How Do We Treat Minorities And Immigrants In The U.S. ?

To me, one of the most important issues we face in this election year (and in every election year) is how are people being treated in this country. Do they have equal opportunities for jobs, housing, and education? Do they get equal treatment in our justice system? if any group is not treated equally, then we are failing in our duty to uphold the Constitution and further the American Dream.

To be truthful, we have never truly lived up to that dream of equality in the United States. But, to our credit, we have a history of making progress. That progress has not been easy because there have always been those who prefer discrimination, but progress has been made because in the final analysis, most people are decent.

That does not mean that there is not more to be done. There is much more to be done, and the fight to do it will be just as difficult as in the past. That's because too many refuse to see discrimination, preferring to keep the privileges they have over others. But I am an optimist, and I believe the finger of history is moving in the right direction.

I found this new Gallup Poll interesting. It shows what all adults (and the sub-groups of Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics) think of how minorities and immigrants are treated in this country. The chart above shows the percentage who are satisfied with the treatment these groups get. Note that far too many don't see the discrimination that still exists for Asians, Women, Hispanics, Blacks, Arabs, and Immigrants.

The Gallup Poll was done between June 7th and July 1st of this year of a random national sample of 3,270 adults. The margin of error for all adults is 3 points (and for the sub-groups is 4-5 points).