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A quarterly magazine of urban affairs, published by the Manhattan Institute, edited by Brian C. Anderson.
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Californias Demographic Revolution « Back to Story
Showing 175 Comment(s) Subscribe by RSS I can understand the argument over measuring success beyond the use of IQ. A career criminal or gang leader can be a success within society by having a low IQ but having a high emotional intelligence. He or she may exhibit sociopath traits and be able to manipulate others. So I agree IQ is not a true measure of future success in a society, if you believe that manipulation skills are the most important. Delete me from your e-mails Mexican american April 25, 2013 at 7:38 PM If whites don't like how things are in California, get out! No one is making you stay, and if you don't like the way things are in the U.S, then go back to Europe! As Amerindian people, people of Mesoamerican Indigenous blood, we have more say of what goes on in these lands than you, the invaders. So, please, make your move, preferably to the other side of the world. :) Mexican american April 25, 2013 at 7:31 PM If whites don't like how things are in California, get out! No one is making you stay, and if you don't like the way things are in the U.S, then go back to Europe! As Amerindian people, people of Mesoamerican Indigenous blood, we have more say of what goes on in these lands than you, the invaders. So, please, make your move, preferably to the other side of the world. :) Kennedy April 25, 2013 at 8:13 AM You know, the rest of the nation truly tires of arrogant Californians. That old saying you people have about the nation "so-going" where California goes...may have held a ring of truth to it...50 years ago. But today, it is complete and utter nonsense. When was the last time a sensible state in this country followed California anywhere? Do you people really believe that Moonbeam Brown can come and get elected in North Carolina, after he is finished nailing shut the California coffin? It is downright insulting, when you people assume that anyone else in the nation is looking at YOUR foolishness, as a beacon. Just stop saying it. It only makes the rest of the country want to backhand you. Jose Hernendez April 25, 2013 at 5:51 AM America's no#1 enemy are the Hispanics. kathryn kobor February 12, 2013 at 9:11 AM Poor Hispanics don't pay in taxes what they cost in social services Louis Thorndon February 06, 2013 at 3:43 AM Your article is excellent. It clearly explains the deluded nature of the GOP. Hispanics are conservative, but the USA has not brought in conservative hispanics, but rather the underclass. The USA under the GOP should have made citizenship readily available to the wealthy from Central and South America and should have ended the taxation of US citizens who are non-resident. There would be hundreds of thousands of people from Central and Southern America who would love to have US citizenship on the above basis - as a backup plan, in case their country went the way of Venezuela. Instead, the USA has made citizenship the basis of a liability to tax, so only people who want to be resident and particularly, the poor wish to apply. The rich Latino vote would be enough to change the presidential vote in Florida the GOP's way and would create a Latino elite that was not Democrat. There would also be deep campaign coffers. If the GOP exempted foreign source income from federal income taxation, then the USA would be the preferred location for the world's rich, instead of London. The long term effect on the vote would be huge. As Orwell pointed out, waiters in expensive restaurants are rarely socialists. B. S. Davis February 04, 2013 at 8:12 AM What governmental agency decided that it was a good thing for California to have its ethnic makeup changed? No one - voters didn't make that decision, it was done by a Democratic Party that cares ONLY for power, and nothing for the welfare of the governed. Democrats knew full well that the people coming here would vote overwhelmingly for them, its attitude was the more the better. God forbid you say anything about it, because that got a "racist" nativist label, which Democratic media made sure was elevated the worst insult anyone could possibly recieve and an instant career killer for Republican politicians. Democratic media have also ensured that Democratic politicians can be racist and not suffer for it - the idea is to use the racist label to destroy the opposition. Of course, the fact that the jobs being taken by immigrants had previously been done by blacks (jobs which on the more level playing field could have been stepping stones to better things), that other Democratic constituency, meant nothing to Democrats. What counts for the Democratic Party is power, and if blacks were the ones to suffer most from immigration, then the answer was to simply throw money at black leaders, who were more than happy to sell out. But, say one word about this cynical, corrupt arrangement gets you labelled a racist. In fact, to even cite statistics, to discuss facts, got the label thrown at you. And so it goes in California, from first to worst, and the Democratic media has muzzled anyone who would say one word about how it happened. "A nation of immigrants" has been repeated so many times that we all accept it like it was unvarnished truth but in 1968 if you had said that people would have looked at you cross eyed. Democrats now claim that there is no American culture, and Democratic media has been doing whatever possible to exstinguish that culture because its traditions are totally foeign to everything Democrats believe in - that is, first and foremost separation of people by any means possible, age, ethnciity, race, religion, geography, state of health etc. and to keep each group at each others throats, and fearful. All the most to be open to governmental intervention. There is something so colosally evil, so psychopathic about the Democratic approach to governing - it requires one to maintain ideas that are at war with one another. A Democrat can somehow think he or she is open minded, even as they have an impossibly narrow minded view of the world, can think of themselves as supporters of liberty while at the same time have to hesitation about stealing the libertites of others and tellig them what to do and think, will believe themselves to be charitable even while ensuring universal poverty - one could go on and on. The California of today is very much a Democratic invention, and very much the Democratic way of governing on display. Democrats needed a population free of American traditions, it needed a population that would be amenable to government intervention, it needed a population that had no connection to an American past and it needed a population that would most of all accept single parenting, so that the childen would fit into the new Democratic society. As a side issue such a population would also fill prisons, supporting another Democratic group. Democrats have all this and more in California, these misery promoters can now practice on a state wide level. The fact that people are fleeing this "paradise" Democrats are creating means nothing, since the population lost can be more than made for by importing more compliant souls across the border and overseas. Republicans are helpless in the face of this type of corruption, Republicans and most readers of this simply cannot comprehend that anyone could do this. That failure of imagination plays into the hands of Democrats who care only for power, and nothing at all about the governed. Amused skeptic November 13, 2012 at 1:24 AM This is a good read. But it is not just California. Texas is now on the line. Hispanic Texans voted for Romney at just about 30% according to Rice University estimates. That is hardly better than the national average. Hispanics in Colorado, a supposed swing state, voted for Romney just a paltry 13% of the time. That is approaching black levels of democratic hegemony. In 2008, Hispanics were 20% of the Texas electorate. In 2012, they were 25%. Yet it is also true that they have a lower participation rate in the elections, both nationally and statewide. If they go up to par with Anglos, Texas will be purple next election and from 2020 on it would be solidly blue like California. The answer to this, from the GOP, is to offer amnesty. But amnesty will do nothing but increase the pool of Democratic voters, which is why the liberal MSM is cheering on the so-called 'civil war' and pushing for amnesty. It will be the final death blow to the GOP. Sure, the GOP as a party can still survive, but it won't be conservative. It would be a national contest between a increasingly far-left party and an uneasily slightly left-of-center party vying for competition. Hispanics won't vote for the GOP unless they're engaged on the issues. Stopping the neocons and their warmongering is a good start. Next, stop the bizarre reverence for Wall St and the 1% plutocrats. But even all that will not be enough. Hispanics love Obamacare, they love Big Government. Only 10% of them who come here have a bachelor's degree. Over half have kids out of wedlock. And so on. These are not your natural 'conservatives'. And they won't be for generations. It sounds bad, but I think if the GOP actually wants to be a conservative party, it has no chance. It should have limited immigration when it could do so, 20 years ago(at the latest) but it chose not to do so, for two reasons. The first is the Big Business lobby, which love illegals as it can suppress wages and keeps unions in check(after all, an illegal won't complain if they are afraid to go the Feds). The second part is the ethnic lobbies, together with the MSM, who will attack anyone who questions massive 3rd world immigration and the social and political implications that it has on the nation. So the GOP went along and bought into the hype of the 'natural conservatives' when it was always a lie. And now we're here. The GOP can survive, but only as a political entity. The Conservative movement, as it is, is far too white and increasingly parochial in a nation coloured permanently by 3rd world immigration where big unions work together in corruption with big government. People warned the GOP about this, like Pat Buchanan, but they were ignored. That's the worst part. This could have been avoided. But, alas, now here we are. Even if we do nothing, things look grim. Granting amnesty to over 10 million people, who vote Democratic at 70% or more, will be the death knell for the conservative movement. In some ways, it has dug it's own grave. This could have been avoided. But Big Biz and the ethnic lobbies/MSM got their way. Welcome to the new socialist/3rd world America. seabass November 12, 2012 at 12:01 PM If young Hispanics would value education more than gang banging, drug slinging and breeding perhaps you'd have some legs to stand on. rick daly November 11, 2012 at 11:10 AM No mater what , the whole Latino refuge movement from Mexico in the last 20 years is political and experimental . The masters of planning have overlooked the evolution of the Latino breed . A huge mistake of irreversable consequence's ! Look for violence and heavy destruction in the future in California for decades after the fall of government and social services ! The thing that's being done in CA legislature now is directing all the money for programs to poor low income areas first, as a priority, which in CA is more often a euphemism for Hispanic ... You see it in everything. Despiser August 08, 2012 at 11:51 AM Making the little punks work at slave labor conditions for a few years would change these pukes minds quickly. If they dont want to work, then fine, bread and water no bed not blankets and solitary confinement. Easy. when you have a Pair and very difficult if not... Cali is run by IDIOTS that live in gated communities. The capthca thingy is infuriating. Seriously makes me want to NEVER come back. Despiser August 08, 2012 at 11:46 AM In California, the War has already begun, the idiots that rule California are just too stupid to know it yet. Mark T July 19, 2012 at 10:46 AM Scanning the comments section I see the usual back-and-forth about nature-nurture. I'm surprised no one references the work of the late Prof. John Ogbu who studied upper-middle class blacks in Shaker Heights Ohio and found them adopting cultural affects the teens I am around refer to as "ghetto". It is the left-wing welfare state mentality that produces this in concert with the immediate gratification culture of consumerism. Surveying the California locales I am familiar with since the 60s, it's like a bomb went off. From no gangs to having to have separate continuation schools just to separate the different gang factions for instance. Mark T July 19, 2012 at 10:13 AM The comments about the cultural dispositions of Latinos are rapidly becoming historical artifacts. The Marxist fanatics who rule California (and especially dominate the big city school districts) are taking care of that. In the "New California" education is a political vehicle and jobs program for the far left. Esteban Kelly May 25, 2012 at 2:26 AM The situation that the illegal aliens have created for their children is unfortunte, however, we do not have thet assets or interest in solving thier problems. We have enough of or own in dealing with the likes of the Crazy Little Stoners gang. Here's an idea, instead of suspending sentances for minors, put them to work on road crews and the llike in repairing the infrastucture and doing general cleaning for the city and roads. While doing so they may also learn basic construstion skills and move up in the economic world, by finding real jobs in construction or manufacturing area. dredre2012 May 19, 2012 at 2:53 AM This is new style headphonesbeats by dre studio for cheap. The whole appearance design is very fashionable, deep to attract us the general consumers' eye. Be worth what carry is, beats headphones on sale our headphones and perfect quality.Now, the use of our music appreciation of the monster beats dr.dre headset people more and more, it has been widely we used the general consumers. Appreciate music has become people to fashion, beats by dr dre for salealso is our leisure one way. We use of such headset enjoy music, brings us the wonderful music, at the same time give our life also brought not as much fun. Life because of the existence of the monster beats dr.dre headset we become more beautiful.No matter where we go, we can see the people enjoy music use headphones. buy beats by dre for cheap This means that we monster beats dr.dre headset has already been used. hmmmmm April 30, 2012 at 12:31 AM Hispanics are not "angry" like the Blacks in Philadelphia? Geez...spend time in So. CA schools...like the HS you wrote about above. My "Hispanic" students wear "Brown Power" T-shirts to school, carve the saying into anything they can, destroying/marring the school materials and environment. They dedicate every niche of space in their art work, doodles, classwork, to the Mexican flag. destroy my personal belongings in class (even a picture of my son on the wall posed with a local sports hero), steal from me and each other, fight and threaten, and generally trash the place. That's anger. That's an entitlement metality that says "You owe me and even so, I hate you as you "pay up" to me----and I hate you if you don't and I hate you if you DO." This attitude can eminate from even the kids who have been here all their lives, who by high school, are still "English Language Learners." No expectations at home that they will or SHOULD learn English ....and yet ...the "failure" of their children in school is all the "fault" of the school system (????). Fooey. They shall speak the language of the market place when and where they have a need for it. They will learn the ways of the market place when they must participate. If they don't learn English or agree to participate in our national culture...the entire mix of it all...then they will be entrapped within the very small world of their own making and who and WHAT says that we are ordained and ordered to drag them out of of it---mostly against their will? Unlike the immigrants of a century ago, these recent "Hispanic" immigrants...both legal and non-legal...have an umbilical cord connection to their homeland. They travel back and forth on a regular basis; nothing unusual about a student disappearing right before winter break and not reappearing until nearly spring break......never taken off the school rolls, never filing for an independent study, and students all chiming out each morning at roll "He's in Mexico," as though a perfectly excusable "He's been hospitalized for the last two months...." It's normal to have that same student return to stand before me and proclaim,"My mother says you're supposed to give me all my missing assignments..." The terrible problem we have here is there is no "fit" between the Hispanic culture you describe--the one in which I live and work--- and the "real world" of day-to-day commerce and schooling. We keep trying to make "them" fit to the greater model, and often times we even try to make the commercial model and school model bend to fit around "them." It benefits no one. It should all stop and allow the individual to choose. Let the families choose into which world they and their children will aim. It's "OK" if they choose the smaller ethnic world. It's "OK" if they raise their children with expectations of living in both worlds...and it's "OK" if they expect children to move on and embrace the larger commercial and