Health care a moral issue for Latino voters

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/9216

The 2004 presidential election spawned the widespread use of the term "values voter." It was the phrase of choice for much of the instant analysis of the re-election of President Bush, and in that context, "values" was used as shorthand for the highly charged social issues of same-sex marriage and abortion.

Conventional wisdom held that these issues put Bush over the top, in large part because they helped him to capture up to 40 percent of Latinos, who voted their socially conservative, mostly Roman Catholic values.

Now comes a new national survey of Latino voters that shows, heading into the 2006 midterm elections, Latinos will again be driven by concern about values. Only this time, the poll suggests, that will be good news for Democrats.

The reason is that Latino voters define "values" somewhat more broadly than most political analysts. For them, values start with family and their family members' well-being.

Topping their list of concerns is healthcare. It is an issue, said pollster Celinda Lake, that registered Latino voters consider to be "a core family value."

[Warpy]

1. Wages and healthcare

Latinos aren't the only values driven voters who consider economic justice to be at the top of the values list.

All the Latinas I know (and I live in New Mexico) are using birth control. Trying to out-Catholic the Cathoics on reproductive issues is not going to impress any of them.

However, a substantial rise in the minimum wage and progress toward national health insurance will.

[USA_1]

2. It Should Be An Issue For EVERYONE!

[Lost-in-FL]

3. Thank you

I was going to state the same.