I’m Not The Only One

Once in a while, non-Hispanic people ask me what the difference is, if any, between Hispanic and Latino. I think a lot of people, including Latinos (who from here on I will refer to as “people of Latin American heritage, the most accurate but also wordiest term to describe us), wonder what the difference is, even though both terms are often used interchangeably.

Both terms are vague and confusing. Black, white, Asian, and Native American are easy to understand. On the surface, the difference between the two words is that, Latino is a word that Americans of Latin American heritage chose for themselves, whereas Hispanic is a word created by the U.S. government in the late 1970s to use in the 1980 Census to count how many people of Latin American heritage there are in the U.S., mostly because too many people were probably marking “other” in the racial category of the previous U.S. Census form. (more…)

I spent a few days this week visiting my sister in Philadelphia. One of my favorite places to visit in Philly are the town’s two most famous cheese steak restaurants, Pat’s and Geno’s.

Since all cheese steaks pretty much taste the same to me, and both eateries offer the same amount of seating, and they’re across the street from each other, I really didn’t care whether we ate at Geno’s or Pat’s.

When I got in line at Geno’s I was surprised to see a sign on their window that read: “This is America, please order in English,” something I didn’t see when I visited Geno’s two years ago. Another sign on their window offered “Speak English” t-shirts for $10. The situation reminded me why, as a New Yorker, traveling to the rest of the U.S. can be a strange experience. It also reminded me why so many New Yorkers are often hesitant to even venture outside of the city. (more…)

In a previous post, I reviewed a novel which examined what America in the near future would be like if the federal government continues its irresponsible fiscal behavior.

The novel, Boomsday, speculates upon the year when millions of Baby Boomers become eligible for Social Security retirement benefits. Anticipating the massive financial drain this will have, Congress votes to raise the Social Security payroll tax to 30 percent for all citizens under 35 years old. Young adults respond to this by rioting and refusing to pay any taxes and politicians act quickly to capitalize on the mayhem.

It’s a fun story, but the danger is all too real. The future America in this novel may very well be on its way if we don’t act now. A lot of people don’t understand the national budget, the national deficit and why it is such a problem. I’ve visited a few websites, both government and non-government to fully understand the issue, and I’ll be the first to admit it’s a bit confusing. Feel free to peruse, as I have, the blogroll of various economics related blogs at Hispanic Pundit to explain why it is so important to not have so much government debt.
But I will break down the answer as I understand the situation. If I am wrong, may God send someone my way to let me know and then enlighten me with the true answer. (more…)

For those of you who are U.S. citizens, I hope you joined myself and scores of others in placing an American flag on display in their windows or doors.

As a libertarian, I do not agree with, but I do respect the wishes of those Americans who choose to not salute the flag, recite the Pledge of Allegiance, or display it in their home. I even respect the wishes of those who choose to burn it as a sign of disrespect or hatred for my country.

When I saw news coverage back in 2003 of demonstrators protesting the war in Iraq, the cameras caught some footage of white people chanting (in American accents) against Bush and the war and setting a flag on fire with a lighter. Despite my respect for the American flag, seeing it burned only made me grin. Why, do you ask? (more…)

I know it’s been almost a month since I last had an actual entry, and I do apologize for that.  The truth is, I’m having a hell of a time writing about the U.S. national debt problem.  I don’t have a degree in economics, and I’m not the Chair of the Federal Reserve of the World Bank, so trying to understand and break down all the complicated aspects of this issue for the reader has not been an easy one for me.  I have it down, but I don’t like the way I’ve written it.  The language is not clear or precise, something I always strive for in my writing.  And I will continue revising it until I am satisfied with what I see.

The worst part of this is that it’s kept me from regular blogging.  So what I’m going to do is blog regularly on different topics, and when I’m done writing my piece on the national debt, you’ll know.

Later.