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To: tyke
Like it or not, the US is home to the 5th largest Spanish speaking community in the world and the majority of them live in states the Republicans have to win to keep the presidency in 2008. This is not the old Cuban community that can be placated by keeping the embargo on Castro in place.

If they are American citizens and can vote, they should know English. Why should the candidates depend on translators to communicate their message? We need to make English the OFFICIAL language of this country or we will be Balkanized along cultural and linguistic lines. We see what has happened in Canada.

77 posted on 12/10/2007 6:31:15 AM PST by kabar
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To: kabar

“We see what has happened in Canada.”

Off topic...but yeah...I see what has happened in Canada...they actually exploit their vast reserves of oil and gas while we ignore ours.


79 posted on 12/10/2007 6:38:46 AM PST by Sunnyflorida (Drill in the Gulf of Mexico/Anwar, etc and we can join OPEC!!!)
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To: kabar
If they are American citizens and can vote, they should know English. Why should the candidates depend on translators to communicate their message?

But that's not the issue here. It's a free country, and even if English was to become the official language, there is nothing to stop millions of Hispanic voters from preferring Spanish as their language of choice.

So the last thing a politician or party wants to do is alienate an increasingly powerful bloc of votes by telling them that unless you only use English in the electoral process (debates, polling, voting, etc) then we're not interested in your support.

Voters are consumers too, and if Republican politicians refuse to sell themselves to the Hispanic voters, then they should not be surprised if the voters don't buy from them. Holding a Spanish language debate is simply a good marketing tactic, nothing more.

103 posted on 12/10/2007 9:59:06 AM PST by tyke
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