Speak English

[jsanders]

Why do you suppose people in our country are advocating changing government documents to be in Spanish as well as English?

States are being sued for it, the general population disagrees with it, yet it continues.

Who are these people? Certainly, you would expect a more thought out response from the Hispanic intelligentsia, but they are some of the most ardent supporters. You would think the Spanish speaking politicians would get on a “learn English” band wagon, but none has materialized.

I think it’s a conspiracy to create a divided class in our country. Race didn’t work, so let’s use language and culture to create a new class of working poor. Why else would so many people encourage the spread of the Spanish language in our country?

We have never faced this problem on such a wide spread basis before. At the very time when European American numbers are dwindling, Latino numbers in the US are growing. Not a bad problem in itself, except when you consider that most of the Latinos bring their culture with them, a culture predominated by disdain for education and where the rich own everything.

Here in Northern Virginia it is almost a weekly occasion where an Hispanic man gets run over by a car. And daily you have to stop to keep from hitting someone walking out in front of you. Why are we alloying this language and culture to infiltrate our country to this extent?

 

[Jacob Mathai]

The reason is simply cheap labor. Politicians (both parties) need them for different reasons. Many of these undocumented aliens are also driving their vehicles without insurance coverage. If they hit your car, you are out of luck. You have to depend on your own insurance coverage for repairs. They are also enjoying several privileges that the United States citizens and legal resident aliens do not have. The hispanic community enjoys significant political support from local politicians and local Police. Pres. Bush wants to keep Mexican Pres. Vincente Fox happy.

 

[Pat Hartman]

America is what it is because previous waves of immigrants ASSIMILATED. That’s why we call ourselves the great melting pot. The single most important reason for this is LANGUAGE. Immigrants learned the language as best they could but their children spoke it like the natives they were. This doesn't mean they forgot their culture or where they came from but they came here because they wanted to be here (except the slaves of course, but that's another situation) and they wanted to BE Americans. The current wave of immigrants seems to think we owe them something. They are here because they want to take not give or belong. They have no interest in becoming an American and they don’t want their children to be Americans either and the evidence of that is that they refuse to assimilate. They insist that their children be educated in the native language of their parents rather than the language of the United States of America. My husband’s grandmother would never have though of insisting that her children should be educated in Polish. Nor would my great grandparents have insisted that their children be educated in Gaelic. I am a great proponent of English as a second language education and I’m happy to have my government provide it for free, but I am absolutely against teaching regular school subjects in any language other than English. Children are like sponges. They absorb language much easier than adults. If the immigrants want their children to be educated in the language of the old country, let THEM pay for private schooling. When my husband and I took an assignment in Kuwait, we could have sent our daughter to a Kuwaiti school and we probably would have if we were going to be in the country more than a year. But instead WE paid to send her to an international school where the courses were taught in English but the students came from all over the world. We used to take one of our daughter’s friends with us when we went shopping if we were going to need to negotiate. Lana, who was 8, spoke Arabic, French, and English and was a Lebanese refugee. So, no we didn’t assimilate but we also didn’t expect the locals to cater to us either.

So far millions have had no compunction against breaking immigration laws to sneak across our borders and I am fed up that my government not only allows it but encourages it. Corporate America has convinced our Congress that there are labor shortages because there are jobs that Americans won’t do and so they need a continuing supply of cheap foreign labor despite the high rates of unemployment in many areas. Of course the problem is that Americans cannot afford to work for the wages the companies want to pay. Where I live in Fairfield County in Connecticut, the minimum income required to keep body and soul together is three times the minimum wage! Americans cannot afford to work for minimum wage or less unless they are willing to sleep in an alley. They cannot even afford a roach infested slum. So, the companies that pay minimum wage, the burger chains, the landscaping companies, the builders, the cleaning companies, etc. simply look the other way and hire illegal aliens. You can’t “get it your way” any more unless you speak Spanish. The reason that illegal aliens can afford to live on minimum wage when Americans can’t is because they are willing to live 12 to a room and send every penny they can home. Mexico’s largest source of income is remittances sent by Mexican citizens working in the US.

Corporate America is being penny wise and pound foolish. By driving Americans out of the job market, they are loosing the very consumer base they rely on. The cheap foreign laborers both legal and illegal are not spending their money here. They are sending it home. It is being entirely removed from the American economy. If things keep up at this rate, I would bet that by the end of this century, Americans will be doing everything they can to emigrate to some other country.

