Mr. Felipe Garcia’s commentary printed Sept. 21, “Hispanics are merely political props for the GOP,” does not represent the Hispanic community’s preference for the GOP and its candidates, and reflects only his deep-seated dislike of President Trump and things associated with him. Hispanic support for the Democratic Party, particularly here in the RGV, has deteriorated over the past 12 months or so, and currently stands at record lows.
Mr. Garcia’s wide brush, with which he castigates and maligns Rep. Mayra Flores and Monica Del La Cruz, with words like, “are heavily funded by millions of dollars of dark outside money,” are rife with personal ambiguity, claims that are rhetoric of his making, and literary license promulgated to demean the integrity of these individuals and the GOP.
Research by Politico shows that President Trump, although being branded and defined as a “racist” by the liberal media, improved his support by Hispanics in 78 of the nation’s 100 majority-Hispanic counties, not just locally but on a nationwide basis. President Biden won most of those counties, but there’s no debating that President Trump made significant gains in 2020, and even more dramatic gains in 2021 and 2022 within Hispanic communities.
I wonder how Mr. Garcia feels about the more than 2 million immigrants who have literally invaded our country under Mr. Biden’s approval? This president has never visited the RGV to conceptualize the impact of this continuing invasion, which continues unabated. He appointed a “czar” for border control, Vice President Kamala Harris, whose minuscule one-time visit to El Paso did nothing to stem the tide of immigrants. Two million in less than two years!
Mr. Garcia complains about inaction, and lays that at the feet of the GOP. How many liberal Hispanic/Latinos are heads of Mr. Biden’s Cabinet departments, and what have they done to solve the problems of the RGV? I count four of 15 departments, or 27% of his Cabinet, if surnames count for ethnicity. How have they promulgated any policies that have solved one iota of these difficulties?
Mr. Trump, from the very beginning of his political activity, has had traits that detracted from his presidency. For me, and millions more I suspect, his braggadocio and less-than-flattering comments about others have been unwarranted and a blemish on his presidency.
Having said that, I would also like to suggest that Mr. Trump, throughout his life, has never pretended to be or acted the part of a consummate politician. His forte has been one of the rough-and-tumble business environment, in which he arguably is very proficient. His business acumen has proven to be a great asset to all Americans.
There are many Trump successes, and here are just a few: America gained 7 million new jobs, three times experts’ projections; middle-class income increased nearly $1,400 per year; unemployment reached 3.5%, the lowest in a half-century; 40 straight months in a row with more job openings than hires; more Americans were employed than ever before, nearly 160 million; jobless claims hit a nearly 50-year low; incomes rose in every single metro area in the U.S. for the first time in nearly three decades; and significantly for those of color, unemployment rates for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, veterans, those with disabilities and those without high-school diplomas all reached record lows. Couple that with unemployment for women at its lowest rate in nearly 70 years, 7 million people off food stamps, poverty rates for African Americans and Hispanics Americans at record lows, income equality fell for two straight years by the largest amount in more than a decade, and the bottom 50% of American households saw a 40% increase in net worth.
I ask Mr. Garcia to honestly compare the U.S. situation today, especially economic, social and foreign affairs, to when Mr. Trump left office. We now have 8.3% inflation, without doubt caused by Biden’s disastrous energy and spending policies, an open border where not only criminals are crossing but illicit drugs that are killing Americans at a horrible rate. Increased crime rates in many cities, and an eye-opening hypocrisy concerning “sanctuary cities.”
Of great concern is the image the Biden administration is presenting to our allies all over the world, the results depicted by adventurism and war by the likes of Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and Venezuela.
Latinos as political props — I don’t think so. Latinos are a large and influential voting segment, and their knowledge, political and personal desires are a reflection of the hopes for a better life, safety from criminal enterprise, a closed border, more income equality, a safer environment, better medical care and the recognition due their ethnic heritage, all tenets espoused by Republican governance.
Sherwood D. Uhrmacher lives in Palmview.