educatioinal world...It's time to stop turning our ed system inside out and upside-down to please this or that" minority" expectation, while smaller numbers of other minorities and majority others sit by silently, suffering the disruption, the pervasive "biligualism" that speaks to NEITHER their first language OR the English language they are trying to learn. I once had a recent 12-yr-old Egyptian immigrant innocently look up and inquire of a "La Comite" member inspecting our classrooms, "Tell me why I must have a Spanish-English dictionary on my desk?" I felt like yelling out...."YES!" In my room that year was a Thai, a Korean, two Russians, 2 New Zealanders, a Mexican who spoke the original Indian dialect of his village/state, and the little Egyptian. No one else besides the Hispanic kids who were almost aLL born in this country, had a political group empowered to inspect our classrooms to make sure that we were all using an English-Spanish Dictionary. What's wrong with this picture? B S! how much does California pay for all the Hispanic foster children? Craig S. Maxwell April 12, 2012 at 7:27 PM "If the upward mobility of the impending Hispanic majority doesn't improve, the state's economic future is in peril." "If"? Uh, in case you hadn't noticed, this state's economic future is already in a perilous state. Robert Half April 09, 2012 at 4:58 AM IQ, IQ, IQ, is that really the underlying reason for sociopathic chaos? Can none of you really see the trend that has been going on for the past 50-60 years? Try reading the prophecies of St. Nilus and St. Malachy and see if they aren't coming into fruition at this moment. The Blessed Virgin has been coming to Medjugorje for well over 25 years now in Her final appearance to mankind before the Great Chastisement occurs. What we have going on in California and the rest of the entire world is nothing less than the wholesale unleashing of satan and his minions to disrupt society, create chaos and spread murder, fornication and the destruction of the family (the essential unit of society) as the best tactical attacks on the souls of men so that as many as possible may be lost for all eternity. Archbishop Fulton Sheen once famously stated that the entire world is in satan's hands, but that Catholics are his favorite target due to the fact we have all the Sacraments necessary for salvation. And how many of use bother to avail ourselves of them today, not to mention how many priests are doing so? Carleton April 05, 2012 at 6:23 PM Well my personal experience with Mexicans, living amongst them, surrounded by them is quite different from Ms MacDonald's view of wonderful warm friendly folks. So if she is right then the future of America is BUENOS!!! If she is wrong... Jim O'Brien March 25, 2012 at 4:23 AM I have lived my entire life with Mexicans in California and everything in the article rings true. It is well researched down to what she said about F-Troop. Most articles about Mexicans are inaccurate. Heather Mac Donald nails it. The only other thing she could have don is go to South LA where latinos have taken over. I would like to take her to one of the El Salvadorian Christin churches to see the Holy Rollers in action. Much of the writer's opinion is true. Let me give another view. In California much of the Hispanic population came here illegally and then reproduced at a very high rate to create a large demographic based on basically occupying California illegally. They have helped themselves to our country and brought crime and contempt with them. Arrogance has developed among much of the Hispanic population in regard to the fact that most Mexicans think California is theirs to be taken back. They are about to take it over by occupation. This shows how weak our politicians and the public have become. Our school system is about the worst in the country. It has steadily declined as the Hispanic population has become 50 plus percent. White people need to wake up to the occupation. Legal immigration is not occupation. Mexicans should stay in their own country and make it better rather than loot and disrespect America. .." Santa Ana, America's largest predominantly Spanish-speaking city (located in what was once solidly Republican Orange County). " another case of neighborhood busting by the democratic party. and so it goes. jimmydeeoc March 14, 2012 at 1:36 AM From OCREGISTER's website this evening: Just 7 percent of Latinos ages 25 and older hold college degrees in California, compared with 30 percent of all Californians in that age bracket, according to a newly released report highlighting the ethnic disparities in higher education. The report from the Los Angeles-based Campaign for College Opportunity advocacy group also noted that the transfer rate among Latino students from community colleges to four-year colleges is about half that of white students (14 percent vs. 29 percent). The report, titled "Latino Students and Higher Education: California Profile," drew from a variety of sources of data, mostly from 2009, the latest available. http://www.ocregister.com/news/latino-344519-college-education.html I wonder what's up with Heather MacDonald, usually her articles about illegal immigrants are much more critical. Check out her articles about hispanics and crime. Maybe "they" got to her. sotto voce March 09, 2012 at 6:16 PM I'm disappointed to see Ms. MacDonald's use of the counterfeit term "illegal immigrant" in an otherwise well-researched and thoughtful piece. People who sneak across our border are not "immigrants". By law, they are "illegal aliens". Any serious discussion of this third world invasion demands precise terminology, not Orwellian obfuscation. Unfortunately, the distinction between "illegal alien" and "immigrant" has been intentionally obliterated by politicians, activists and the media. MacDonald's last paragraph contains a tragic irony. It's mostly true that poor illegal Mexicans and South Americans do not question authority, probably as much out of fear of deportation as from cultural constraints. This was brought home within the last few weeks as the horrific child abuse scandal unfolded at Miramonte School in LA. It appears that LAUSD, in collusion with the teachers' union, ignored warning signs that Mark Berndt, a longtime teacher at the school, had been abusing students for years. Both the children and the parents remained silent, afraid to come forward. Since then, more abuses in the district by other teachers have been reported. This is the logical result of years of unrestrained invasion by a third world people overwhelming a system that had no rational plan to deal with it. The very people that politicians and activists claim to care about are harmed through the inept policies and selfish motives of the political class. Nice Fluff piece. Now, please print a few stories of the families of normal citizens or police officers who have been killed by illegal immigrants... Next, can you please create a list of all of the good illegal immigrants? Then, we can deport all of the others....wait. Can't do it? Maybe that's why they should be deported. today's security memo from Stratfor gives an idea what is in store for California's future, much of it is already at hand... Mexico Security Memo: Degrading Security in Puerto Vallarta February 29, 2012 | 1321 GMT Puerto Vallarta Robbery Twenty-two tourists were robbed at gunpoint Feb. 23 in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco state, while returning to their cruise ship from a nature preserve as part of planned activities for their Carnival cruise. Masked gunmen stopped their bus and forced the passengers to hand over cash, cameras, watches and other valuables. Though no one was injured in the incident, the robbery demonstrates the degradation of security as a result of the ongoing drug wars in Mexico. Targeting a group this large is unusual for the area for a number of reasons. Transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), commonly referred to as cartels, typically do not target tourists in Mexico's popular resort areas in order to avoid attracting unwanted attention. Local organized criminal groups try to avoid attacking tourists, and the citizens of resort areas try to prevent attacks on tourists, since all residents benefit from the revenue tourists bring to the area through the purchase of goods and through tour packages. Local organized crime and TCOs may avoid targeting tourists, but the insecurity resulting from the drug wars helps individual criminals and small cells of criminals thrive. This robbery is likely the act of an isolated group of criminals. Since several competing criminal groups, such as Los Zetas and the Sinaloa Federation, are engaged in drug trade-related violence throughout Jalisco state, fewer law enforcement resources are available to deal with individual criminal actors. CJNG Leader Arrested Mexican authorities announced Feb. 23 the arrest of Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) plaza boss Adolfo Solis Bejarano in Veracruz, Veracruz state. Mexican marines reportedly found Solis while on patrol after receiving an anonymous tip. According to authorities, Solis is linked to 67 murders from two incidents in 2011 in Veracruz state, including a Sept. 20 incident in which 35 bodies were dumped on a street in Boca del Rio, Veracruz state. CJNG has been conducting an offensive campaign against Los Zetas in Veracruz state since CJNG's incursion into the Zetas stronghold in mid-2011. Solis is one of the highest-level CJNG leaders that authorities have captured in Veracruz state since CJNG's initial incursion. While the impact of Solis' arrest is not certain, CJNG is at a disadvantage in replenishing its ranks in Veracruz. It is important to remember that CJNG did not originate in Veracruz. The organization entered the state in mid-2011 from its home state of Jalisco. CJNG is still young, having formed sometime after the death of Ignacio "El Nacho" Coronel Villarreal, one of the heads of the Sinaloa Federation, in July 2010, and Veracruz is still new territory. A plaza boss leading an organized criminal cell must be familiar with the area and have an established network of individuals with whom to work, such as informants and government officials. After the loss of Solis, either another operator in CJNG's cell in the city of Veracruz must step up, or CJNG will need to send another individual into Veracruz who will have to familiarize himself with the region and the people. However, CJNG still occupies many other areas in Veracruz state and has the backing of the powerful Sinaloa Federation, so one leader's capture will likely not alter its operations in the long term. Feb. 21 Mexico Security Memo: Degrading Security in Puerto Vall... http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/mexico-security-memo-d... 1 of 3 3/2/12 10:59 AM Gunmen traveling in two vehicles killed two state police officers on a bridge leading to Cereso prison after an ambush in Chilpancingo de los Bravo, Guerrero state. Gunmen traveling in a white vehicle killed five taxi drivers in northwest Monterrey, Nuevo Leon state. Three inmates were stabbed and killed in Topo Chico prison in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon state. Gunmen killed a street vendor outside a primary school in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, for failing to pay an extortion fee. Mexican authorities detained 13 members of Los Zetas in Tlajomulco de Zuniga, Jalisco state. The leader of the detainees said they were recruited by Los Zetas plaza boss "Don Jose" and claimed that he was paid 100,000 to 150,000 pesos (about $8,000 to $12,000) every two weeks to distribute to Los Zetas members in his cell. Three bodies showing signs of torture were found in Los Vidrios, Sonora state. A message left with the bodies said the executed men were killed for being car thieves. Feb. 22 Five members of Los Antrax, a gang under the Sinaloa Federation, were ambushed and killed by gunmen in an armored vehicle in Culiacan, Sinaloa state. The Los Antrax members returned fire, killing one of the attackers. Mexican authorities discovered the bodies of three people who had been tortured and executed in the Villas del Sol neighborhood of Culiacan, Sinaloa state. The Mexican military seized 40 kilograms (88 pounds) of opium gum while on patrol in San Miguel, Guerrero state. Federal authorities arrested Humberto Canales Lazcano, cousin of Los Zeta leader Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, and 12 other Los Zetas members during an operation in Zempoala, Hidalgo state. Feb. 23 Mexican authorities discovered the bodies of two men beside a highway in Navolato, Sinaloa state. The bodies had their hands bound and showed signs of torture. Mexican authorities found the bodies of four men inside the trunk of a car in Papanoa, Guerrero state. Two gunmen killed the Sinaloa state police investigations director and his brother in front of the Noroeste newspaper office in Culiacan, Sinaloa state. Feb. 24 Mexican authorities found two executed taxi drivers in a taxi near Acapulco, Guerrero state. The bodies were left with a message threatening the municipal police chief. Gunmen killed two car washers in northern Monterey, Nuevo Leon state. Gunmen hijacked several buses and established roadblocks in multiple areas of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon state. They also posted narcomantas addressed to Nuevo Leon state Gov. Rodrigo Medina that said that Los Zetas gave Medina $20 million and that Los Zetas could release inmates and kill Gulf cartel operators at will. The narcomantas, signed with the names of two Los Zetas leaders, Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano and Miguel "Z-40" Trevino Morales, also said Los Zetas would take power by force if the Mexican government failed to cooperate. Feb. 25 Gunmen executed a man in a vehicle before setting it on fire in the Valle de Chapultepec neighborhood of Guadalupe, Nuevo Leon state. Mexican authorities discovered the bodies of two minors in the Corregidora neighborhood of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico Security Memo: Degrading Security in Puerto Vall... http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/mexico-security-memo-d... 2 of 3 3/2/12 10:59 AM Chihuahua state. Gunmen killed two men and injured two others in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon state. The name of an organized crime group was spray-painted on a nearby wall. The Mexican military announced the seizure of 600 kilograms of methamphetamine and a vehicle with California license plates from a synthetic drug lab in Cheran, Michoacan state. Federal police seized 739 kilograms of marijuana from a vehicle in Agua Prieta, Sonora state. The vehicle was reported stolen from Douglas, Ariz., in October 2011. Feb. 26 Mexican authorities discovered the body of a man in San Pedro, on the outskirts of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon state. According to authorities, the victim was a halcon, or scout, who monitored military and law enforcement movement for an organized crime group. Gunmen in a white Nissan Murano executed five people in a residence used for drug sales in Apodaca, Nuevo Leon state. Gunmen opened fire on a federal police station in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz state. The attackers also threw explosive devices, but all failed to detonate. No injuries were reported. Feb. 27 Mexican authorities seized 120 helmets belonging to the Knights Templar in Apatzingan, Michoacan state. The helmets were plastic 12th century-style replicas that were used in Knights Templar ceremonies. Mexican authorities found a hidden grave containing 50 bodies in Cristobal Colon, Durango state. According to authorities, the victims had been killed on separate occasions dating back to 2010. Gunmen killed a police officer in front of his home in Los Mochis, Sinaloa state. Mexico Security Memo: Degrading Security in Puerto Vall... http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/mexico-security-memo-d... 3 of 3 3/2/12 10:59 AM "I noticed the reference to a "Cesar Chavez High School" in the article. The delicious irony is that Cesar Chavez was strongly against ilegal [sic] immigration." Posted by Ted way back on February 13, 2012 at 9:07 AM was responded to Paul A'Barge February 13, 2012 at 11:49 AM "Good grief. "No matter how ludicrous, you can get someone to say anything." Cesar Chavez was not only "strongly against" illegal immigration he testified before a Congressional Committee to that fact and he obviously new of what he spoke. And for anyone interested the legacy of Cesar Chavez as created by his children is another eye opener. The LA Times did an exhaustive multi-part story on Cesar and the UFW published in January of 2006 authored by Miriam Pawel (published as a book in 2009) that explains much about what California and its Mexican immigrant population has become. A read of Mexifornia by a professor at Fresno State University is another eye opener. a telling moment for me was back in the late 90s Mexico's and the US soccer teams were playing a match on Saturday afternoon at the LA Coliseum—the arena built for the 1932 Olympics and venue for same in 1984. The national anthem of both nations was played—the national anthem for the US home team drew a deafening booo and cacophony worthy a stadium full of European football hooligans. At least 90 percent of the Mexican team's fans were living in the US taking full advantage of benefits and opportunity the US afforded them relative their own "home" nation—and had been doing so for decades if not generations. It was like having a house guest