View
Points
A
Personal Commentary
On April
22nd, I was elected to become a Gore Delegate to the Democratic National
Convention representing the 4th Congressional District in Georgia. Actually,
I am the only Hispanic representing Georgia out of 117 delegates. My
election was due to the grassroots support of the Georgia Stonewall
Democrats, a gay and lesbian Democratic group, and the Dekalb County
Democratic Party.
by: Gerardo E. Gonzalez
During my speech to the Congressional Caucus, I delineated the reasons
why I align myself with the Democratic Party. To begin with, I was raised
in a single-parent, low-income home and my mother gave me the inspiration
to value my education. My educational experience began with the Head
Start Program. During my public school education, I was able to receive
free school lunches through the Federal School Lunch program. In addition,
affirmative action opened the door of opportunity for me to continue
my education at Texas A&M University through a President’s Achievement
Award Scholarship. However, once I was admitted the PAA scholarship
only went so far and I was further aided by the Federal Pell Grant program
and Guaranteed Student Loans.I finally attained my Bachelor’s of Science
degree in mechanical engineering in 1995. The Democratic Party strongly
believes in public education and supports Head Start Programs, Affirmative
Action, Federal Pell Grants, and Guaranteed Student Loans.
In addition, the Democratic Party strongly believes in the opportunities
that affirmative action opens for under-represented minorities in careers
such as engineering and science. On the other hand, the Republican Party
has been opposed to affirmative action through active support of measures
such as Proposition 209 in California. The Democratic Party strongly
opposed Proposition 209 and viewed it as an “extreme initiative which
reduces the economic and educational opportunities for women and minorities
by abolishing all state affirmative action programs in public education,
public contracting, and public employment in California.” The Democratic
Party believes in strong affirmative action programs that meet the following
criteria: no quotas in theory or practice, no illegal discrimination
of any kind, and no preference for people who are not qualified. After
passage of Proposition 209, levels of Latino and African American students
entering law school at UCLA and Berkeley have declined dramatically.
The Republican Congress has also worked towards ending federal affirmative
action programs. As a Mexican American who has benefited from affirmative
action programs, I am strongly supportive of their relevance in today’s
society and the importance of providing educational and economic opportunities
for under represented minorities.
Hispanic voters have rejected the policies of Governor Bush in a recent
bipartisan poll. Representative Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) said, “The fact
is that Bush’s risky tax scheme, his opposition to an increase in the
minimum wage, and his poor higher education record would leave Hispanics
behind. In contrast, our community is embracing Al Gore because he is
fighting for the real needs of working families.” As an example of Bush’s
record on education, a recent Census Bureau report indicated that Texas
Hispanic students receive less financial aid than their white counterparts,
even though Hispanic students are three times more likely to be poor.
In addition, Texas has ranked 48th in the country last year in the percentage
of high school students who enroll and graduate from college.
The values of a democratic society also celebrate diversity. As a party,
the Democratic Party has taken great strides to welcome minority participation
which includes Hispanics, African Americans, Native Americans, Asian
Americans, and gays and lesbians. As a Hispanic gay man, I am proud
to be included within the Democratic Party family. In contrast, the
Texas Republican Party would not allow the Log Cabin Republicans, a
gay and lesbian Republican organization, to simply have an information
booth at their state convention.
Governor Bush took no leadership steps to address the situation and
allowed the blatant exclusion from his home state’s party convention.
In closing, the choice for President of the United States has never
been clearer for me. One of the most important decisions that the next
President of the United States will make are his appointments to the
U.S. Supreme Court. As a Hispanic community, we need Supreme Court Justices
who understand our community issues and will reflect those values in
their decisions. Because of the Supreme Court Justice appointments,
the next President has the potential to affect U.S. policy for many
more years after his presidential term will be completed. With the examples
noted above, I believe that Vice President Al Gore will look after our
Hispanic community’s best interests and is the best choice to lead our
country with continued economic strength and providing opportunity for
all Americans!
Viewpoints is a reader response and opinions
page and its bylined articles do not reflect the views of the MAES National
Magazine.
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