I think the opportunity to witness the great leaders of our time come together and discuss a plan of action for the future of Latinos in this country was unbelievable. To see the great amount of passion and dedication on their behalf to not only advance the Latino community, but also this entire nation, really instilled a sense of inspiration towards what drives me as a Latino to make a difference in this country. I consider myself privileged to have been given an insight into the policymaking discussions in the fields of health care, housing, labor, immigration. The most impressive part about the different policy conferences throughout the week was the chance to question different expert panelists over the topics being discussed.
When I was looking for a fellowship placement a few months ago, I really wanted to work for Senator Menendez because I knew he would soon be the only Latino Senator with a great deal of influence in the Latino community. Not to mention his record of being a public official dedicated to implementing real reform in this country spoke for itself. However, the opportunity to see Sen. Menendez speak at the Immigration plenary reinforced everything I had heard about him and I was proud to be working in his office. To see him speak with such passion and integrity on issues that affected the Latinos was truly inspiring. I remember him saying: "Immigrants are the ones that pluck the feathers on the chicken you eat with their bare fingers, Immigrants are the ones that clean up your fancy hotel room when you leave, and Immigrants are the ones that pick the fruit that's on your plate. We PROUDLY take the jobs that other American's don't want." Along with Congressman Gutierrez, Cecilia Munoz and other expert panelists, Sen. Menendez tackles the reality of our broken immigration system and calls out for comprehensive immigration reform. His vision of an America with secure borders while finding a way to welcome the 12 million undocumented immigrants into mainstream society is a vision that I too would like to see the United States realize.
For me, having the opportunity to meet a wide variety of people from all across the country with different types of backgrounds and credentials was very valuable. I enjoyed the chance to see hundreds of talented leaders across the nation united with a common goal: to advance the Latino community and help us become progressive members in a mainstream society. I had the chance to met CHCI alumni, journalists, Members of Congress, students, etc, from all over the country that were very passionate abour pursuing a solution to the problems that plague Latinos in the U.S. I tried really hard to engage myself with issues that I was not very familiar with. Having expert panelists afforded me the opportunity to ask the questions that I wanted in an attempt to learn more about the issue. My positive experience throughout conference week was only reinforced when we were given the chance to relax and meet new people over a delicious meal. It was nice to relax and network with individuals that share likewise ambitions and that were adamant about offering a helping hand if we ever need it.
Growing up, everyone's vision of lawmaking most likely consisted of the old man with the long curly white wig and the long black robe waiving his gavel around and slamming it hard on the wood, finally making it into law. While that would definitely be much easier, being in the heart of D.C. has opened my eyes to the long and complex process that we know as 'policymaking'. I've always known that Policymaking is a long and complicated process. However, I didn't know just how complicated it was until I saw the different stages legislation must go through and the multitude of people and groups that want to chip in their two cents. First, it was interesting to see the impact that companies and corporations have in working with legislators to formulate policy. The fact that corporations, through financial contributions and advocacy support, have a large impact on how U.S. policy is formulated is very interesting (but also kind of scary). Second, I was surprised by the amount of coalitions that exist within the legislative chamber that focus on a specific agenda that they, as a group representative of a much larger group within the national public, feel must be addressed immediately. For example, there were many Congressional Hispanic Caucus members that spoke throughout the conference to address the need for immediate immigration reform. It was clear to me that coalitions exist to be that nagging force needed to push legislation through the chambers. They can either be for focusing on a special agenda or focusing on ruining someone else's agenda. Anyone that somewhat understands American politics knows that we have one of the most complicated, yet interesting, policymaking systems in the world. After all, our system of checks and balances is one of the great hallmarks of American Democracy. However, just because I recognize our policymaking system does not mean I agree with it. This complex melting pot of lobbyists, coalitions, and legislators, have created a process that has made it increasingly difficult for Congress to pass laws efficiently. While I understand the reality of partisanship and the need for party loyalty, I do not understand why it should be at the expense of millions of Americans being affected by it. I agree with leaders such as Luis Gutierrez and Robert Menendez who identify the need for bipartisanship on heated issues such as Immigration and Health Care. Now more than ever we need to stray away from shady politics, put the people first, and work TOGETHER to create laws that benefit the American people and not special interests. We need to build on the foundations set by the founding fathers of this country and not destroy them. I know that its easier said than done, but considering our current health care and immigration crisis, now more than ever we must work harder to make this seemingly utopian policymaking system a reality. Bipartisanship is the answer. |