who insulted your hospitality at every opportunity. Another reality alluded to is the large number of immigrants other than Mexican—Central Americans, Latin Americans, Asians, Central European and Israeli(never make the mistake of calling a Salvadoran or Argentinian a Mexican) is Balkanising southern California. Christopher K February 28, 2012 at 2:35 PM What a well done piece! The article further supports the notion that you cannot have an open border and a welfare state coexist without profoundly changing American society, to the detriment to us all. To the authors, please keep up the good work; no one else in the media is. The driving force in Hispanic migration is lack of jobs and a decent standard of living in Mexico and other Latin American nations. Until these nations develop competitive free market, growth economies, this problem will persist. I've had a 40-year love affair with California and it saddens and horrifies me to see what is happening to this beatiful state. What was once a beacon that offered the promise of a brighter and wonderous tomorrow has sunk into a mire of third-world decrepitude. Look to the disasters that are Mexico and Guatelmala (and most of the rest of "Latin America") and you will see the future of California and of the West. It is frightening and maddening and need not have happened. It's what you get when you have an unholy alliance of mostly white liberal partisans (and their mostly white leftist enablers) and greedy businessmen who will collectively sell out their own for votes and cheap labor. Hispanic and black mestizos are at the bottom of the rung in every country, including Mexico, for a reason - and even hysterical kooks like "Ryan" know why. We all know white trash exists but it is a small part of the total white population. Likewise for Asians. But amongst blacks and hispanics, both empirical and anecdotal evidence suggests that violence, crime and sloth are the norm. No state or country can be successful when the largest part of the population is basically feral. It matters not that GDP is ever-increasing if it is due only to the efforts of the few who live utterly different lives in increasingly segregated enclaves. That is a recipe for a very un-civil war. Shame! t.farmer February 24, 2012 at 1:13 AM There is no room in california,and the gangs and there members who get caught commiting crimes shourould be sent to Mexican prisons ..not ours! You've already filled up,no more! Now shut our borders before the threat becomes a reality,and vigilantism becomes your biggest fear California's changing demographics William Frierson February 21, 2012 at 8:55 PM About the article - Another good article by Ms. MacDonald. The fear of an economic idleness doesn't just lay with Hispanics; it will be a problem with all demographics in our country. The US can't survive with an economy of the underemployed poor. Immigration must be curtailed and incentives be introduced for the poor to reward work and personal responsibility. To the comments by RBC and Renfield - As a former public school teacher of 27 years, I can say with the utmost confidence that IQ tests are not a measure of cognitive and intellectual capacity. However, IQ testing is a great measure of how well a person has been educated. Blacks and Hispanics will historically have lower IQ scores than Whites and Asians because the educational environments have always been vastly different. Almost all Black and Latino students have strong intellectual capability, but these young people don't exist in an environment that puts education first - both at school and at home. Unless the environment of education improves in their culture, they will always lag behind Whites and Asians. @Renfield: I am satisfied with the results of IQ tests, but IQ tests are not the only measure of intelligence or cognitive ability. As I stated in my first response, how do other societies measure intellectual capabilities - and how do those measures compare with IQ testing? I'm an entrepreneur and I left CA in 1999. I'm glad I did. Much lower taxation. My home has not lost value. Ca is no place for entrpreneurs anymore. It is extremely hostile to the middle class. Goverment salaries in Ca went way up between 2010 and 2011. Your government does not live within it's means. And finially it's pc culture has gone too far. I'm white and male. You have a very feminist culture there. You all can have Ca. I found my American dream in a better place. Harry Yates February 20, 2012 at 3:29 PM "An Hispanic", not "a Hispanic" Renfield February 18, 2012 at 12:16 PM @RBC: You may be unhappy with the results of a half century of IQ tests, but why assume that the tests are "culturally biased" or otherwise flawed? Can you cite some examples of questions that put, let's say, blacks at an unfair disadvantage versus whites or Asians? Is it scientific to posit a priori that all races/cultures/ethnicities must be precisely equal in their cognitive abilities? ETS and every other testing company constantly scrutinize their instruments for questions that might favor or disfavor a cultural group. The companies routinely eliminate any question that is shown statistically to be an unrepresentative measure. And they have for decades sought in vain to develop the holy grail of intelligence/aptitude tests: a legitimate instrument on which all cultural, racial, and ethic groups score about the same. Does the "American white standpoint" explain why Asians score higher than whites on not only the math, but also the English section of the SATs? To explain the huge disparities, you offer a claim that is unproven and at the same time unfalsifiable: that the groups that score lower are really equal but simply manifest their mental capacities in different ways. What evidence can you present that this is the case? You say, "These studies that 'prove' intellectual superiority by one group or another always generate more questions than answers." Only if you are unwilling to accept the findings, which are hardly surprising. You also assume that past studies did not address key questions, such as "Who exactly was interviewed for this study? Where was the study done? How were the subjects picked for the study? How many people were actually studied?" No study that failed to supply all that information in detail would make it even to the peer-review stage. Galtonian February 17, 2012 at 1:28 PM There was an article "Two Californias" in National Review by Victor Davis Hanson (Hanson also often writes for City Journal), that was quite interesting. It touches on many of the same issues that Heather Mac Donald is addressing but with a different approach. Victor Davis Hanson grew up on a farm in California's central valley, in this article he comments on how rural California has has undergone radical change during the past couple of decades and has become very Mexicanized. http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/255320/two-californias-victor-davis-hanson "But is it "racist" to notice that Blacks and Hispanics tend to be significantly less intelligent than Whites and Asians? It is "racist" to discuss these ethnoracial differences even though hundreds of scientifically valid studies indicate that it is indeed TRUE that Blacks (average IQ = 85) and Hispanics (average IQ = 88) tend to have significantly lower IQs than Whites (average IQ = 100) and Asians (average IQ = 105)?" Here's the problem with statements like this: 1)These studies that "prove" intellectual superiority by one group or another always generate more questions than answers. Who exactly was interviewed for this study? Where was the study done? How were the subjects picked for the study? How many people were actually studied? 2)The key word in your "evidence" was AVERAGE. Again, the who and what was averaged? The averages will sway depending on who was studied. Also, the word "AVERAGE" doesn't mean "EVERYONE". The "average" of those studied does not reflect the entire population of a group. There are lots of highly intelligent whites & asians, but there are lots of not so intelligent whites & asians. Its the same with blacks & latinos. 3)My biggest issue with these studies is the context in which the study was done. What was the standard by which the study measured IQ? Of course it was through an American White standpoint because its the only culture that uses "IQ" as a measure of intellect and cognitive capability. My question is how is intellect measured in all the other cultures of the world and how does it compare to the White "IQ" standard? Stephen Dreyer February 17, 2012 at 10:10 AM Your presentation of facts most always makes your arguments worth reading. This presents a frightening future for America. California appears to be in trouble beyond repair. BlackSaint February 17, 2012 at 4:13 AM Stated simply a Illegal Horde of uneducated Mexicans have conquered Calif. and the Liberals pay them billions to do so! B. Samuel Davis February 16, 2012 at 6:51 PM Beware the Alinsky style tactics used by the Democratic left, who post racist comments purported to be by conservatives. It's very typical of the left, who do not hesitate to shout down those with whom they disagree. "False posting" is just a means to an end - although who they are seeking to impress is beyond me. Anyone sensible left the left long ago, what remains is practically stark raving mad. Hugo Chavezowitz February 16, 2012 at 5:09 PM Hopesprings, See John Taylor Gatto. A man who deserves a nobel prize. Hopesprings February 16, 2012 at 5:03 PM I meant "discipline," sorry! Hopesprings February 16, 2012 at 5:01 PM Charles Murray has studied the differences between the races in academic performance exhaustively (remember The Bell Curve"?), and most recently from a cultural perspective in "Coming Apart"(see the WSJ review here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203806504577181750916067234.html He's spot on, folks! Taxing property owners to death to pay for schools where the corridors are empty on open school night and teachers are judged favorably if they can "control the class" isn't the answer. The $2 billion failed Kansas City schools experiment should have taught even the liberals something, but remember what P.T. Barnum said. Mark Twain famously said that, "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." Rather than pretending that our public schools are anything other than expensive, free childcare, we should take a hint from Germany and advocate vocational study and apprenticeships. Adolescents without fathers need disciple and a way to practically learn that rewards come with delaying gratification and doing something with your hands other than feeling up a girl and beating up another guy. Galtonian February 16, 2012 at 3:24 PM Oops, my previous post was supposed to be addressed to Toady not Tuva. Galtonian February 16, 2012 at 3:22 PM Tuva, Here is the info you requested The adoptions were performed during the first three years of age. Data from The Minnesota Transracial Adoption Study with IQ data corrected for the Flynn Effect: _________Biological Parents___Age at adoption__IQ at age 17 Non-adopted__White-White________----____________105.5 Adopted______White-White________1.46____________101.5 Adopted______White-Black________0.75_____________93.2 Adopted______Black-Black________2.69_____________83.7 References for source of data: 1) Weinberg, R. A., Scarr, S., & Waldman, I. D. (1992). The Minnesota Transracial Adoption Study: A follow-up of IQ test performance at adolescence. Intelligence, 16, 117-135. 2) Waldman, I. D., Weinberg, R. A., & Scarr, S. (1994). Racial-group differences in IQ in the Minnesota Transracial Adoption Study: A reply to Levin and Lynn. Intelligence, 19, 29-44. 3) Loehlin, John (2000). "Group Differences in Intelligence". In Robert J. Sternberg. The Handbook of Intelligence. Cambridge University Press.; Table 9.3, p 185. Renfield February 16, 2012 at 1:00 PM @Toady: "hence the implementation of Head Start" The Head Start program was established solely because the idea sounded good to some people, not because any research had indicated that it would succeed. The premise, bluntly translated from the educationese, was, "The poor kids, especially the blacks, start school already far behind in their basic skills and therefore lose interest and never catch up. Their home environment is generally not intellectually stimulating: the uneducated parents don't discuss interesting topics at the dinner table, read to their kids at bedtime, teach their kids how to use a reference book, or do the other things that middle-class parents do to develop their children's minds. Therefore, we should establish centers where we can begin early to stimulate and nurture these kids and give them a head start." (Head Start was begun in the days when "nurture" was widely hyped as the prime cause of mental dullness, crime, and other problems, and any suggestion that "nature" might be part of the equation was met with howls of scornful outrage.) [It might interest some readers to know that the TV show "Sesame Street" was an outgrowth of the educational fashion of that era. It was specifically designed to appeal to, and maintain the interest of, children with short attention spans.] When Head Start showed disappointing results, it was decided that the program simply wasn't beginning early enough--that even the preschoolers were arriving at the Head Start centers unprepared and "behind." Thus Early Head Start came into being, and when that flopped, it was decided that we needed programs that began pre-natally. I edited major studies of Head Start and Early Head Start. These federally funded efforts, which covered a broad time span, involved prominent (largely Ivy League) researchers, statisticians, economists, sociologists, and various other experts. Findings differed across centers, but though the better-run programs produced some short-term overall improvement in participant outcomes, by age 15, differences in academic achievement and test scores between the treatment and control groups had diminished to zero. In other words, the 15-year-olds who had attended Head Start were indistinguishable from the 15-year-olds who had not. So millions of research dollars revealed both expensive programs to be failures, and though these findings are well known in the field, Head Start is still officially touted as a glorious success story and is funded lavishly. Note: By "failures," I mean that the programs failed the people targeted: the children. Of course the various people who developed the curricula, ran the centers, administered the programs, and otherwise benefited from the funding consider Head Start and Early Head Start to have been enormous successes. I guess the parents were glad to have the free babysitting service, too. BlackSaint February 16, 2012 at 12:55 PM I fail to see how liberals cry racism when most of us want our Constitution against Invasion honored and our Immigration laws enforced against any race, any color, any religion or anyone and everyone that is in this country illegally from anywhere in the world that want to Jump the fence and come here for the free Medical, Education, Food Stamps and lots of other goodies paid by a bankrupt Nation and its Citizens! In fact it is racist to me when Hispanics are the only ones allowed to pour across our borders are Hispanics! If Hispanics are allowed and reward with free medical, free education, food stamps and numerous other goodies by broke American citizens then unless Illegal Alien supporters are racist they should be for letting the hundreds of Millions or Billions around the world have the same rights to invade this Nation, no matter their color, religion, criminal background, education, diseases, terrorist or criminal ties invade this nation, demand their rights and be rewarded with welfare and citizenship! Mexico has some of the most punitive immigration laws in the World and they are strictly enforced. In fact the are forced against follow Hispanics from Latin American! If the government does not append the Illegal Aliens then Mexican citizens usually rob, rape and/or kill them yet Mexican invade this country & dare call us racist because we want our Corrupt/Treasonous politicians to abide by our Constitution against invasion and the rule of Law? Anonymous February 16, 2012 at 12:29 PM I wish to receive online updates only. Hugo Chavezowitz February 16, 2012 at 12:06 PM Tuva, Whats up esse? are we doubling back to 'Ebonics' again? "he Minnesota Transracial Adoption Study performed by Professors Weinberg and Scarr; they found that the upper middle class White home environment had no long term effect, the Black adoptees at age 17 had average IQ of about 84" Link? And at what age were they adopted? Other studies show that the home environment of the very early years does influence future academic outcome, hence the implementation of Head Start and other programs. A valid study should look at outcomes of Black infants beginning their lives in White homes to White infants. Galtonian February 16, 2012 at 11:14 AM Tuva, I appreciate your valiant attempt to argue from the Boasian Environmentalist perspective that all ethnoracial groups are equally intelligent, but I am not convinced from your arguments that you are correct. Your first argument is that intelligence and academic performance are mainly due to parental expectations and family home influences. Therefore your theory would predict that if Blacks were adopted into upper middle class White homes that this change in family environment would increase the Black adoptees' IQs and academic performance. Unfortunately for you, your theory was tested and shown to be