. Do ou know for sure that they are all Democrat-voting Hispanics? Where do you get your data from?
I think this election 70% voted for Obama (since he was running ads equating McCain with Limbaugh and his anti-illegal immigration rhetoric...ironically McCain is pro-emnesty)...Bush did much better (over 40% of Hispanics, I think...you know the Bush family is very hispanic friendly...Jeb is married to a mexican woman...they always endorse all hispanic republican candidates)...but I am not sure if the numbers are the same in local politics..
In South Florida there is to be a big # of cubans who traditionally voted republicans...now it's changing too because there is a growoing younger generation of Cubans who are changing to democrats (or being bought by democrats:-))...so to be seen...some say Tx will not be a republican safe area very soon if they fail to win the Hispanic vote (it's over 30% now and growing)...

yeah, don't forget to get back to me with the message of the article...very interesting to see what you think the NYT was trying to convey to their readers...with that particular map...i wonder how the numbers (the percantages) would be different if they did it statewide as opposed to countywide...

BTW, if a true businessmen is always looking for an advantage, wouldn't receiving free govt help provide that advantage?
There is no such thing as a free lunch!
Money from the government are given in exchange for the government's right to tell the business what to do!
I doubt that any sane business person would what the outsider's participation in the given business.

Gera, but don't you think that's exactly what the GM execs did - took advantage of the government in exchange of the government now basically running the co...and they are paying the price for doing that?

Not specifically, because (as I am inside and know what is going on). Rather it is like the old Soviet Union engineering organization, where - we are here, and they are - g-d knows where.
However, generally, Yes! GM owes money to the government, and the first business priority is to pay the loan back. The latest on that was:
- The first payment is planned in December, or right after the New Year.
I will keep you posted.

There is no such thing as a free lunch!
Money from the government are given in exchange for the government's right to tell the business what to do!
No, not always. There is also Walmart business model with "limited health benefits". Which shifts some of those costs to you and me.

Alexey, what do you knwo about Wal-mart health benefits? their benefits in general? or the median wages they are paying?

Unfortunately, Walmart isn't the only recipient of corporate welfare... "There are more than 100 such corporate subsidy programs in the federal budget today, with annual expenditures of roughly $75 billion."

Svetlana, not much. Only what I see in press:
********walmartwatch.com/pages/healthcare
***********.dsausa.org/lowwage/walmart/health.html
One has to strip off Union stuff and look for numbers.
What do you know about Walmart health plans/wages/etc?

I know about Wal-Mart almost first hand...let me tell you - they are very competitive, their benefits are pretty good - stock options/bonuses...their health insurance is, I'd say, one of the best and very affordable and unique - listen to this - you are able to pick youself so-called health credits (amount covered before deductive) from 100 to 1000, then you pick a deductible, and it's 80/20after that, of course...the plan that I know about is a family plan, first 500 bucks before deductible covered for each family memeber, 2000 deduc. and it costs only 70 dol bi-weekly...in other words you don't have to meet your deductible in order to start receving benefits. it works like a donut hole, but for a lot of people it makes sense - makes the premiums more affordable...also they offer health saving accounts and match your contributions...
the reason they get so much negative press is because they refuse to unionize...so they are being vilified by the politicians and liberal activists...