The data in the government report shows that the rising number of Hispanic children would help lower the rate of smoking among teens. However, teen pregnancy rates would rise and the percentage of students completing high school would fall without changes occurring, said Dr. Duane Alexander, director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, one of several federal agencies that contributed to the report.

"The people who follow population demographics and health disparities are very concerned about this," Alexander said.

The report also found that Hispanic children are more likely to live in poverty and to be overweight.

That's got to be the most depressing information about a demographic that it's members can receive. The study indicates that the only thing most Hispanic children have to look forward to in their teens is living in poverty with their children while obese and without a high school education. Their only positive benefit -- by virtue of the increased birthrate and not their ideals -- is to lower the percentage of smoking teens.

Sheesh, what a bum rap. I have an overwhelming desire to change this outlook, and I'm not even Hispanic.

We need the increased birthrate to deal with the Baby Boomers retirement problem, but at the same time need productive members of society, not an increased drain on society's resources and a bigger gap between the racially-perceived "haves" and "have nots". And changing the tide starts in middle school. While President Bush pushes abstinence, a more realistic approach would be that of the health center at Georgia Tech: a great big bowl of condoms and tons of STD pamplets with scary pictures.

-janelane, econdomizer