incorrect by the Minnesota Transracial Adoption Study performed by Professors Weinberg and Scarr; they found that the upper middle class White home environment had no long term effect, the Black adoptees at age 17 had average IQ of about 84 and their school grades were the same as those of non-adopted Blacks (i.e. much lower than Whites). It is true that African immigrants during recent decades are often college graduates, but they are a highly selected elite sample of Africans and therefore they are significantly smarter than Africans in general. Similarly, recent waves of immigrants from India and China are a selected elite (often with medical doctorates and Ph.D. degrees) who are no doubt significantly smarter than the average populations in India and China. Our nation's policy of encouraging immigration of lower skilled people (which usually means lower IQ people) from Mexico and Latin America would have no long term adverse consequences for the USA if (as the Boasian Environmentalist theory claims) these Hispanic immigrants actually were a population possessing the same level of innate IQ as Whites. If on the other hand the Galtonian Hereditarian theory is correct and the Hispanics represent a population with permanently lower innate IQ levels, then it will have tremendous adverse impact on the future average socioeconomic status of the USA. Professors Richard Lynn and Tatu Vanhanen have shown that the level of socioeconomic success of a nation is highly correlated with the average IQ level of the nation. A good source for more information on the hereditarian theory of racial group differences in IQ is a review article (see below) by Psychology Professors J. Philippe Rushton and Arthur R. Jensen which is freely available as a pdf at Professor Rushton's website or at Professor Linda Gottfredson's website. Thirty years of research on race differences in cognitive ability. By J. Philippe Rushton and Arthur R. Jensen, Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 11(2), Jun 2005, 235-294. Galtonian IQ levels have little to do with race and everything to do with certain sub-groups' approach to education. http://www.extension.umn.edu/family/components/00079a.html Quote: "In their study of family-based expectations for Caucasian, Asian-American, African-American and Hispanic adolescents, Steinberg, Dornbusch, and Brown (1992) found strong ethnic and cultural differences related to students' beliefs about the consequences of negative school failure. Asian-American students overwhelmingly believed a bad education would have negative effects on finding a good job, and African-American and Hispanic students predicted few negative consequences of a bad education. Although students across all ethnic groups reported that their parents valued education, African-American and Hispanic students "devoted less time to homework, perceived their parents as having lower standards, and were less likely to believe academic success comes from working hard" I will also point out that Black immigrants and their children are quite successful. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_minority Quote: "According to an analysis of Census Bureau data by The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, some 48.9 percent of all African immigrants hold a college diploma.[27] This is slightly more than the percentage of Asian immigrants to the U.S., nearly double the rate for native-born white Americans, and nearly four times the rate for native-born African Americans. In an article by Clarence Page for the Chicago Tribune 43.8 percent of African immigrants had achieved a college degree, compared with 42.5 of Asian Americans, 28.9 percent for immigrants from Europe, Russia and Canada and 23.1 percent of the U.S. population. The article beginning with the lines "Do African immigrants make the smartest Americans?" was meant to call attention to the dubiousness of affirmative action." http://lashawnbarber.com/archives/2004/07/08/brblack-immigrants-work-harder/ Quote:" Like many other African-Americans, I have been noticing for years how the children of black immigrant families tend to be much better represented among high school honor-roll achievers than their native-American black counterparts are…." ATBOTL February 16, 2012 at 7:38 AM "The poor Mexican immigrants who have fueled the transformation—84 percent of the state's Hispanics have Mexican origins—bring an admirable work ethic and a respect for authority too often lacking in America's native-born population." This is total baloney. Hispanic immigrants have a higher rate of unemployment and break every kind of law more frequently than native born whites Americans do. BlackSaint February 16, 2012 at 6:53 AM California the Golden state, Obama and the Democrats model for American future, is fast becoming the poster child for an bankrupt third world State! An unholy alliance of Socialist Democrat politicians, Unions, and Illegal Aliens supporters are feasting at the trough of tax payers paid benefits while taxing & regulating business and the tax paying public into poverty. The pandering of Left Wing Democrat Politicians to their constituency of Unions, Illegal Aliens and open border supporters, are driving business and citizens to other states & countries, while leaving the parasites & welfare leeches in an increasing bankrupt, crime ridden, dysfunctional state! For years California has ignored economics 101 and imported Criminals, Uneducated Parasites, and poverty from Mexico, which increased Medical, Welfare, Crime, Prison, etc. & adding a estimated 22 billion per year to Calif. State expense to support the invading horde of Illegal Aliens while exporting business and educated tax payers. Like all Socialist countries the results have been a astronomical increase in social welfare, schooling, prison cost etc. and a lowing of Living standards, Heath care, Education standards, Tax receipts & finally Bankruptcy. The policies of Obama and Wash. DC Democrats are intent on following Calif. policies and Pro-Illegal Aliens, Pro-Unions and Anti-tax paying citizens and are endorsing the same socialist process of rewarding the Corrupt, Stupid, Foolish, Lazy, Greedy & Criminal while punishing the responsible, honest, law abiding & hard working citizens of American. Failure to abide by our Constitution against invasion & enforce our Immigration laws and constraints on wages and benefits for public employees will result in turning the Golden State into MexiCalif and the end of the Calif. Dream and the beginning of the MexiCalif. Nightmare! Amnesty & Citizenship as a reward for their invasion of the USA, with chain immigration will result in the rest of the USA turned into a Spanish speaking third world cesspool and follow California into a polluted, over populated, Spanish speaking, third world Nation of Crime, Corruption, Poverty, Cruelly & Misery modeled on Mexico! This will result in a population depending on Welfare and the Democrat party, thus assuring the lock on power for the Socialist Democrat party of the United States of Mexico! Galtonian February 16, 2012 at 1:39 AM Ryan wrote "This is the most subtly racist and derogatory piece I have read in a long while. This conservative writer goes a long way to try and cover up her hatred and distaste for anyone who is not white. But anyone with a brain can see she is deeply racist and has little chance of obtaining a balanced position. it is all propaganda against Mexicans and blacks." I see little evidence of Heather Mac Donald hating the non-White ethnoracial groups. But is it "racist" to notice that Blacks and Hispanics tend to be significantly less intelligent than Whites and Asians? It is "racist" to discuss these ethnoracial differences even though hundreds of scientifically valid studies indicate that it is indeed TRUE that Blacks (average IQ = 85) and Hispanics (average IQ = 88) tend to have significantly lower IQs than Whites (average IQ = 100) and Asians (average IQ = 105)? Is it possible to speak the truth and not be seen as "racist"? Hispanics are people from south of the border who often have full or partial Native American or African ancestry. Many studies indicate that Native Americans and Blacks tend to perform much lower on cognitive tests compared with Whites. The Hispanic Americans who are of pure European ancestry or predominately European ancestry (e.g. most Cuban Americans and a small percentage of Mexican Americans) are essentially genetically White and they usually have little difficulty achieving upward mobility. It appears that Heather Mac Donald realizes that the relatively lower average mental ability of Hispanics is the true primary cause of their lower social and economic status because in her article Heather Mac Donald repeatedly makes coded references to the overall low cognitive ability of the Hispanics. In the following quotes I changed to UPPER CASE the words that Heather Mac Donald used as euphemisms for cognitive ability (AKA general mental ability, IQ-type intelligence, or "smarts"): "…a sizable portion of Mexican, as well as Central American, immigrants…lack the SOCIAL CAPITAL to inoculate their children reliably against America's contagious underclass culture." "The complicated reality of Hispanic family life in California—often straddling the legitimate and the criminal worlds, displaying both a dogged determination to work and poor DECISION MAKING that interferes with upward mobility—helps explain why the state's Hispanic population has made only modest progress up the educational ladder." "A significant portion of Hispanic children lag COGNITIVELY…" "True, Hispanics' COGNITIVE SKILLS have been improving over the last decade…[b]ut the gap between Hispanics' performance and that of whites and Asians narrowed only modestly, since white and Asian scores rose as well." "The largest percentage of Mexican-American enrollment in M.A. programs was in education—40 percent—despite (or perhaps because of) Mexican-Americans' low TEST SCORES." According to experts (e.g. Professors Nancy Segal, Thomas Bouchard, Ian Deary, Robert Plomin) cognitive ability is a highly heritable (i.e. genetically determined) human trait, it is about as heritable as height. There are two major theories on why ethnoracial groups differ in mental ability: Hereditarian ("racist") theory of racial hierarchy in innate mental ability, the first major proponent was Francis Galton: Ethnoracial groups differ in cognitive ability mainly because they adapted to differing environmental and social challenges by evolving different gene alleles that affect the development and expression of IQ-type intelligence; cultural differences play a significant but relatively minor role in determining ethnoracial group differences in mental ability. Environmentalist ("antiracist") theory or racial equality in innate mental ability, the first major proponent was Franz Boas: Ethnoracial groups differ in cognitive ability because they adapted to differing environmental and social challenges by evolving different cultural traits that affect the development of IQ-type intelligence; there are no significant innate genetic differences between ethnoracial groups in regard to mental ability. With regard to the reasons for the lower average IQ, and lower academic performance, of Hispanics and Blacks, I suspect that Heather Mac Donald supports the Boasian "antiracist" environmentalist theory; although interestingly Heather Mac Donald runs a blog (Secular Right) with two writers, John Derbyshire and Razib Khan, who favor the Galtonian hereditarian theory. The environmentalist theory predicts that within a couple of generations the Hispanic Californians should become just as smart as White Californians and the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Californians should become just as dumb as White Californians. But this does not seem to be the case at all (check out California state test scores, or admissions to Berkeley and UCLA). Heather Mac Donald even admits that the third generation Hispanics still show very low levels of cognitive performance. Why then does Heather Mac Donald continue to (or at least pretend to) believe in the Boasian dogma?? I wish Heather Mac Donald (Boasian conservative) and John Derbyshire (Galtonian conservative) would engage in a public debate on this issue and explain why they each see different underlying explanations for the striking differences in cognitive performance between the various ethnoracial groups. flataffect February 16, 2012 at 1:20 AM How sad that people who would pay the price and take the risks to come here to get ahead would settle with merely being here. They obviously don't understand what the magic of America is, or they'd demand better schools and pass on that dream to their children. Anonymous February 16, 2012 at 12:31 AM Randy, This is a long article. But I suggest you read it. She defines exactly what is happening in California and what the future holds for this state. Not a pretty picture! Do you want your children to get a great education, hold outstanding jobs and see all their income eaten up with taxes to support this mess? It really is a disaster and will turn California into a 2nd or 3rd class state. J. Q. Wurkinstif February 15, 2012 at 10:51 PM What's your reaction when an avalanche is being shoved up your butt and your wallet is yanked out of your nose! Thank God we can vote a politically self-serving piece of dung out of office and replace it with fledgling soon-to-be self-serving, no common sense, pile of the same (except in CA., WA., MISS., MO., LA., OR., NY., TX., never mind, we're bunged)! REVOLUTION! La Raza's mission statement of Reconquista is almost complete. This racist group has received an exponential increase in taxpayer funded support in the last 3 years. Their stated goal is to take back a large portion of the southwestern US and give it to Mexico. It will be accomplished by outbreeding the native population. You can always count on our government to support anti-American racist groups such as this one until the impending collapse of this nation. Gonna be a scary ride down the rabbit hole from here on out. BlackSaint February 15, 2012 at 9:54 PM Mexico's and Latin American's primary economic policy is to send their Uneducated parasites and Criminals to the US for Tax payers to support and be the Victims as they rob, rape and slaughter Americans by the 10,s of thousands, Businesses to Exploit and profit from, and for Corrupt Politicians to Pander and Cuddle! While Mexico has one of the most punitive and strictly enforced immigration policies in the world! I live in California and deplore the racial comments here. Hispanics are good hard working people for the most part. Like whites and blacks, they have a segment that is indolent. But I'll say this: on freeway exits, I see a white and black with signs aasking for money: and a hispanic guy selling roses and hustlingto and from cars. In off areas where men congregate hoping to get work, I see hispanics. Waiting for work. The plain fact is that we cannot absorb and provide housing, birth to grave medical care, food, transportation, education, adult education, and now college educations to MILLIONS of a poor underclass of any country. Its not just the democrats: The GOP allowed this to happen by not opposing immigration: AgriBiz wanted cheap workers. So did hotels and meat packing plants in the midwest. No sweat off their brow if they profit and we pay. GOP politicians let it happen: obcessed with preventing gays from marrying, they litmus- tested their nominations. Their narrow minded social values people then lost elections for state offices and control of the California legislature after 1994. The Democrats wanted it to happen: votes galore. More votes for the politicians who pay those bloated pensions to each other. Paying for things is not their concern. Now all the incremental impositions on the Treasury have cascaded into endless debt and taxes. An entitled class that screams bloody murder when their "benefits" are cut. So what kind of electorate do we have now? Well, the GOP ran a decent candidate in 2010 for governor: the former chairman of Ebay. A drab campaigner but a good solid candidate. Her opponent? The man who unionized the state employees in 1977. He is almost solely responsible for our unfunded pension liabilities. He also stopped work in the 1970's on freeways, causing most of our current congestion. The Los Angeles Times down played ex-Gov Brown's role in our current situation: instead, they ran countless sob stories about the GOP candidate's former maid--an illegal who was endlessly interviewed. The Gov had paid her $23/hour but had to let her go when she discovered she was illegal. That was the abuse; the sob story. That is what the LA Times thought was important. Ex-Gov Brown won. We turned away a billionaire businesswoman for a former governor who singlehandledly caused our current pension crisis here. What can I say... Renfield February 15, 2012 at 6:19 PM @Ryan: Your two posts are simply overwhelming in their depth and erudition. But we are already fully aware that anyone who doesn't swallow left-liberal politics hook, line, and sinker is a racist, a right-wing idiot, someone with "hatred and distaste" (redundant, no?) for anyone who is not white, and so on, and so on. That's been common knowledge for quite a while now. You say, "Please do move out of California. We do not want you idiots." Well, don't worry, Ryan, California is trending just as you ask. Productive people have been fleeing--and are still fleeing--even faster than parasites can swarm in. So, Ryan, when all the right-wing haters and bigots are gone and Mexifornia finally