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Wednesday, June 4, 2008
McCain launches Spanish-language radio ad
Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, launched a new Spanish language radio ad on Wednesday, entitled “Economy.”
It will run in Nevada and New Mexico, two states with large Hispanic populations.
Here is a translation of the ad:
ANNOUNCER: “When we are buying groceries, we don’t have a political party. When we are filling up the gas tank, we are not Republicans, Democrats or Independents. We are Hispanics, and we all are hurting together in this uncertain economic time. We need someone that has a good economic plan, and that is John McCain. His plan is a realistic plan, not a political one, and it will help jump-start the local and national economies.
He proposed to Congress a federal gas-tax holiday for the summer months. He wants middle-class families to pay less taxes so we can have more money in our pocket and less in Washington. And he wants to help families hurt by the housing crisis under his HOME Plan.
He is optimistic and knows that we all, united together, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, can find a better way to fill up our tanks, our shopping carts, and our dreams.
That’s why in Nevada, we are united with John McCain.”
JOHN MCCAIN: “I’m John McCain and I approve this message.”
Listen to the ad here.
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Study: Economic downturn hitting Latinos hard
The nation’s economic downturn — especially a slump in the construction industry — is having a disproportionate impact on Hispanic workers, a study released Wednesday found.
Hispanics have lost nearly 250,000 jobs over the past year in the construction sector alone, pushing their unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) to 6.5 percent in the first quarter of this year. By comparison, the unemployment rate for non-Hispanics was 4.7 percent, said the study by the Pew Hispanic Center, a non-partisan research group in Washington.
“Hispanics had a rough time in the labor market in 2007,” said Rakesh Kochhar, associate director for research at the Pew Hispanic Center and author of the report.
Latino immigrants, especially Mexicans and recent arrivals, have been hurt the most, said the study.
Despite the increase in unemployment, there are no signs that Latinos are are leaving the labor force, the study found.
“For now, they are here and actively looking for work,” Kochhar said.
Immigrants in the study include all foreign-born people living in the United States, including those who are in the United States illegally. The study does not identify whether the workers are legal or illegal because the source material from the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not include that information.
The Pew Hispanic Center has estimated that illegal immigrants account for about 5 percent of the U.S. workers and about one-third of foreign-born workers. Illegal immigrants are over-represented in certain industries such as construction where they account for 12 percent of employees.
See the study here.
