Always it's been a net positive for the city over the long haul. This has always been a city where nobody asks how long you've been here and who's your daddy, but if you've got a good idea and we can make money together, then let's talk. |
Anglos are in the midst of watching a demographic change occur. The future is a non-Anglo future. It's not surprising that immigration has become a symbol. The issue is much more symbolic than it is real. It isn't clear what the state can do, in terms of controlling borders. |
If you had a higher percentage of immigrants not going to work it would come to a halt. There is just no question that 11 to 12 million people working in this country in very hard jobs at very low pay are essential to the economic well-being of America. |
In a low-turnout election, white and older conservative voters generally dominate, |
Ken Lay was one of the genuine heroes of Houston, and Enron was one of the shining beacons of the city. There is still a residual of deep anger, betrayal, a sense of outrage over Enron, which is stronger in Houston than anywhere in the country. |
Lay was the great hero of Houston. He was the kind of civic leader who led the business community to all kinds of major investment in the city that might not otherwise have happened. |
People are very proud of the first phase, when Houston opened its doors. I've never had a question where there's been 97 percent agreement. That's real, and that's a reflection of a remarkable month and a half when Houston poured its heart out. |
Support for equal rights for gays and lesbians, while still far from overwhelming, increased significantly during the 1990s and appears likely to continue to expand slowly but surely, |
The typical pattern in American history is that when things are going well, we welcome immigrants. When they're going badly, we tell them to stay away. |
There has been a significant shift in the support for gay rights here. There's a growing sense that homosexuality is part of the normal human variation, |
There's that feeling of 'enough already,' and there's anxiety about being stuck carrying the economic burden. |
This view is the single most powerful predicator of people's attitudes toward gay rights in general and shows a growing comfort with human diversity in general, |
You've got two sets of forces [at work among residents]: One is desperately wanting to come home, and the other is a distrust of the government. Most people still predict that New Orleans will not go back to what it's once been. |