becomes Liberal Utopia, who's going to pay its enormous bills? Even Babs doesn't have that kind of money. Isn't it slightly ironic that the GOP openly disdains the very demographic that they are trying to lure into the Big Tent? Oh, they'll let them into the tent allright, but just as soon as they cast their votes, they will be directed towards "la salida." An engaging, Russell Mead-esque piece of summary journalism. I appreciated the melding of statistics, anecdotes, and logical analysis. Also, the courage to state some inconvenient truths was commendable. More, please! Matthew Hall February 15, 2012 at 5:10 PM When the Great lakes stumbled, the rest of the U.S. was there to take up the slack. The same will happen now as southern california stumbles. The South will continue to take aerospace and other manufacturing. Northern California, Portland and Seattle will continue to take IT. The Midwest will take R&D, and New York, not to mention Vancouver, will increasingly take English language media. L.A. never had much finance so that isn't an issue. Thanks California. You didn't kill the goose that laid the golden egg, you just scared it off. I have never seen a stupider group of right wing idiots than the commentators on this page. What a bunch of violent delusional, racist, morons! Please do move out of California! WE DO NOT WANT YOU IDIOTS HERE IN OUR STATE. Go to texas where all the other butt holes live! This is the most subtly racist and derogatory piece I have read in a long while. This conservative writer goes a long way to try and cover up her hatred and distaste for anyone who is not white. But anyone with a brain can see she is deeply racist and has little chance of obtaining a balanced position. it is all propaganda against Mexicans and blacks. This writer is in real trouble as anyone so two faced and dishonest will ultimately face the problem that her children will grow to hate her. This article explains why many, many producers of any race like me currently residing in CA will bolt to other states as soon as logistically feasible - defintely by the time I retire. I'm not paying for others to leech further off the taxpayers. CA is a socialist cesspool financially already run by leeches and public unions and Democraps. Also, this article was WAY Too long. The basic facts are that CA illegal alien and native Hispanics are the largest consumer of government services in CA and this is funded by Democraps who wish to stay in power. This CA state is beyond broke and this will only get worse. Rioting will start in LA and the Bay Area as the state is forced to implement Greek like austerity measures. It is over! It's not just California. This invasion of California is also happening all over the US. The "hispanicization" of the USA will be the end of the USA. For anyone to suggest that they will rise up to be great job creators, it simply wrong. No matter what state your in, Hispanics along with blacks are at the bottom of the education spectrum and at the top of welfare dependency. Hispanics will continue to vote Democrat as they are dependent on government and the Democrats are the party of goverment dependency. This once great nation is finished. I am depressed JohnLeeHooker February 15, 2012 at 3:08 PM and it's working out so well. BlackSaint February 15, 2012 at 3:08 PM Mexicans and Hispanics sneak into this country because they have breed their selves out of living space and turned their country into a Cesspool and Third World Slum so they cross the Border to repeat the process and do the same for this Nation. When they cross the Border they are met by our Corrupt/Treasonous/Lawless politicians usually a Democrat with open arms and a welfare check followed by CoC Republican to hire them at slave labor wages. The Government then force American citizens pay the medical bills for their Prolific breeding and provide welfare and education for their anchor spawn. They earn more here in a half day's work than they do in a week at home. The water is cleaner, the medical care (which they get for FREE) is much better, they get low-cost (or free) housing, don't pay taxes, drive without licenses and insurance, attend schools for free (with 2-3 daily meals included, courtesy of Uncle Sam), get welfare, food stamps etc, etc. For all of this royal treatment, are they grateful? OF COURSE NOT. THEY'RE CONSTANTLY FURIOUS AT Us Protesting and demanding More, waving Mexican flags in our face while turning this Nation into the same type of Cesspool & Third World Slum they have created in their own countries, that they are now fleeing! We've given them the shirt off every taxpayer's back, but they want MORE. Why do legal American CITIZENS that have obeyed our laws, fought the wars and with Blood, Sweat and Tears built this Nation not have the right to get angry, without being called RACIST by the Liberals & other Illegal loving, American hater,s? Tens of thousands American Families Homeless, 30 million American citizens unemployed & losing everything while millions of American kids living in poverty, but our Politicians allow the largest invasion in World history, at any Time, any place, by any means, as Millions of Criminals and Uneducated Third World Parasites march across our Borders to take our Jobs, drive our Standard of living to third world standards, overwhelm our schools, our hospitals, ER rooms, flood our prisons, cost us Billions in Welfare to provide medical, schooling, etc while destroying our culture and turning this Nation into the same type of Third World Slum they are fleeing! So why shouldn't Americans be upset and hold our Corrupt/Treasonous/Lawless politicians accountable for their Treason in refusing to abide by our Constitution Article IV Section IV against invasion. refuse to enforce our Immigration Laws and refuse to honor their Oath of Office! We should demand arrest, impeachment and charges of Treason against all living Presidents and Pro Illegal Aliens politicians from coast to coast! But nothing will change as long as votes and money are more important than American citizens lives and the future of this Nation to our Corrupt/Treasonous Politicians which include many Republicans and 99.9% of Democrat politicians! What is a few deaths like the estimated 25 American killed each day by Illegal Aliens and the tens of thousands robberies, rapes, identify thief etc. etc and the 100,s of billions in cost of benefits for the invaders as compared to the Democrats requirement for Uneducated, Prolific breeding, Welfare Democrat voters or Businesses and the CoC love of Slave labor with 80% of their cost paid by tax payers! Renfield February 15, 2012 at 3:05 PM rhcrest said, "Things will never change until they collapse." That's it in a nutshell. The single most significant sentence on this page. To take preventive or remedial action now would be to concede that the situation is untenable, and the politicians are not about to do that. Change will come only when it is forced: the collapse, the meltdown. Perhaps California politicians figure they'll support the status quo as long as possible, and then, well, if GM was to big to fail, Obama certainly won't let California go under. rhcrest asks, "Got guns? Got ammo?" Yes, I do. Plenty. And so does everybody I know, even some lifelong Democrats. There's a reason that about the only American manufacturers doing well these days are the firearms companies. When the inevitable meltdown comes, in California first and then in the nation as a whole, well . . . it's going to be hell. chickenhawk February 15, 2012 at 3:03 PM When the hispanics outnumber the whites in LA can white claim minority status and get some free chit too? I live here in California and I cannot wait to get out. This state was once the envy of the nation in so many ways. Now it is a mess; a complete joke. Democrats care only about votes. That is why illegals are allowed to pour in unhindered and unqualified. Anyone who would dare bring up the stupidity of this are shouted down as bigots. They are not; they are concerned US citizens worried our states future and financial viability. Unlike our legislature and public sectors unions/special interest groups they serve. The state has become a behemoth raising a sizable portion of its population to be dependent of the welfare of the state. California IS going to collapse. I'm getting out of here and any other hardworking citizen who doesn't want to be taxed to death as the ship goes down should leave too. BlackSaint February 15, 2012 at 2:25 PM Migrating to America legally is, and should be, a thorough procedure meant to protect the interests of American citizens. It involves more than simply jumping a fence and heading north in pursuit of free health care, education, food stamps, and other handouts paid for by broke U.S. citizens and a Bankrupt nation! Legal immigration means enduring rigorous hurdles like background checks to detect a criminal background or possible ties to terrorists; medical examinations to detect diseases still prevalent in third-world nations, but long since eradicated here; proof of financial solvency so as to prevent newcomers from becoming a burden on U.S. taxpayers, and testing for knowledge of American history and English skills. Those who have jumped a fence into America in order to avoid our immigration checks are not immigrants. Rather, they are invading criminals, with no claim whatsoever to the welcome mat extended to legal immigrants. Such people do not deserve recognition or sanction by the United States, and should be rounded up and deported as soon as possible, without exception. In truth, illegal aliens have invaded our nation, leaving America vulnerable to undetected crime, terrorism, disease, and financial devastation at the hands of people with no legal or moral justification for being here. BlackSaint February 15, 2012 at 2:08 PM California the Golden state, Obama and the Democrats model for American future, is fast becoming the poster child for an bankrupt third world State! An unholy alliance of Socialist Democrat politicians, Unions, and Illegal Aliens supporters are feasting at the trough of tax payers paid benefits while taxing & regulating business and the tax paying public into poverty. The pandering of Left Wing Democrat Politicians to their constituency of Unions, Illegal Aliens and open border supporters, are driving business and citizens to other states & countries, while leaving the parasites & welfare leeches in an increasing bankrupt, crime ridden, dysfunctional state! For years California has ignored economics 101 and imported Criminals, Uneducated Parasites, and poverty from Mexico, which increased Medical, Welfare, Crime, Prison, etc. & adding a estimated 22 billion per year to Calif. State expense to support the invading horde of Illegal Aliens while exporting business and educated tax payers. Like all Socialist countries the results have been a astronomical increase in social welfare, schooling, prison cost etc. and a lowing of Living standards, Heath care, Education standards, Tax receipts & finally Bankruptcy. The policies of Obama and Wash. DC Democrats are intent on following Calif. policies and Pro-Illegal Aliens, Pro-Unions and Anti-tax paying citizens and are endorsing the same socialist process of rewarding the Corrupt, Stupid, Foolish, Lazy, Greedy & Criminal while punishing the responsible, honest, law abiding & hard working citizens of American. Failure to abide by our Constitution against invasion & enforce our Immigration laws and constraints on wages and benefits for public employees will result in turning the Golden State into MexiCalif and the end of the Calif. Dream and the beginning of the MexiCalif. Nightmare! Amnesty & Citizenship as a reward for their invasion of the USA, with chain immigration will result in the rest of the USA turned into a Spanish speaking third world cesspool and follow California into a polluted, over populated, Spanish speaking, third world Nation of Crime, Corruption, Poverty, Cruelly & Misery modeled on Mexico! This will result in a population depending on Welfare and the Democrat party, thus assuring the lock on power for the Socialist Democrat party of the United States of Mexico! Laurent February 15, 2012 at 2:05 PM California (and Illinois) is providing an object lesson for other states on how to mismanage welfare, public employee compensation, taxes, regulation, and gang violence. The result is the highest taxes and unemployment, the least economic and job growth, and crime that drives law-abiding citizens out. Moral: require work as a condition of any public assistance, isolate all gang members who try to organize gangs in prisons, and subject all public employee contracts to taxpayer approval. Let's open the borders, shall we? The media tell us the hispanic immigrants are the backbone of America. What ever happened to the Germans, Italians, Asians,etc? This article is nothing but a bunch of contradictions. This illegal immigration will continue under Obama. I am sure the hispanics in CA love him. Another four years of this tick and America will be gone. Then who will pay for all the entitlements? Sooner or later a socialist government runs out of other peoples' money. Evangeline Brabant February 15, 2012 at 1:23 PM I live in California; these people are parasites, and we allow them, no, encourage them. In California we spend about 45 BILLION per year on illegals, 12.5 billion of that on health care. They have wrecked our schools, created astronomical crime rates, are given free breakfast and lunch, sometimes dinner, for the entire family, at the neighborhood school. Illegals make up one-third of our prison population. Their birth rate is higher than any other group, including the rate when all Latin Americans are lumped together. In cities such as Santa Barbara, 75% of the police calls are about problems caused by Mexican illegals, and this is a police force struggling with budget cuts and fewer officers on the streets. The domestic violence issue MacDonald mentions is huge, and Mexican males will express incredulity that they can be arrested for beating their wives or girl friends. Ambulance drivers and paramedics are at risk when they arrive at these homes to help the victims of abuse. I was involved with programs for Special Needs children in Santa Cruz. Ultimately, the programs were cut for lack of funding. 75% of the children in the classes were illegal Mexicans. The three most severly handicapped children in the program were Americans, and yet the program ran out of funds. Why? Illegals. Mothers had to accompany their children to these classes, since these children needed one-on-one help, so the women working in the program made every effort to teach English to the mothers. There was no cooperation from the mothers with any efforts to teach them English. When Mississippi fixes its schools, California will be the worst in the nation, and none of this seems to bother the left. In my district, we get around Prop 187 by providing "immersion" programs, where the whites learn Spanish, but the Mexicans don't learn English. We provide translators in our high school for students who have been here for years. The differences between Asian immigrants and Mexican illegals is staggering. We run special programs in my school district to teach parents of Mexican children how to get their children up each day (free food at the school) and how to get them to succeed in school. None of it seems to take, and by high schools both sexes of illegals are viewed unfavorably by others, for behavior that supports the notion that some stereotypes are true. Meantime, we are cutting welfare to our own citizens. Parents can't afford to keep their children in college, all the while paying taxes to pay for unqualified Mexican illegals to attend the UC and Cal State systems: 30K per year in tuition alone, let alone all the other free money they get. A new bill allows illegals to compete with legal residents for free money, and loan sources. The legislature just passed and Brown signed, a bill that will save a paltry 23 million, and cause untold suffering and anguish to homeless and unwanted animals at our shelters. This new bill defunds many of the humane protections we have had in place for unwanted, abandoned and abused animals. And, Mexicans are known to belong to a group that abuses its animals right along with its family members, especially in the Central Valley where animal shelters are a revolving door of death. Off-the-beaten-path portions of California's Central Valley would make one think he had just dropped down into the middle of the most horrible of third world countries, given the way they live, and the conditions they create there. Meantime, our legislature, to which we gave the ability to pass bills with 51% of the vote, can't pass bills fast enough that give them more. It is all about the votes, and MacDonald has accurately discussed the liberal agenda that supports it. If we let them come here; they should get no benefits. That way, they might have to spend their cash on something besides the new, expensive SUVs and cars they drive. The Mexican illegals receive their free health care next to my office. The clothes and the vehicles are beyond belief. We are insane here. D Keller February 15, 2012 at 1:16 PM This is a story - but a bigger one is why do voters in CA continue to vote for the Dem Party - a party that has bankrupted my state. Political corruption is the story and voter payoffs via unafforable pensions. MikeinSoCal February 15, 2012 at 1:01 PM It goes to show that no matter how hardworking a parent you are, you got to be vigilant with your kids. Pop culture, in this case within