Not long ago, I asked the Mexican woman caring for my terminal mother how many children she would have had knowing what she knows today at 60 years of age and twenty years in America, not middle-of-the-20th Century Mexico. She had given birth to 9 children after she married at 16.
Two, she answered. She is not alone.
Susan Saulny of the New York Times wrote an article recently about plunging birth rates among Hispanic American women, immigrant and native-born. Her article and its statistics throw a huge monkey wrench into the fanatical propaganda the country is constantly flagellated with from the anti-immigrant fringe that speaks so loudly.
We are constantly barraged with declarations that Hispanics are overwhelming the public assistance (welfare) system despite the fact that Hispanics are far behind Whites and Blacks in welfare usage.
Facts from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) as published in the House of Representatives “Green Book:”
The two largest cash assistance programs, 2009, AFDC (aid to children) – TANF (aid to families) –
- AFDC-Cash Assistance for children – Non-Hispanic Whites, 36.2%; Black, 40.6% and Hispanic, 16.3% (Keep in mind that the median Hispanic age is 27, 12 years younger than the country, thus more Hispanic children)
- TANF-Cash Assistance for families – Non-Hispanic Whites, 35%; Black, 37.2% and Hispanic, 17%.
Facts are facts. Now that Hispanic women are having fewer children, their welfare percentages will improve – drop –as the economy improves.
Susan Saulny:
Hispanic women in the United States, who have generally had the highest fertility rates in the country, are choosing to have fewer children. Both immigrant and native-born Latinas had steeper birthrate declines from 2007 to 2010 than other groups, including non-Hispanic whites, blacks and Asians…As a result, in 2011, the American birthrate hit a record low, with 63 births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44, led by the decline in births to immigrant women. The national birthrate is now about half what it was during the baby boom years, when it peaked in 1957 at 122.7 births per 1,000 women of childbearing age.”
The decline in birthrates was steepest among Mexican-American women and women who immigrated from Mexico, at 25.7 percent…In 2010, birthrates among all Hispanics reached their lowest level in 20 years, the (Pew) Center found.
Couple these facts with a huge drop in birth rates in Mexico, a zero rate of illegal border crossings and the dire paranoia reflected in fringe extremist projections of racial doom and the predicted decline of White America means little for they are based on racial/ethnic animus not facts.
For example, from one of the few “thinkers” among paranoids in the hate-Mexican cabal is a totally specious prediction that was published in the bigoted publication of John Tanton (America’s biggest and most dangerous racial/ethnic bigot) called the SOCIAL CONTRACT PRESS by Ed Rubenstein in the winter of 2010-2011.
By 2050, Hispanic and non-Hispanic minorities will be in the majority. Their combined populations will constitute 53.7 percent of U.S. population compared to just 35.3 percent in 2010. Meanwhile, the white share of U.S. population will slip from a 64.7 percent majority in 2010 to a 46.3 percent minority in 2050. And because white fertility — the average number of children born to white women over their child-bearing years — is below the level needed to replace deceased whites, the white population will start to decline around 2030 according to Census Bureau projections. Thus, unlike earlier periods, a falling white population share will also signal a falling white population. Even if no new immigrants are allowed in, the minority share of the U.S. population will rise because immigration has already pushed the minority population to record levels and because non-white mothers (immigrant and native-born alike) will give birth to significantly more children than their white counterparts.”
Boo Hoo…Wrong, Roo-ben-shteen, wrong.
The paranoid anti-immigrant, anti-Hispanic cabal lead by Tanton, Ed Rubenstein, Peter Brimelow (VDare.com), former Congressman Tom Tancredo, former Senator Jim DeMint, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and Senators like Louisiana’s Vitter and Iowa Congressman Steve King are all shooting blanks, fact-less blanks that are noisy but untruthful and in view of real facts – ineffective among thinking people.
“It is surprising,” a non-Hispanic White demographer says. “When you hear about a decrease in the birthrate, you don’t expect Latinos to be at the forefront of the trend.”
Neither did the “brains” of Paranoia U.S.A. Will they change their tune now? No, their attitude towards Mexicans and other Hispanics can never be overcome by reason and facts. At the root of this is a belief system that Whites are superior to anyone not of Northern European White ethnicity. Better Hispanic education and economics appear to be demographically powerful. Plunging Hispanic American birth rates are proof.
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Raoul Lowery Contreras
Raoul Lowery Contreras (1941) was born in Mexico, raised in the USA. Former U.S. Marine, athlete, Dean’s List at San Diego State. Professional political consultant and California Republican Party official(1963-65)…Television news commentator, radio talk show host…published Op-Ed writer (1988 to present)…author of 13 books. His books are available on Amazon.com.
Being ABLE – to CHOOSE to have fewer children – CLEARLY enabled through and by – BIRTH CONTROL – and ACCESS to contraception !!!!!
THEREFORE – ALL insurance plans – should NOT CHARGE extra – for contraception medications and devices !!!!!!
THEREFORE – STOP the REPUBLICANS, Like Rush the L. on the radio – from speaking against Students from being able to receive contraception medications and deivices – from their student service organizations !!!!
For once, Raoul – you and I are in agreement over the issue of affordable contraception medications and devices !!!!
Just agreein’
Robert Allen