Dallas police chief: Dozens of tickets issued for not speaking English

Dallas News ^

[oh8eleven]

No hay problema.

[DoughtyOne]

“When you’re out on an isolated stretch of road and the car on the other side crosses the line and you go off the road and your car flips, tell me if you want the other driver to return and speak English to you, or Spanish.”

I, and I think most people, would be happy that the person came back to help.  Let me ask you, if it was your wife, daughter, son, mother, dad, sister, brother, would you want a person who could understand them when they said their leg was pinned, and the other person pulling on them was causing them excrusiating pain and more injury, but couldn't be made to understand?  What if one of these people knew that a certain course of action would kill them, but the other well meaning person couldn't be made to understand?  So you tell me, Spanish or English?

Put yourself in your own scenario. You’re flipped over, hurt, in pain, broken arms, legs, whatever. It sounds like you are trying to say that you would stop someone trying to help you (1) to assess their language skills, and then (2) would deny their help if they ended up speaking Spanish, or Swedish, or German?!?!?!?!  It's just amazing the back flips you're willing to do, to avoid reason.  Why even learn a language at all, if your logic prevails?  Communicate?  We don't need to communicate!  Good grief!

You’d be happy they came back to help.  If they can help rather than harm, fine.  That's not always the case.  And that's the issue isn't it.  Is it better to have someone there who can understand you, or someone who can't?  You're a bleeder.  You're on certain medication that makes you more likely to die in certain situations.  Not only can you not tell this person about this, they can't relay that information to the authorites who might be making the decision for a life flight or not.

I agree that there are circumstances where you want people to speak English. I don’t think your crashed car scenario is one of them.  Well, lets just talk about it then while our relatives bleed out or go into shock because someone couldn't understand they needed urgent care or even a simple blanket.

I once laid down a motorcycle on an isolated stretch of road in rural New Mexico and ended up lying in the middle of the road bleeding with broken bones. The Mexican family who came by 1/2 hour later spoke no English, but were like angels sent from heaven. They got me to a hospital. I didn’t care how they looked or sounded.  For the record, I am married to a U.S. Citizen who's parents came to this nation legally from Mexico.  I do like how she looks and sounds.  Nice try spaz...

[DoughtyOne]

Oh, you’re just being a paranoid. What’s the chances of that?

I can’t believe you even bothered to post that nonsense...

/s Five, four, three... get ready, here it comes.

[McLynnan]

We are of the same mind. I work for a hospital in the trauma center. They come in injured (probably because they couldn’t read the English traffic signs) and can’t even tell the doctor where it hurts or if they have drug allergies or how to reach their families, etc. It’s dangerous that they can’t communicate. Naturally we call for the interpreter so we can make sure their free medical care is targeted to their injuries.

Same thing here with jobs. If you are bilingual you are worth your weight in gold. My daughter is fairly fluent in Spanish and is now in pharmacy college. She’s careful to not to let her Spanish get rusty because it’s going to mean extra dollars in her paycheck when she gets out in the working world.

[McLynnan]

Now that made me laugh!

[Fiji Hill]

It amazes me when so called conservatives who supposedly believe in smaller government voice the opinion that it would be perfectly ok with them if the state were to compel residents to speak English.

It's OK with me--just as it's OK for the state to compel residents to obey traffic laws.

[fanfan]

Candor, I don’t know why American’s won’t learn from our experience.

Trudeau almost ruined Canada, and we might not have recovered if we hadn’t been situated next to the USA.

Hubby and I remarked the other day, that Trudeau and Obama share many characteristics.

One was French, socialist, arrogant, charismatic, and and inspired a cult following.

The other one isn’t French.

[Melas]

It’s worked for the last 60 years. I haven’t heard any grim tales of the dangers of illiterate drivers.

[OldDeckHand]

"How do the “drivers” read the street signs?"

Good question. Please tell me we're not issuing driver's licenses using bi-lingual tests. That would be stupid and probably dangerous.

[JoeMac]

You’re darn tootin’. I’ll never forget being on a construction site a few years back when a fully loaded AutoCar dump truck(gross vechicle wieght 40,000 pounds) rolled up and some Spanish speaking guy got out asking me in broken English(Spanglish I’d call it) where such and such aplace was. I thought to myself “Good God, who the heck gave this guy a cdl?”’ I just shook my head and walked away disgusted. Like to take odds on whether a guy like that knows what a Stop sign means?

[Melas]

I’d be interested to know where in Texas you live. Here in DFW, being bilingual isn’t worth extra-bucks, it’s just expected in the medical field. The Baylor hospital system even offers courses in Spanish in the medical setting for those who can’t speak it.

[dragnet2]

Now that made me laugh!

Yeah, I like it too.

[Mojave]

In California you can take the test in English, Armenian, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Russian or Punjabi.

Really.

[Melas]

That’s why the shapes are unique. I know to stop whether the sign says HALT, PARE, ALTO etc. I’ve driven many a mile where the signage wasn’t in English. It’s not near the hardship that some in this thread would have us believe.

[dragnet2]

Thank you. I live in Texas, aka Northern Mexico. Mexicans have taken over every facet of our lives. They flood the roads and hold up traffic because they can’t read where they’re going. They live here all their lives illegally and never make any effort to learn English. We are expected to learn Spanish or provide them with interpreters. Every retail business here has signs in both English and Spanish. Call a business and you have to “press 1 for English”. They want to be here badly enough to risk life and limb crossing the river yet once they get here they do their best to turn Texas into Mexico. It’s as if we’re the foreigners

But, but I thought Texas was apple pie America and a big time law and order conservative state?

lol....I've been there, I know exactly what your saying...

[Melas]

You can take the Texas driving test in almost any language under the sun. If DPS doesn’t have it all read printed up, they’ll provide an interpreter to give the test orally.

[DoughtyOne]

Exactly! “What, you mean it’s actually better for us if we can communicate?”

I worked in a major hospital in Southern California for 26 years, the medical community for over 35. I saw the negative impact of indigent patients on our hospital and health care industry.

Some people think the negative impact was limited to indigents. That isn’t the case. I’ve had people come in to our facility who had gold chains, gold watches, nice jewelery with expensive stones and top end clothing. Then you ask them for a minimal fee for 48 hours worth of medication, and they whip out a government card. I had one guy do this with a wad of bills in his hand that was about two inches through the middle.

We are the biggest suckers on the planet. That’s confirmed right here on this forum every time the subject comes up.

[OldDeckHand]

"In California you can take the test in English, Armenian, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Russian or Punjabi."

Another reason the great earthquake can't come quickly enough in California - sorry California. Arizona & Nevada, enjoy your new 900 miles of pristine shoreline

[DoughtyOne]

We’ve had a lot of things taking place over the last 60 years, and many of them will continue over the next 200. The question is, are they the best way to do things?

Literacy is either a good idea for everyone in our society, or it’s not a good idea for anyone in our society.

You go ahead and advocate for what you will, and I will do the same. Take care.

[deport]

Texas......... English or Spanish only.