the "lower class", goes beyond the sexual rat hole of middle class' MTV. The pastor in this piece should be teaching Hope and Integrity...self-reliance. Hugo Chavezowitz February 15, 2012 at 12:44 PM "Stop making excuses for criminal behavior." ding ding ding ding! William February 15, 2012 at 12:22 PM California is collapsing. The article stated it is 3rd from the bottom in education. Another way is to say it is #48 out of 50. In the 1950's, it was number 1. That #1 position allowed California to lead the world in aerospace, defense, electronics, and software. Where will #48 lead to? The article is correct that for the state to improve, it needs to reverse the brain drain. But its policies are only driving people out faster. I moved to California in the mid 1980's to attend one of its superior private universities. I started a high tech business there. But every year, California drops a bit more. I have reduced my California workforce by 60% from its peak, with a continuing low-level layoff rate. At the same time, I am hiring in two other states. I could not take the outrageous taxes, failing schools, incompetent bureaucracy, and nanny state laws. I also have no desire to live in Mexico, which what Southern California is becoming, unless you want to spend millions of dollars for a moderate sized house behind a gate. I moved to north Texas and took my mid-6 figure income and job creating skills with me. I would never set foot in California again if I did not have to. Texas is fabulous for business owners, highly educated techies, and children. California's governor signed a bill that prohibits people from carrying unloaded weapons. Texas' governor pulled out a gun and shot a coyote while walking his dog. Texans are great! Texas is the way California used to be. Even a former candidate for Senate moved to Texas. For those of you left in California, history teaches us something. When there is a minority who do very well, and a majority who are permanent underclass, the underclass will take over. They cannot rise to your level, but they can bring you down to their level and ultimately, they will. If you have any money, are highly educated, or care about your kids, get out while you still can. Nothing Sacramento is doing would make things better, only worse. rhcrest February 15, 2012 at 12:20 PM "Who will the moochers mooch off of" much like Greece they will threaten the integrity of the superstructure and get financial support from the Federal govt. Correct Hugo, and then what happens when there is no one to bail out the US? That day is coming. Eventually the US wil run out of money to pay the moochers and there will be a collapse which will make the Greece riots appear tame in comparison. From Ann Barnhardt's blog and she is spot on -"In case you hadn't heard, Greece is burning tonight, as those people would rather burn their own country to the ground than turn loose of the government teat. Take notes and learn well, because if a bunch of middle class Greeks will do this, just imagine what the welfare class in this country will do when our inevitable collapse happens. It will be far, far worse here. The hip-hop culture absolutely guarantees that it won't just be looting and burning. There will be RAPING. Got guns? Got ammo? If you don't, I hope you dream tonight of watching a gang of 17 year-olds take turns at your wife and your children while you watch. But hey, at least you never "stooped" to keeping guns in the house. I'm sure your four year old daughter will appreciate that principled stance while having her intestines torn apart - FROM THE INSIDE - while screaming in vain for her unarmed, but oh-so-morally-superior Daddy to save her." All we can do is wait and prepare for the inevitable. I used to think we could change things once we voted in new people but things will never change until they collapse. The moochers and the huge gov't bureacracies will never give up what they have voluntarily Renfield February 15, 2012 at 12:15 PM @funkg, who said: "Maybe that resentment stems from historical 'minor mishaps' from your so called 'kith and kin' including forced labor, economic disempowerment (Chicago race riots et al) and stereotyping." Sure, funk, those so-called "flash mobs" rampaging last summer through Philadelphia, Chicago, Oakland, Minneapolis, and other cities--robbing and beating non-blacks--were just "victims" of Whitey, all bent out of shape because of slavery and decades-old race riots they never heard of. Well, I guess that IS the p.c. explanation. On the other hand, maybe none of those rioters give a cr*p about the past. Could they be rioting just possibly because their so-called "culture," poisoned by 50 years of liberal welfare and low expectations, has become so dysfunctional that it exalts promiscuity, ignorance, and violence? Could they be rioting partly because they know the usual airheads will come to their defense? Every ethnic group has suffered injustice. Are our streets full of rioting Jews whose grandparents couldn't join certain country clubs? Do Chinese and Indians come here to exact revenge for the injustices they've suffered over centuries? Stop making excuses for criminal behavior. David Minnich February 15, 2012 at 11:50 AM "But a sizable portion of Mexican, as well as Central American, immigrants, however hardworking, lack the social capital to inoculate their children reliably against America's contagious underclass culture." Oh, here we go again - the myth of noble immigrants corrupted by evil American culture. What a crock. In fact, it's the immigrants that are dragging down existing culture; we didn't have these problems when whites were the overwhelming majority in CA. Stop trying to cloak this demographic disaster with bogus PC pablum. Hugo Chavezowitz February 15, 2012 at 11:38 AM "Just think, if white people invaded Mexico you sure wouldn't have useful idiots down there passing DREAM Acts." hehe, re-read that lastgasp, then reread your colonial history. "I see no reason for hope that the large Hispanic influx will become a net asset for America." they will be a significant asset for the Democrat party which will ensure they stay in power for another decade until those Hispanics grow up and want to be business owners. It's worth it though for gay marriage and radical feminism, right? "Californians are in a mess of their own making." wait until CA asks the Federal govt for a emergency bailout. they are the 4th largest (bankrupt) economy in the world after all! "Who will the moochers mooch off of" much like Greece they will threaten the integrity of the superstructure and get financial support from the Federal govt. "150 year long influx of Irish into Boston and the greater Boston area." they didn't have any social programs back then, it's a completely different situation. The issues with Irish were in cultural differences, not in breaking American laws and siphoning tax base. SORRY PLEASE TRY AGAIN. Mr Mike nailed it. Clarissa February 15, 2012 at 11:31 AM Walt, The numbers of Mexicans coming here is overwhelmingly proportionally greater than the Irish coming here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4094926727128068265 Clarissa February 15, 2012 at 11:29 AM On the genetics of Hispanics According to the CIA World Fact Book, Mexico is: 60% Mestizo 30% Amerindian Less than 10% European / Spaniard (these people constitute the upper class of Mexico) Who are mestizos? Through genetic testing, Rubén Lisker found the average lower-income mestizo (of Mexico City) to be: 59% Amerindian 34% European / Spaniard and 6% Black Walt, the Irish had to travel many miles by sea, which in itself helped to restrict their numbers. Mexicans are pouring across the border en mass. No Ellis Island to check for communicable diseases, no way to tell if they are coming to work or commit crimes. No way to tell if they are from Mexico or from Iran. Plus we now have cradle to grave entitlements provided to them for the small price of giving birth on American soil. Walt- I think you will find that even proportionally adjusted the influx of illegal immigrants is far larger than than the Irish in Boston even when proportionally adjusted to todays population numbers. Also, when people emigrated to this country in large waves many years ago we did not have the welfare state as it currently exists. The US already allows more immigrants into this country legally than any other country in the world (over 1 million). To say the illegal immigration from Mexico and Latin America is somehow similar to the Irish is a misrepresentation in my opinion. It is common in America to assume everything is new and everything we confront has never been confronted before. Reading this article I was struck by the apparent similarity to the 150 year long influx of Irish into Boston and the greater Boston area. I wish i had the time and skill to dig deeper. rhcrest February 15, 2012 at 8:30 AM Meant to say when the people that the moochers mooch off of are all gone rhcrest February 15, 2012 at 8:29 AM I just read that half of the highest earning taxpayers have left the state of CA in the past few years. They paid a substantial portion of income taxes that the state received and this trend is expected to continue. Who will the moochers mooch off of when the moochers are all gone? The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money. California, will eventually be nothing but another Mexico, a wasteland filled with crime and drugs. What a shame. Laron Black February 15, 2012 at 8:20 AM The nation no longer follows California, that is over (thank God). Californians are in a mess of their own making. Realist February 15, 2012 at 7:56 AM Heather MacDonald does an admirable job of describing what is happening to California as a result of demographic changes. But I felt that ending the article with the gratuitous optimism was not warranted. Yes, there are many good Hispanic immigrants that are making America better. But as the article points out, such individuals are a minority of that population. Mexico did not become Mexico without the help of Mexicans. Based on this article I see no reason for hope that the large Hispanic influx will become a net asset for America. And I guess I would have finished the essay with a more realistic appraisal of what the future is likely to be for Calfornia (and the rest of us if we don't wake up fast). jeff cohen February 15, 2012 at 7:03 AM Enjoy your spiral into shlt, LA. James T February 15, 2012 at 5:36 AM "The poor Mexican immigrants who have fueled the transformation—84 percent of the state's Hispanics have Mexican origins—bring an admirable work ethic and a respect for authority too often lacking in America's native-born population." That gave me a really good laugh, thank you! MrMike February 15, 2012 at 5:33 AM This is encouraged by birthright citizenship and will never change until this bastardization of our constitution is amended/ended. Illegal alien mother shows up at the hospital in active labor. By as we cannot turn them away as this is an emergent medical condition. 100% of the hospital care is paid for by Medicaid. The child is a citizen, and presto, the family is now eligible to feed at the trough of never ending entitlements. Also, if an illegal alien becomes I'll and winds up in the ICU they may rack up multi-million dollar hospital bills which will be passed on to people in form of higher insurance and $50 tabs of Tylenol. State funded institutions may eat most of the cost further straining state budgets. These costs far outweigh the "cheap labor" myth. "Open borders" and the welfare/dependency state are Democrat Party strategies for power and California is their model for the rest of the country. The media support liberal democrats and their policies so those "mean greedy" Republicans do not stand a chance against the heart warming anecdotal stories of the immigrant (never mentioned to be illegal) who has done well. Notice how successful the Democrat Party have been in painting Republicans who are anti ILLEGAL immigrant as anti immigrant. I routinely hear the hard news media such as the Associated Press failing to make that distinction when discussing immigration issues in lock step with Democrats talking points in order to promote their "advocacy" journalism to "help" the reader "understand" the story. Bias by omission and hard news reporting colored with opinion rules the day. I expect Democrats to continue their open borders policy and fill up the welfare dependency ship with bought votes until it sinks then they, the major media and popular culture will blame Republicans for not spending enough. It really is a win/win for Democrats because when the ship really sinks we will need their government programs more than ever. I think they know this and that is why I have always viewed the Democrat Party as essentially an unprincipled vote buying machine all in the name of power. Is there anything easier than promising people "free" things in return for electoral power? I am amazed Republicans get any votes at all it must be some sort of innate human skepticism. Cheech February 15, 2012 at 3:10 AM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biFPi0rSgaA purposeofgov February 15, 2012 at 2:57 AM Just who has this demographic transformation in California (and the nation) benefitted? Certainly not the native-born population, who now have to contend with legions of unfamiliar foreigners speaking a different language and importing a different culture, depressing wages, stressing schools, health care, and social services. Think about it: the only people benefitting from California and federal policy are foreigners! We are running the country and state for the benefit of people from other countries! It's madness. Oh right, I forgot to mention for the benefit of Democrats. There is no way anyone can say with a straight face that the standard of living of Californians has improved due to the invasion of Mexicans. Again, the only people who improved their standard of living are Mexicans. That is not the conventional understanding of the purposes of what a government is supposed to do. Could we maybe stop this insanity and start worrying just a little bit about running the state for the good of its citizens, instead of the chauvinist irredentist invaders from the south? You can thank leftist transnationals and their Democrat allies who want to dissolve the USA into a multicultural one-world free-for-all, seeking to extinguish traditional American values at the same time. lastgasp February 15, 2012 at 2:42 AM "We are witnessing the last gasp of white America." So un-self-aware that you don't realize you are the racist, as you sit there smugly satisfied that "your" people are out-breeding the "evil" whites. But I have news for you friend, once you get rid of all the whites and you are left with only Mexicans--you will be back in Mexico, the hellhole you tried to escape. Wake up "white America" because this is the attitude of the people who are taking over. Now, you didn't do anything except surrender your country to them and shower them with unearned benefits--and they *hate* you for it. They escape their failed country and invade ours and are *mad* about it, as though we have wronged them. Do you really want resentful racial chauvinists like this calling the political shots? Remember, white people are not allowed to have any countries of their own anywhere in the world. That's only for every other race. Thank you open borders advocates. You have truly destroyed the country that existed only 20 years ago. When in the history of the world did a nation of people wilfully commit collective suicide like this? If this happened somewhere else we wouldn't think it was a good thing. Since when is it a bad thing to maintain an established racial mix in a country? These kind of wrenching changes breed strife. Just think, if white people invaded Mexico you sure wouldn't have useful idiots down there passing DREAM Acts. This ant-racist fellow's message should be clear to all of "white America": you better start out-breeding them, because when they take over they have all sorts of imagined greivances and they can't wait to start revenging themselves on us. An important article for anyone thinking of moving to California with children who attend K-12 public school. I did not realize how many students may not finish high school. I also had not read about how fast the cultural changes are impacting social welfare funding requirements and the effect on tax-dollars. It does not sound as if this huge imbalance will be fixed anytime soon. California has groovyed itself out of existence and is now just another Mexican hell-hole. We are doomed. Somewhere along the line we lost our will. The invasion is complete. All that's left is the gruesome denouement. valwayne February 15, 2012 at 2:15 AM Hispanics in CA will never gain upward mobility in a state run by Arrogant, Extreme Left Wing, Democrats that are destroying the state with their corrupt alliance with the public employee unions and payoffs to left wing interest groups. And with Obama driving debt and decline at a national level their chances are even bleaker. If hispanics truly want to work to achieve the American dream they should run, run not walk, out of the left wing insanity that California has become, and move to a state like Texas where hard work is respected and working people aren't treated as 2nd class citizen only kept around so that they can be sheared for everything they produce to keep the Elite Left able to buy votes for their next election. If you want the American dream get out of CA while you can, and vote against Obama next Nov if you are eligible! valwayne