November 2018

In 1950, Detroit was the epitome of urban success. With a population of 1.85 million and almost 300,000 manufacturing jobs, America’s fourth-largest city was truly the paragon of economic prosperity. Jobs weren’t the only thing in high supply at this time; arts, music, and theatre also contributed to the city’s heightened success. However, today’s Detroit contrasts sharply with the shining city of 1950. In 2013 the city had to file for bankruptcy, jobs became few and far between, and it was ranked the most violent city in America. What caused this giant collapse? Unfortunately, the tragedy of Detroit is not unlike many other major American cities. As globalization and trade increased, urban America, whose economies relied heavily on manufacturing, was ravaged. The sharp decrease in jobs led to much more than an economic downturn. Social problems deepened and the overall quality of life sunk. Politicians across the years have tried to heal the wounds in the inner cities, but as it stands today, clearly there is much work to be done.

On February 14, 2018, Chris McKenna, a freshman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, steps out of his English class and heads upstairs to use the restroom. In the stairwell, he encounters a former student, loading a gun. “You’d better get out of here,” the gunman says, “things are going to get messy.” McKenna flees the building.

Thursday, September 27th had me glued to CNN all day. I sat through classes furiously reading the closed captions, had one headphone in at work, and walked to and from appointments with the livestream of the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearing blaring from my phone. The composed testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, the emotional job interview of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, and the divisive dialogue of the 21 members of the Senate Judiciary Committee captivated me. We all know how the story ends: after a week-long FBI investigation and a 50 to 48 vote, Brett Kavanaugh took his place as the 114th Supreme Court Justice.

My name is Hunter Avilio Thomas. My mama is Dora Magdalena Salinas Thomas. My abuelos are Avilio and Mercedes Salinas. My mother was born and raised in Mexico City. Her father was a poor taxi driver and her mother was a stay-at-home mom. I am a rare specimen in politics—a free-market, small-government, traditionally-principled conservative and Hispanic. Conservatives and Latinos share many values: protecting the family, eliminating government corruption, and achieving prosperity through hard work, not entitlement. Conservatives must appeal to Latinos in an unprecedented way. Mick Mulvaney, a Tea Party conservative from South Carolina, told a group of supporters: “At some point, we’re going to figure out that if you take the entire African-American community and write them off, you take the entire Hispanic community, and write them off, what’s left? About 38% of the country. You cannot win with 38% of the country.” [1] This party has a bright future if it starts drawing people in instead of writing them off. To gain much-needed support among Latinos, the Republican Party must emphasize social issues to motivate Latinos and then focus on securing our borders while advancing immigration reform.