The labor shortages become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Our politicians get on their soapboxes and say get more education! Education is the key to keeping high tech jobs here. Well, guess what, how many kids are going to be stupid enough to aspire to grow up to be programmers or engineers or accountants or even some medical specialties when all those jobs are being outsourced as fast as corporations can do it? And when they can’t outsource, they import cheap foreign labor and force their existing employees to train their replacements.

 

[jsanders]

Thank you for joining us Pat.

 

[jsanders]

I see this thread is not for the faint at heart.

 

[Rich]

It's only open to Americans though, isn't it?

 

[jsanders]

It's only open to Americans though, isn't it?

Blast Away.

 

[pono1]

It's only open to Americans though, isn't it?

Except for Native Americans -- where the rule runs in reverse. Wasn't there a massive thread on this a few months ago?

 

[statsman]

There is a conspiracy of sorts afoot in the good ole U.S. There are a large number of people who feel that the US should be bilingual (English/Spanish). Almost everyone agrees it will take a consitutional amendment to bring this about. Why don't these people work in this area and give the general public a chance to express their views through their state legislatures. Instead they bring test cases in the courts.
Democracy, what an interesting concept.
By the way, I can see an amendment passing in CA, FL, TX, NM, AZ and NY. Possibly in CTand PA but you'll also need places like DL, WY, KS, and AK. Not a chance.

 

[Len Boorman]

Speaking for myself and not necessarily the rest of the UK (I am not yet President) I find the current culture of Political Correctness totally appalling.

This morning I heard on the radio that someone has asked that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs should be renamed Snow White and the Seven Small People or something.

maybe a small point but clearly illustrates the intellect of some people.

This country Great Britain comprises England Ireland Scotland and Wales. All have their own culture and language in their own right with the National Language being English. I see no objection to road signs in Gaelic in Wales, that's part of their culture and therefore part of the culture of the UK

If you want to come to this country the be prepared to adopt the language and culture. No need to give up your own but do not expect this country to change to suit you.

Bit of a rant sorry but I like lots of people I believe are fed up with our culture, language etc being interfered to suit basically non UK persons.

If you decide to live in another country then show some respect for that country and do not expect or attempt to change to suit you.

Ranting again

Len

 

[Brianwarnock]

From Len Boorman

I see no objection to road signs in Gaelic in Wales

Have you tried finding your way round strange towns in Wales? It's a nightmare with their bilingual signs, just have the one language and if that's Gaelic so be it I'll learn to read what's nescessary.

I agree with the rest of your post it annoys the hell out of me to go to Spain anf finding expats trying to set up a little England, I don't go there for roast beef and warm beer.

brian

 

[Pauldohert]

Gaelic in Wales?

 

[Len Boorman]

Have you tried finding your way round strange towns in Wales?

brian

Try to keep to the not so strange towns myself, but everybody to his own I say



L

 

[Len Boorman]

Gaelic in Wales?

If that is what you want ???.

Myself I have had a sheltered upbringing



L

 

[Rich]

This morning I heard on the radio that someone has asked that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs should be renamed Snow White and the Seven Small People or something.

Len

It's a gross violation of their human rights under the EU constitution; it's also now illegal to coo coo babies for the same reason and it won't be long before differentiation of the sexes will be banned!


......................without prejudice....................................................
Disclaimer, nothing in this post is intended to be offensive to other strange cultures around the world, it has been thoroughly scanned to remove any thing that could possibly be misconstrued as xenophobic or anti- strange culture, and it may not be cited in evidence in any resultant dispute

 

[Brianwarnock]

Gaelic in Wales?

Len probably meant Celtic, Both Gaelic (Scots,Irish or Manx) and Welsh, Cornish and Breton are Celtic Languages, the Gaelic from the Q group and the latter 3 from the P group and never the twain shall meet.

Brian

 

[Ron_dK]

Celtic, Both Gaelic (Scots,Irish or Manx) and Welsh, Cornish and Breton are Celtic......

I thought these are whisky's


BTW :
Happy Birthday Brian

 

[Friday]

I thought these are whisky's

Isn't one of those a chicken?

 

[Brianwarnock]

Thanks for the best wishes Rak , but only the first is a whisky the second is a whiskey then in order a cat , a ???, a pastie and a beret

despite wesh ancestory I cannot think what else Wales is noted for

Brian

 

[Brianwarnock]

Isn't one of those a chicken?

enlighten me please

brian