February 15, 2012 at 2:13 AM Hispanics in CA will never gain upward mobility in a state run by Arrogant, Extreme Left Wing, Democrats that are destroying the state with their corrupt alliance with the public employee unions and payoffs to left wing interest groups. And with Obama driving debt and decline at a national level their chances are even bleaker. If hispanics truly want to work to achieve the American dream they should run, run not walk, out of the left wing insanity that California has become, and move to a state like Texas where hard work is respected and working people aren't treated as 2nd class citizen only kept around so that they can be sheared for everything they produce to keep the Elite Left able to buy votes for their next election. If you want the American dream get out of CA while you can, and vote for Obama next Nov if you are eligible! Alex Scipio February 15, 2012 at 2:07 AM Read CENTENNIAL, by Michener. Based in mid-19th-Century Colorado, the owners of large "dry" farms looked for hard workers with zero ambition. Mexicans fit the bill. Some things never change. Heather mentioned the dropout rate for Mexican males. I didn't see the rate for females, but I think it's over 60%. I pay taxes to babysit these kids who MIGHT learn for a few years, then just waste time and space for several more until they leave. Until & unless their parents focus on education (never), these kids and their offspring (forever) will be a burden to all taxpayers. And we allow this because....? The overriding question in my mind while reading this was, "where to I move and take my kids so that they are not abused by redistributionist taxes to those who don't play by the rules? Australia? New Zealand? China? Where?" Liberal whites have destroyed America. Solution: If you get ANY income from ANY level of govenrment, you don't get to vote for that level of government: There is no reason to let the pigs vote on how much slop the farmer pours into the trough. You want to vote? Stop taking money from the govt. JimfromMaine February 15, 2012 at 1:43 AM We're not even supposed to talk about this stuff these days..........Very brave, Heather. This news is not something to celebrate... it's very sad. California has been turned into a bankrupt wasteland thanks to people like George Bush, Clinton, W, and Obama who refuse to enforce our immigration laws. The article says that these Mexican "immigrants" have a work ethic that is superior to our native born residents. If so, why is a full 25% of all federal inmates made up of illegal aliens? As the federal government becomes bankrupt, states like California will continue to cut off support for these "immigrants." Crime will increase, and social disorder will ensue. This is very sad news. As a naturalized American Citizen originally from Cuba, I HATE the word Latino/Hispanic. Not because I am not proud of my roots, but because the term is too all emcompassing. The term includes people of all income levels from 23 countries. Unfortunately, we are all tarred with the same brush. (As I cited below, Cubans have a much different history in this country.) What I see the Dems doing with the Mexicans is similar to what the communists did in Cuba to the poor--using the lack of education among this population to feed them all sorts of misinformation in order to use them to stay in power. It's exactly what the Dems have done to the African American community--making them serfs in Uncle Sam's plantation. Mexicans are originally very family oriented, yet their families are being eroded by the same system that eroded AA families. Hugo Chavezowitz February 14, 2012 at 5:53 PM HopeSprings, Funny how Latin pride is strongest in non-Latin countries isn't it? The stupid idiots don't even want to live with others of their own kind. Actually, it's their worst nightmare. HopeSprings February 14, 2012 at 5:11 PM What liberals wringing their hands over the plight of downwardly-mobile Mexican and Central Americans in California don't understand is that what keeps them down is the relative affluence they obtain there compared to their home countries. It is hard to imagine, but compared to miserable rat-infested shacks back home, the subsidized apts here, with WIC, Food Stamps, welfare, free education, free health care, etc., makes freeloading in this country more than highly attractive; it is a small lottery win for each of them. No wonder they mate indiscriminately, join gangs, and fight among themselves like hyenas tearing apart a fresh kill. Yes, cultural differences play a large part in the disgust some of these people inspire in others; for example, some years ago I saw an elderly woman of Central American origin pull out her shrivelled breast in front of a car of horrified NYC subway riders and tried to shove the thing into the mouth of her screaming infant grandson, with the parents nearby smiling approvingly. Apparently, this is a custom in their country of origin. Don't sneer, folks. Until we stop letting these illegal aliens in this country and stop allowing them to use their kids as human shields against reality, Mexifornians will just shift like a giant blob to another state, incorporating and ruining everything in their path. Hugo Chavezowitz February 14, 2012 at 3:29 PM "People oc Color will soon run the nation and the world will be a better place ofr it. No racism, no imperialism, no greed." yes and Latin America and Africa are like Heaven on Earth, meanwhile Europe is a festering hellhole, right? I for one can't wait until the evil White Man is vanquished. "culture of hard working" not true... they only appear to be hard working because the government hands them everything on a silver platter. you pay for it. Take away the benefits and see how 'hard working' they really are. This article is an illustration of why Americans' resentment of de facto open immigration policies isn't really racism. If Americans were truly racist against people just because they look different, then there would be a larger backlash against Asian immigrants that against Latinos. Yet Asians are generally accepted and welcomed. Why? Because the culture they bring is the kind of culture that supports economic prosperity. That's a very unPC concept, the idea that we can judge one culture to be superior to another, but Right now, California and the rest of America are being overwhelmed by an incoming culture of hard working low skill labor high school dropouts for whom being on government assistance is a good thing, and who think teen girls with three kids from three different fathers is acceptable. California was once a state with the brightest, best educated, most innovative culture in the world. It's turned into Mexico with more welfare benefits. I'd be just as happy with the idea of a Latino majority as with a white one, if only I didn't forsee the Latino majority turning California into a third world state, and moving on to another state when the economy collapse as state funded social benefits collapse as businesses flee the ever rising taxes. I'll support the Dream Act when it limits citizenship to college graduates in hard sciences and business degrees, not ethnic studies and teaching certificates. Those are the kinds of people California needs for the future, not wannabe Cesar Chavez's and union parasites. ant-racist February 14, 2012 at 1:44 PM We are witnessing the last gasp of white America. People oc Color will soon run the nation and the world will be a better place ofr it. No racism, no imperialism, no greed. Hugo Chavezowitz February 14, 2012 at 10:59 AM "California needs its own version of SB1070." good luck passing that through a state legislature that is owned by Mexico. Bill Grimes February 14, 2012 at 6:26 AM "We are a very compassionate people; we care about other people and understand that government has a role to play in helping people." Using government to coercively tax to help "other people" is a curious use of "compassion". Mexico has access to a nationalized oil industry from which it obtains 40% of its budget. Perhaps this conditions people to the concept of free money. Wow, this a very informative and well-written article. Everyone needs to read this, but sadly I'm sure it will go unheard. Hugo Chavezowitz February 13, 2012 at 11:44 PM Twine, sounds like a great situation if I were part of this Liberal Elite. drive all the small players out, property prices plummet, own the entire state. PROFIT. California is still some of the richest natural resources of any state. youre getting robbed America! I keep telling my parents "When all these kids grow up and there aren't any jobs what do think is going to happen? California can't afford to subsidize all of them on to college?" If Democrats get enough representatives to raise taxes the party is over. They will drive the remaining economic vitality out of the state. Liberals will love how the budget looks then... John F. Carlyle February 13, 2012 at 10:56 PM When I read the part where it was suggested that California needed to begin investing in vocational training, I could not help but think of McDonalds founder Ray Kroc. Mr. Kroc noted in his autobiography that he was constantly asked by colleges and universities to donate a portion of his sizeable wealth and each and every time he would respond that he would give them some of his wealth if they would open up vocational schools and in the course of his life, not one institution of higher learning took him up on his offer. Mr. Kroc was fond of saying that young people weren't being taught how to make a living and the nation needed a better vocational education system. It appears Mr. Kroc was ahead of his time. Let me end with my favorite quote from Mr. Kroc's book: Work is the meat in the hamburger of life. Brett_McS February 13, 2012 at 9:16 PM Is America's enterprise culture still strong enough to transform an immigrant culture at this level of influx ... if it ever was? There is no question that the Californian state government is going in the opposite direction: Reinforcing the sort of special pleading system that is rife in Latin America. ScottD February 13, 2012 at 8:53 PM California needs its own version of SB1070. Sad but true February 13, 2012 at 7:52 PM Morevac: You are quite right about this. UC is cutting the middle class out of the dream that UC was meant to be. The poor and middle class paid for it: but now, the poor are admitted on tuition sudsidies that the middle class admitees pay for, as their taxes are hiked. The rich are admitted from abroad or out of state. All this is being done to subsidize the professors retiring at age 50 or 55, the proliferation of gender and racial studies, and a seeming endless number of vice chancellors and provosts. The UC decided a long time ago to depart from the Dream that was UC, and follow a different path: adding all the junk majors and departments, pensions and benefits galore to its workers (on the backs of the parents). It needs more money than its subsidies from the state will allow. So it builds its empire on the backs of the middle class. The middle class parents and their kids are being screwed 50 different ways to support poor kids, pensions, benefits, building housing for professors and the outrageous salary and benefits of Mr. Yudorf. Middle class parents that paid for the UC, find their kids excluded. Now they have to send their kids out of state--perhaps to the University of Washington which is doing the same thing. Meanwhile, the UC Hospital has lost its affiliation with Blue Cross, since it too has been shifting so much subsidized health care to insured patients, that BC isn't going to take it anymore. Like California in general, UC now exists for the poor and the rich: the middle class, despite its votes, loses out. Hugo Chavezowitz February 13, 2012 at 6:32 PM "Multiply that attitude by thousands of employers, big and small, and yes, it is cheap labor." ya? does your Aunt pay for Juanitas healthcare like employers are supposed to ? does she even pay her enough to survive in this complete !@#$hole country we've created? most likely not. That's because the 'gubbermint' pays for her living costs. That's another way of saying, YOU AND ME pay for her living costs. Obviously you can't even do simple math as I explain that below. More than likely youre a brainwashed liberal, or even worse a Latino Pride idiot who is trashing this once-great nation. Linnea February 13, 2012 at 5:59 PM Hugo Chavezowitz; I have a disabled aunt who employs a Mexican housekeeper once a week. My aunt says she doesn't care about the maid's legal status because 'the price is right'. Multiply that attitude by thousands of employers, big and small, and yes, it is cheap labor. Hugo Chavezowitz February 13, 2012 at 4:48 PM "So, when the white people leave who pay the taxes,leave the rusting state due to no economic opportunities, all that will be left are poor Mexicans without any upward social and economic skills." that already happened. "I wonder who is going to be paying their welfare money." you are. Ever wonder how it is that California simultaneously brags about being the worlds greatest Uber-Economy and also begging the federal government for assistance? It's those Liberal Gringos again whose empire is falling apart and they want YOU to pay. Oh you disagree? you're a racist. Hugo Chavezowitz February 13, 2012 at 4:45 PM Toady: it's not cheap labor. That's a major misconception. It's taxpayer subsidized labor. The taxpayer pays for the Mexicans healthcare, education, housing, and food. The corps pay them a pittance, for which they are not taxed. The result is a fairly good quality of life that enables them to save money and send it back to Mexico. The result for the average american is not cheaper goods or services or any kind of improvement of life. The results are greater profits to corporations, a total destruction of the labor market, unheard of increases in crime, and a total inversion of cultural values that made America great and even worth invading. Many countries such as Germany have an agricultural export economy and do not employ illegal labor. Those illegals aren't forcing innocent law abiding American employers to hire them. Let's face our own hypocrisies. We like the cheap labor but not the costs the laborers incur. We can't have it both ways. Dave still in Cali February 13, 2012 at 4:06 PM Excellent column by Ms. McDonald. California is indeed on the road to destruction if mass immigration and defacto open border policies continue, which they likely will. The only thing I would disagree with is when McDonald disparages the work ethic and respect for authority among the native-born population. If these are lacking among this group, this is no doubt due at least in part to these same mass immigration/open border policies which limit job and work ethic-building opportunities. John Bowman February 13, 2012 at 3:57 PM The propoganda starts at "poor Mexican immigrants". No, they are foreign invaders. And they certainly don't have "respect for authority", or they would not have broken US immigration and a half dozen other laws. Milan Moravec February 13, 2012 at 3:55 PM Every qualified California student must get a place in public University of California (UC). That's a desirable goal for UC. However, UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau displaces Californians qualified for higher education at Cal. with foreigners paying $50,600 tuition. Paying more is not a better education. UC tuition increases exceed the national average rate of increase. Birgeneau has doubled instate tuition/fees. Birgeneau jeopardizes access to Cal by making it the most expensive public university. UC President Mark Yudof uses tuition increases to pay for faculty & administrator salary increases. Payoffs like these point to higher operating costs and still higher tuition and taxes. Instate tuition consumes 14% of Cal. Median Family Income. President Yudof is hijacking our families' and kids' futures: student debt. I agree that Yudof and Birgeneau should consider the students' welfare & put it high on their values. Deeds unfortunately do not bear out the students' welfare values of Birgeneau, Regent Chairwoman Lansing and President Yudof. We must act. Birgeneau's campus police deployed violent baton jabs on students protesting Birgeneau's tuition increases. The sky will not fall when Chancellor Robert J Birgeneau ($450,000 salary) 'honorably' retires. Opinions to UC Board of Regents, email email@example.com It's almost unbelievable that the greatest nation on earth has been overrun by third world masses intent on forcing their culture, language and traditions on our society. This is happening all over the world. We are the first to send aid, financial and otherwise, yet the corrupt governments keeps the money and send us their people. Our own government closes its eyes to the invasion, and make no mistake, it is an invasion. What a tragic end to a once proud country peopled with patriots who would never have let this happen. This is simply a case of how much can the ship hold before it goes under. I grew up here since the 60's and can honestly attest to the fact the quality of life is sinking. It just is NOT as Golden as it once was. Like anything good it can turn bad. The demographic change here is alarming in the sense that we are now made up of less educated, less skilled, lesser wealth and communication barriers that have dragged us as a whole to lower depths. We just can no longer sustain more passengers on this boat. And the stewards in Sacramento have NO idea how to steer the vessel. We have drunkin captain's and most of them wear the socialist uniform and salute to the leftist