PEW Research Center

According to a Pew Hispanic Center report, the Hispanic population account for more than half the U.S. population growth since 2000.
Contrary to popular belief though, illegal immigration nor legal migration, were not the reason why the Hispanic population grew so much.

Stephen Klineberg, Rice University sociologist, adds, “What's fueling the growth is the natural increase, the U.S.-born babies, of the previous immigrants who came here five or 10 years ago.”

“The reason for that natural increase is not because Latinos are having so many babies, it's because so many of the Latinos in Houston are of child-bearing age,” he said.  Read More »

The Austin American-Statesman had an article about the Pew Internet & American Life Project on broadband use in the United States. The research concluded that broadband internet use is increasing throughout the United States but hinted at a disparity that may be intresting.

In the war of the Haves & Have Not's, it seems that fast internet access may be a point of contention. Americans with broadband internet now make up 55% as opposed to 47% reported as of last year. African-American households with broadband stood at 43%, compared to those of Whites and Hispanic English Speaking households at 57%.

Does lack of access to fast internet really mean anything though? According to John Horrigan, associate director of research at the nonprofit Pew project,"Internet users who don't have high-speed Internet access could miss out on video-based learning programs, access to government documents or other necessities electronically, or online entertainment."

I beg to differ. As a cynic, I will claim that fast internet does not mean that individuals will be losing out. It may just mean faster means to accessing MySpace or YouTube but this is not detrimental to those individuals life or property. Faster access to information is not the same as NO access to information. I am more inclined to describe a digital divide between individuals that have access to computers with internet versus those that do not. Faster access to information on the internet does not equate to better in my opinion.

How fast is fast?I can still recall the day of dial up internet. Even though the world is a wonderful place with DSL and Cable internet, it is just a convenience more than anything. I now have faster access to data that I was not otherwise with dial up. People functioned with 56k just okay 10 years ago.I am not concerned with the speed that people access information as I am with the ability to even access that information. As technology improves and certain features become obsolete, folks will be able to enjoy the faster speeds. 56k is slowly being phased out for more practical and cost effective services such as broadband. Internet Service Providers understand that it will be more costly to maintain phone lines and subscribers that rely on those services. They will end up providing cheaper alternatives to broadband that will serve as gateway for those individuals. AT&T has taken a similar approach offering Internet plans as low as $14.99 and $19.99. The digital divide is not in the speed of information but if individuals even have access to that information . . . and that is a more important topic to entertain.

Individuals with conservative ideologies are happier than loopy liberals a recent study found, because they’ve been conditioned to rationalize social and economic inequalities. In spite of marital status, income or religious allegiance, right-wingers affirmed more life satisfaction than lefties, but they also scored highest on the tendency to explain away and justify inequalities. "It is not really that big a problem if some people have more of a chance in life than others," they believe, or, "This country would be better off if we worried less about how equal people are." Conservatives support the idea of Meritocracy, meaning that if you climb the ladder of success through hard work, whatever position in society you reach is perceived as completely fair.

If your mind-set doesn't justify status gaps, however, you might feel frustrated and disheartened, according to New York University’s Jaime Napier and John Jost in the journal Psychological Science. "Our research suggests that inequality takes a greater [mental] toll on liberals than on conservatives," the researchers write, "apparently because liberals lack ideological rationalizations that would help them frame inequality in a positive (or at least neutral) light."

The results mirror a 2006 Pew Research project where 47% of U. S. conservative Republicans described themselves as "very happy," while only 28% of liberal Democrats indicated such a state of brainwashed bliss.

And incidently, a U.S. General Social Surveys study has revealed that people tend to become more liberal as they age, putting to rest another long accepted myth, mister right-winger.

And finally, researchers at the University of British Columbia and Harvard Business School have determined that "Regardless of how much income each person [makes], those who spent money on others reported greater happiness, while those who spent more on themselves did not.” 

I wanted to share the PEW Research Center's conclusion about "Where the Public Learns about Political Campaigns" posted by Erick Schonfeld over at TechCruch. As one would surmise, the influence of the internet as a legitimate medium for a marketplace of ideas is growing. Since 2000 Local Television News has dropped from 48% to 40% as a source where individuals regularly learn about Presidential Campaigns. The Internet jumped from 9% to 24%, the largest increase by any group. Another interesting point is that the older one is the more likely that person will rely on traditional media sources such as Local TV or Newspaper. The 18-29 year-old demographic uses the internet (42%) much more than older users (15%). Traditional News Agencies dominate as the source on the internet with MSNBC.com receiving about 26%.

What are the implications? Well, I believe as the internet becomes more mainstream with individuals becoming more web based research savvy, it will be the most dominant medium for obtaining information. Websites and YouTube Videos will help to remind voters and expose Political Candidate's lies more efficiently. As more people began to rely less on traditional forms of media for news one will see a more intelligent voter base. The web is helping to connect people much faster to issues and is a vast library of recorded video for one to review upon desire. No longer must you wait to see the six o'clock news to see what Candidate X said about Candidate Y, you will be able to view the clip instantaneously. The impact of the internet in just the last four years is quite evident when one observes the role websites such as MoveOn.org or political blogs play. In a previous post about a YouTube Video titled "Vote Different," I speculated on the impact that the internet would have on voters, based on ads created by supporters but not affiliated nor approved by political campaigns. I expect the internet to become a form of Check and Balance to Political Elections. You are no longer immune from deception when everyone can review your comments for your years to come.