Hispanic Heritage Month: Much to Celebrate; Much to Ask For

By some measures, the Latino community is thriving.

Latinos make up a significant share of the U.S. workforce. More Latinos are receiving a high school diploma, and many of them are starting a business and using their talents to innovate in an increasingly digital economy.

But in other ways, the Latino community is struggling.

Although the U.S. unemployment rate is starting to go down, inflation and the high cost of living is making it incredibly difficult for Latinos to save and plan for the future.

The good news is that we have an opportunity to do something about this.

As the Latino community grows, our collective voice can help shape public policy.

In the U.S., we can speak with our elected officials and demand that they support legislation and policies to expand opportunity and prosperity.

Recently, The LIBRE Institute, a non-profit and research organization ? the sister organization of The LIBRE Initiative, and the group I help lead ? conducted a polland found that Latinos are most concerned with the economy and the high rate of inflation.

The poll also found that Latinos are not happy with Washington lawmakers, including the Biden administration.

It’s easy to see why.

Despite spending trillions of dollars over the past few years, inflation and the cost of living have gone up. Economists, including a former President Obama advisor, have criticized parts of Biden’s economic agenda.

Of course, we don’t need to read policy papers to know that inflation is real. We feel it every time we check out at the grocery store or finish filling up the car at the gas station.

Unfortunately, the response from some lawmakers is to blame others (it’s greedy companies) and resort to failed economic ideas (price controls) that do not work. There is also a growing tendency, among both parties, to embrace protectionist policies like tariffs and restrictions to legal immigration.

Instead of closing off our economy, we need to demand pro-growth economic policies that will make it easier for the private sector to grow and create jobs. Instead of punishing success, in the form of increased taxes, and stifle innovation, in the form of increased regulation, we need to reward work.

For example, earlier this year, the Biden administration issued a new federal rule reclassifying many independent workers as full-time employees. The White House claimed that this was done to extend federal protections and benefits, but in practice it may mean that independent workers may see reduced hours and pay.

This federal overreach will disproportionately impact Latinos, who are increasingly making a larger share of independent and part time workers.

Besides removing barriers to work, policymakers in our state capitals and in Washington should support policies to personalize health care like expanding telehealth services.

State lawmakers could also support increased educational freedom for our families. In practice this means allowing families to choose the best type of educational setting for their children. For some, that may mean staying at their local public school, but for other families it could mean homeschooling, attending a charter school, or even enrolling in a private school.

Hispanic Heritage Month – this four-week national celebration of our community – is a perfect opportunity to raise our voices and champion policies that will improve our lives so we can pursue our version of The American Dream

We know that the United States is a unique place. It’s why many of us left behind our loved ones in our home countries to come here. But if we want to ensure that this place remains prosperous, we need to demand pro-growth and pro-freedom policies to expand opportunity for all.

Let’s make our voice heard.

(*) Jose Mallea is the CEO of The LIBRE Initiative.

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