Commentary: Time to turn the calendar to a new year

Amigos805.com staff report

We wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2012.

Residents of the 805 region and the rest of the nation in 2011 continued to battle back from the effects of the Great Recession.

As noted recently by Bill Watkins, executive director of the Center for Economic Research and Forecasting at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, 2012 will continue to be a tough year given the sluggish real estate market, the high foreclosure rate and potential threats to the U.S. economy due to economic instability in Europe and China and potential oil disruptions in the Middle East. But there are some positive signs out there. Unemployment continues to trend downtown in the 805 region, along with a declining foreclosure rate and an increase in consumer confidence leading some businesses to hire more people, open more retail outlets and start new businesses. It has not been an easy recovery, but we are moving in the right direction as demonstrated by yet another year of postive retail sales during the recent holiday season.

2012 will also be a key election year as voters take a hard look at elected officials nationally, statewide and locally. The Pew Hispanic Center last week reported that Latinos will again play an important role in the presidential election. While Latinos have not been overly enamored by the Obama administration’s handling of deportation of unauthorized immigrants — with 59 percent versus 27 percent disapproving of the administration’s policy — those Latinos are not ready to jump ship and dump Obama for a yet-to-be-selected Republican candidate. Tough anti-immigrant talk in an effort to appeal to their ultra-conservative base during the early primary season is hurting many potential GOP candidates who will in turn have to court Latinos in the general election.

In fact, if the election were held today, Obama would receive a higher margin of Latino votes (68 percent to 23 percent over either former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney or Texas Gov. Rick Perry) than he received in defeating John McCain in 2008 (67 percent versus 31 percent).

Overall, the Republican Party continues to suffer from an exodus of Latino supporters in recent years.

And when asked which party has more concern for Hispanics, 45 percent of Hispanic registered voters say it’s the Democratic Party, while 12 percent say it’s the Republican Party, the center reported.

A stagnant economy, an immigration reform effort that is going nowhere, a do-nothing Congress that has achieved the highest disapproval level in history — 805 region voters will have plenty of issues to consider when they cast their ballots in 2012. As we enter the new year, Amigos805.com will continue its efforts to inform residents in the region of all the lastest cultural, economic, political and social issues affecting the community to keep you up to date on these issues.

Thank you for your past support. With your help we hope to bring you more news and information in the coming year.