President George W. Bush

"Since our Nation's founding, Hispanic Americans have played an integral role in our county's exceptional story of success.

"Today, Hispanic culture continues to shape the American experience. More than 30 million Americans, about 1 in 8 people in the United States, claim Hispanic origin. They contribute to every walk of contemporary American life, while simultaneously preserving the unique customs and traditions of their ancestors.

"All Americans, regardless of national origin, celebrate the vibrant Hispanic-American spirit that influences our Nation's art, music, food, and faiths. We also celebrate the practices of commitment to family, love of country, and respect for others; virtues that transcend ethnicity, reflect the American spirit, and are nobly exemplified in the Hispanic-American community."

— Announcement of Hispanic Heritage Month (9/28/2001)

"Our country is richer because of the Hispanic influence."

— Charitable Choice meeting with Latino leaders (5/22/2001)

Michael Barone, political analyst

"What America's Latinos do more than anything else is work. The work force participation rate of Hispanic males is 80 percent, above any other measured group. The flow has largely been into private sector jobs, and more into small than large firms, with little movement toward unionization."

"In 1994, Hispanic income per person was only 57 percent of the national average, but Hispanic household income was 73 percent of the U.S. average, thanks to multiple workers and multiple jobs."

"Latinos work, most of all, for their families. A larger percentage of Latinos than of native-born whites live in father-mother-children families; the divorce rate among Latinos is significantly below average."

"And 'bilingual' education, in which almost all instruction is in Spanish, does not prepare students well for English. By preventing many Latinos from gaining the English skills necessary for more than menial jobs, 'bilingual' education has become an obstacle to Hispanic assimilation."

— excerpts from a Bradley Lecture delivered at the American Enterprise Inst. (10/4/99)