolutely confident that credit is going to be flowing again."

THE PROBLEM:

The United States has slid behind in education, healthcare and economic growth to dangerous levels when compared to other developed countries. All three of these core elements intertwine.

According to a study conducted by UNICEF, The US lags behind 17 countries including South Korea, Japan, Australia, Belgium, Hungary, Netherlands and Finland. Another prominent study, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, shows a steady decline in the performance of American students from grades 4 to 12 in comparison to their peers in other countries.

Business leaders and policy makers agree that we must execute bold and innovative initiatives to educate our students. Course load completion is viewed as being the biggest challenge. Failure to address this issue promptly will result in irreparable societal damages, as today’s students replace over 78 million baby boomers.

Secondly, "Healthcare Reform" is absolutely necessary. According to current statistics, more than 1/3 of the US population will be over 65 by 2030. The demand for medical health care will increase dramatically over the next few decades. The needs of tomorrow will command a highly educated and skilled workforce. A HS diploma will not cut it.

Thirdly, economic policies in this country have not been working in favor of its own economic engine – the middle class - for decades. The cost of healthcare, drop in personal wealth and inability to cope with personal emergencies are the main challenges facing the middle class today.

It is just a matter of time that an "irreversible" societal condition would prevail in our country, if we do not take swift action now. Put simply, we will continue to...

1- Loose completive ground in the global economy
2- Outsource Talent
3- Higher Poverty (and consequently crime) rate
4- Poor Health Conditions
5- Irreversible Climate Changes.

The Latino community has been hit real hard with today’s economic and social landscape. According to the Hispanic Pew Institute in Washington, D.C. Hispanics will represent 24% of the total US Hispanic population. As American Latinos we have the distinct advantage of serving as bicultural agents capable of bridging the gap between the newly arrived majority and the established, as we all integrate and continue to make meaningful cultural and economic contributions to our beloved country. For information about Latino Trends and Contributions go to http:

The current administration has remained relatively calm and confident as it is quickly responding by taking bold and unprecedented steps to remedy the mess it inherited from eight years of mismanagement and incompetence and decades of greed both in Wall Street and Main Street. This is great news!

Notes:

If you are interested in researching US Latino trends and statistics, go visit http://www.americanlatino.com and click on Community Resource Center.

Please feel free to post comments or suggestions.