Bush Courts Hispanics Politically, Leaves Them Behind Economically

In his SOTU address, President Bush described our economy as both “healthy, and vigorous.” Unfortunately, many Americans struggling to find well-paying jobs with good benefits haven’t experienced that health and vigor:

– Since March 2001, the economy has had the lowest job growth of any business cycle since the Great Depression.

– Weekly wages, in inflation-adjusted terms, have declined for the past three years and by Dec. 2005, they were below the level of Nov. 2001, when the economic recovery reportedly started.

– Since 2000, the number of workers receiving a pension or health insurance from his or her employer continues to decline.

This weak labor market has meant that Hispanics, who – due to lower wages and fewer benefits — typically enjoy less economic security than blacks or whites, have been unable to advance:

– Mexican-American men saw their wages decline from 2001 to 2004, while wages for white and black men rose during that same period.

– Every measure of economic security – employment, wages, health insurance and pension insurance – declined for Mexican-American women.

Progressive policy can do more to help Hispanics improve their living standards. A return to a strong labor market, as was the case in the late 1990s, and strengthening the right of workers to join a union would be steps in the right direction.

President Bush understands how important Hispanics are politically. Unfortunately, he has yet to appreciate that we need new policies to make the economy work for them.

– Christian E. Weller