liberal DNC flag. We are sinking people. Throw out the life rafts. [It doesn't get any more assimilated than this: for his daughter's third birthday party this year, Alex Guerrero, who lives in a wealthy equestrian suburb of Los Angeles, rented a miniature horse dressed as a pink unicorn to entertain his daughter's young guests.] Says nothing about good taste [Though it is taboo to say so, the greatest advantage possessed by the Mexican-American poor and middle class is that they are not burdened with the anger and resentments that afflict parts of black society Maybe that resentment stems from historical 'minor mishaps' from your so called 'kith and kin' including forced labor, economic disempowerment (Chicago race riots et al) and stereotyping. Yes sure you personally were not responsible but to disregard a resentment however counterproductive is plain silly. The author appears to be hopelessly entombed in PC fairytale land. I would question if she is ignorant of or deliberately ignoring the concept of the "conquest of Aztlan" aka: the Mexican invasion. Under the presidency of human offal like George W. Bush and Barrack H. Obama, America has sat on their hands and allowed Mexico to export millions of illegal trespassers into the country, the bulk of which have landed in the Illegal Immigration State. "...The poor Mexican immigrants who have fueled the transformation—84 percent of the state's Hispanics have Mexican origins—bring an admirable work ethic and a respect for authority too often lacking in America's native-born population..." Respect for authority? This is an absurd statement when you realize that well over half of California's Mexican population are in the country illegally. The other reality ignored by the writer is that this influx of millions from Mexico has created a voting demograhic that fuels insurmountable catering and cowtowing to invaders - which California is famous for, and which the "reconquesta" movement refers to as "demographic warfare." It's working and spreading. Stick a fork in Mexifornia - it's done. HyenaKiller February 13, 2012 at 1:13 PM Heather Mac Donald, you are an idiot. "bring an admirable work ethic and a respect for authority too often lacking in America's native-born population." What a crock. Which part of the "native-born" popuolation do you mean? Majority work force?! Doctors, lawyers, engineers?! You mean a majority of welfare deadbeats, finally overtaking the negro population. Heather M. February 13, 2012 at 1:03 PM I agree with most everything in this article except for the statement, "The poor Mexican immigrants who have fueled the transformation—84 percent of the state's Hispanics have Mexican origins—bring an admirable work ethic and a respect for authority too often lacking in America's native-born population." If the immigrants have such a respect for authority, they would not be coming here illegally in droves. In my opinion, the fact that they start off their "citizenship" in the US illegally makes it far too easy to ignore many of our other laws. I live in Central California and see firsthand the effects that law-breaking immigrants have on our society. We have many, many law abiding, productive Hispanic citizens as well but, until we stem the tide of illegal immigration, California will continue to decline. This is one half of the story of the demographic change in California. The other half is the flight of the white population to leave the state. There were 850,000 fewer non-Hispanic white residents in 2010 than there were in 2000. The California Department of Finance publishes a wealth of population and demographic information at http://www.dof.ca.gov/research/demographic/reports/view.php CubaLibre February 13, 2012 at 12:45 PM JasonM, let go of your trope that whites are successful because of their skin color. Achievement in any group depends most on your parents (are they married? do they emphasize your education?). Cubans come in an array of colors, and the most successful ones that I have known were extremely hard working and had high standards for their children. I am from a Cuban family, grew up on Staten Island surrounded by Irish and Italian families who had been in the USA for generations, families much whiter than we were and with access to the same schools and opportunities. My sibling and I are much more successful than the kids we grew up with. Why? Because our parents expected us to do our best in school, wouldn't let us hang around the schoolyard on a Friday night, filled the house with art, music, literature, etc. Both of my parents worked, came from working poor families in Havana and, like so many other people from around the world, arrived here with only what they had in their heads. Any group can achieve the same success in one or two generations if they use the same formula - family stability and education. For purposes of demographics and the percentages mentioned in this article, what is the definition of an "Hispanic"? I seriously don't know. Is it an individual where BOTH parents were born in a spanish speaking country? An individual where one parent is a regular "white" mix and the other parent has both parents native spanish speaking? My main point is does inter-marriage ever move someone from "hispanic" to "non-hispanic" for survey purposes? cbinflux February 13, 2012 at 12:23 PM It's so hard to bring the 'manana... manana' mentality out of the Third World. It's no accident that they produce no cars, planes, ... John Steele February 13, 2012 at 12:16 PM So, when the white people leave who pay the taxes,leave the rusting state due to no economic opportunities, all that will be left are poor Mexicans without any upward social and economic skills. I wonder who is going to be paying their welfare money. Let the Democrats, who control the state figure out what to do when the riots start because there aren't anymore tax payer checks being sent to them Another reason to leave California Liberal/racist/patronizing/hypocritical gringo california deserves all the future problems it will get-----thanks to millionaire liberal gringos in beverly hills, and the the poor hispanic masses outside of beverly hills. Hugo Chavezowitz February 13, 2012 at 11:54 AM "The delicious irony is that Cesar Chavez was strongly against ilegal immigration." sorry Paul, that is a fact. Chavez was against illegal immigration because it made it impossible for him to organize and gain rights for the workers he represented. B. Samuel Davis February 13, 2012 at 11:52 AM What MacDonald fails to mention is the reason why we have so many immigrants, legal and illegal, in California. It the desire by Democrats to transform a red state to a blue state. And it has worked beautifully - Democrats, sometimes with the aid of duped Republicans like Reagan and Bush, used charitable impulses in a cynical maneuver aimed at achieving political power. And power is what it is all about for Democrats (aka 'the most corrupt organization on the planet') - the demographic change in California is solely about what's good for the Democratic Party, and NOTHING else. The fact that what has happened has destroyed a State that was at one time the top in education and the economy means nothing to these people, all that matters is power. As I've written elsewhere, an analysis of what has happened in California, why it happened and what's going to happen cannot be looked at in terms of what's traditionally thought of as rational. Rationally, one would expect that improvements in education, crime and toward prosperity is the goal. That's simply not true here - Democrats get 100% majorities when the population is poor, the community has high crime rates and educational achievement is low. Therefore, what we see and hear from Democrats is lots of lip service about improvements based on these three factors, but that's all it is - the goal is to extract as much money as possible to treat these conditions while ensuring that nothing improves, while tax money is transferred to favored causes and, more important, party coffers. In short, for Democrats in California and elsewhere the worst outcome would be an improvement in people's lives. Accordingly, the African American community in the inner cities is, 50 years after giving Democrats 100% loyalty, in dismal shape (see Heather MacDonald's articles on Chicago). Of course, that depends on how one defines 'dismal.' For Democrats, conditions aren't dismal at all. I recently had a conversation with someone living in Paterson, New Jersey - he told me of what used to be a rolling crime wave every afternoon when the heavily African American high school lets out the students for the day. Shop keepers would close, people would avoid that area until a few hours later. This was only addressed after the killing of a homeless man - now Paterson police surround the neighborhood on school days in an effort to prevent crime. This in a city where Democrats are and have been in solid control for decades and decades, and Republicans don't even bother to run. One would think that after 50 years people would wake up to the fact that the one party system is what's causing the problems, but instead a Democratic lock on the local and national media prevent any discussion of Democratic policy failures in the community. (again, for Democrats - these are policy successes - their agenda is different). And so it goes for California, where Latinos can look forward to, not lives of prosperity, low crime and high educational achievement, but the destruction of the family, the criminalization of the community, little or no educational achievement, permanent conditions of poverty, and leaders selected for their loyalty to party, and ability to maintain the status quo. And a media that blames the problems on lack of money and Republicans, and attacks any criticism of party leaders and their record as 'racist.' What's set forth above is THE Democratic plan for California, so we may as well get used to it. It's a plan under which Democrats have maintained power in urban areas throughout the United States for scores of years now. And it has a 100% success rate - in no area where Democrats have taken control have they lost it. In fact, California is the ultimate success story for Democrats - provided there is an understanding of what Democrats mean by 'success.' Hugo Chavezowitz February 13, 2012 at 11:52 AM Richard, some semi-interesting points I would guess. However, theres a few things you havent figured out yet: 1) The Irish did not run any colonies, because THEY WERE ONE. 2) This notion of Americanizing the Hispanics is so loaded with political bias that I don't know where to start. I guess the most important question is why don't they want to live in the Hispanic countries? There will never be a Hispanic dominated America because the second that becomes a reality, they won't want to be here anymore. Paul A'Barge February 13, 2012 at 11:49 AM @Ted: " The delicious irony is that Cesar Chavez was strongly against ilegal immigration." Good grief. No matter how ludicrous, you can get someone to say anything. Derek Simmons February 13, 2012 at 11:47 AM ¡La reconquista está aquí! Paul A'Barge February 13, 2012 at 11:42 AM Have you guys been to Texas? Because we have alreadybeen "there". And beyond. Norman Cosper February 13, 2012 at 10:56 AM Congratulations to Heather MacDonald and City Journal for this informative, well written, non-hysterical analysis of the "California situation". Quotes and reports from individuals at "ground zero" were especially helpful for those, like me, whose only awareness of this crisis comes from snippets and sound bytes erupting from biased "news entertainment personalities" and those who will be disserved by a solution. Cogent, respectful reports like Heather MacDonald's make City Journal a rare treat in contrast to a news industry obsessed with ratings, circulation, commercial sponsors and competition to the exclusion of credible information. Thank you, City Journal and Heather MacDonald! Please keep up your excellent work! Obviously, we need to tax white people more. I noticed the reference to a "Cesar Chavez High School" in the article. The delicious irony is that Cesar Chavez was strongly against ilegal immigration. Robert G February 13, 2012 at 6:01 AM The Food Stamp State. Good luck, amigos! Richard K Munro February 13, 2012 at 3:32 AM Very good article, Heather Mac Donald. I thought the observations were accurate with much truth in them. I am a teacher -a so called Anglo-Saxon I suppose or Anglo- a term I never liked because my people were not WASPS but Roman Catholic Gaels. But one thing I can say about my cosmpolitan family -we have colonized places all over the world in French-speaking,English-speaking and Spanish-speaking countries- is that we like and understand Latin peoples. Perhaps because we still have a deep memory of Roman Christendom. We never looked to London alone but also to Paris and Rome. So it was no surprise when I married a Hispanic girl. We have been married 30 years. When you say Hispanics kids are nice kids -its true because most of the are. In fact, my three kids are Hispanic, my eldest son is married to a Hispanic girl -she is a doctor and the daughter of doctor-. My youngest children are also going with Hispanic boys who both are nice lads and hard workers. And you are right when you say "Though it is taboo to say so, the greatest advantage possessed by the Mexican-American poor and middle class is that they are not burdened with the anger and resentments that afflict parts of black society." That is absolutely true. There is some resentment among illegal alien poor about their unfair treatment but that is balanced by the fact that their neglect and mistreatment was far worse in their native Mexico or Latin America. And we should not make too much about the Hispanic White divide because there is so much intermarriage. Filipinos marry Hispanics and Hispanics marry Asians and Whites. Yes, there are problems but I am optimistic about the immigrant kids I teach. Many are brave and ready , willing and able to serve this country. I think we should let them. It would encourage their Americanization. Francis Stocker, M.D. February 13, 2012 at 1:55 AM Equador has an even lower percentage of whites than Mexico. I suspect that the immigrants who travel that far are predominantly legal and with some skills. A true crime show featured a family of immigrants from that nation. They were all white and successful in business. Unfortunately, a money dispute reduced their numbers- and that's how they got on a true crime show. In Orange County and other parts of Southern California, the demographic shifts are part of the decline in home values. One has to track a select area such as Irvine to separate the economic impact for the demographic effect. In many neighborhoods, the public schools are useless for middle class families. Martin Braden February 13, 2012 at 1:08 AM Heather MacDonald refers to Hispanics as 37.6% and Whites as 40% of the population in California. How is the remaining 22.4% composed? What percentage is represented by the African American segment? How do they perform Vs the Hispanics? As an outsider I still remember the Watts riots. I assume things are much improved for Californian African Americans since then. The policy recommendations are sound, but they will not be implemented. The Democrats rule California and have the top hand at the national level. Further immigration from Mexico may have its downside, but the upside is more congressional districts that are safe for Democrats. And that will drive all the policy decisions. OBR54, it's pretty simple. Most Cubans, and most of the high-achieving Central Americans in the sidebar, are white. Therefore, it's not surprising that they do well. "Latino" is used to cover up a multitude of ethnic differences. Mostly-white Latinos do much better in the US (and in Latin America) than do mostly-native Latinos. Just as, within Latin America itself, the mostly-white places (Buenos Aires) are much nicer places to live than the mostly-native areas. Of course, only HITLER would notice this blatantly obvious fact. Hugo Chavezowitz February 12, 2012 at 10:35 PM "Immigrant parents", you mean Illegal Alien parents. So City Journal is in on this too? Et Tu Brute? I am glad that the writer made the distinction re the Mexican and Central American origin of the 'Hispanics' in this article. The term 'Hispanic' is very misleading in that it includes 20+ different nationalities, all with varying cultures, histories and political and economic struggles. I am a Cuban born Hispanic American citizen. The difference in acheivement level between the population in this article and the Cuban Hispanics is notable. Per the 2010 Census, Cuban-Americans were more educated than even Anglo-Americans. More than 26.1 % of second-generation Cuban-Americans had a bachelor's degree or better versus 20.6% of Anglos. Considering that the bulk of Cuban immigration has occurred in only the last 50 years,this is remarkable. Interesting as well is that Cubans are overwhelmingly Republican. It seems glaring to me that the negative variable affecting the California Hispanics the most is the large number of illegals within this population. IMO, this fact keeps the hard working folks from taking advantage of many available opportunities and progressing in order to give their children a better future. Perhaps Ms. MacDonald would consider a more comprehensive study comparing various Hispanic groups to determine which variables affect which groups the most. As long as we are considered a generic 'Hispanic', there will be few effective solutions to the problems. |