I’ve been a board member of the Latino Donor Collaborative for two years. The organization is chaired by Sol Trujillo and is governed by an impressive board of many of the top Latino business leaders and entrepreneurs in the country. The organization produces research reports and hosts twice annual convenings where LDC board members interview top executives, celebrities, and economists about the surging power of the American Latino Cohort, or what Sol refers to as the “New Mainstream Economy”. On Thursday, the LDC hosted their 17th convening, and it was one of the best. About a month ago, Forbes Magazine published a story on the online version of their magazine entitled “Hispanics, not Trump, are the Biggest Engine of U.S. Economic Growth“.
On the surface the title of the article was a bit shocking coming from a conservative business magazine, but anyone who knows anything about Forbes Magazine and their publisher Steve Forbes shouldn’t have been that surprised. Steve Forbes has mostly libertarian views, which means he’s not big on social policy and believes strongly that government should stay out of the way of free enterprise, but it also means he is not easily swayed by partisan ideology. The LDC thought it would be good to have Steve Forbes himself at the convening to discuss the article and other economic issues. The LDC’s work focuses on moving the narrative about the Latino community from a social policy discussion to economic policy discussion, and having Steve Forbes validate the importance of the Hispanic community from an economic standpoint could be big. With the help of EY, Steve Forbes’ participation was secured and Mr. Forbes spoke on a panel with Ted Acosta from EY and a gentleman from the Peterson Institute who produced the study that was referenced in the Forbes article. Forbes did not disappoint and at one point referred to Hispanics as the “Cavalry that will save the U.S. Economy”. Forbes said the Trump Administration got things right on taxes and deregulation, but disagreed with their policies on tariffs and immigration. No matter where you stand politically, it was refreshing to hear Steve Forbes speak so pragmatically about the importance of getting things right with Latinos in America. I have an idea for a Forbes Magazine cover photo of three Hispanics dressed as a construction worker, a medical doctor, and a tech entrepreneur with the headline “The Cavalry is Here”.
The large majority of undocumented immigrants are decent, hard-working people desperate for a better life in America. However, there are also some bad apples, violent criminals that not only terrorize our communities but also damage the image of Latinos in America. Trump promised to prioritize criminals in his deportation plans. In the first few weeks in office, the data shows that...
When the government tries to tackle a specific issue with a policy, it often causes new variations of the problem to emerge in different areas. In other words, "any action has an equal and opposite reaction." When taxes and regulations are reduced, as is expected in 2025, two things tend to happen: those at the bottom economically have it tougher because there are fewer safety nets and protections. Those at the top make a killing.
Next week, I will be speaking at a Hispanic Leadership Summit at the United Nations. I was asked to speak on the topic of Unity. The following is a preview of my speech.