Posted on 05/18/2006 8:49:28 AM PDT by poisonivy27
"to achieve such an understanding of English and such a knowledge and understanding of the history and government of the United States."
Good thing that isn't necessary to graduate from high school in the US!
How exactly is teaching in Spanish accomplishing teaching them English?
I said learning English benefits them. Are you saying learning English doesn't benefit them?
They have separate classes to learn English. In the meantime, they are taught in Spanish. I'm sure it isn't easy for them and probably leads to a lot of them dropping out. You think it's easy to learn English as a second language? I don't think it is.
It was a joke. And most high school graduates aren't too proficient in US government.
I understand that much of the problem with our immigration system stems from problems in the way our government handles it. I also understand that immigration is not the only area where vast numbers of people believe we can just blithely ignore the law. I do NOT think, however, that either of those points justifies telling Americans that they have no say in the matter.
I am not the only American who is frustrated at not being able to order things in English. I am not the only American who is upset at people being allowed to drive on our roads illegally—people who have more rights than I do, as I would be incarcerated for driving without a license.
You're not the only person here with a grievance, my friend. I sympathize with your getting hammered on these threads, but this is definitely an issue which affects quite a few of us. The feeling of being invaded by a people who don't wish to become Americans (by culture and language) is a very powerful one—and it's a feeling that's very difficult to argue in an orderly fashion. :)
If you ever feel like hammering back on me to get some stress out, just keep an eye open for the next Periodic Confederate Thread! I'd be happy to oblige my turn as a whipping post.
Warmest regards,
~dt~
When I walk into my local Wal-Mart, I can go for an hour without hearing one word of English. Rather, I hear nothing but Spanish in every direction.
I don't think that's illustrative of a people who are "willing" to learn English, frankly. It may not be this way wherever you're at, but I can promise you that the suburbs of Washington, DC feel like Mexico City.
I rather liked the road signs in Ireland. Gaelic, English, French, German. (LINKS FAREN!)
Of course with Spanish an official New Mexico language since statehood, many of the signs are in Spanish and English. (The metric didn't last too long.)
Those signs should read, " Learn English, you Illegal Alien!"
And unlike immigrants from OTHER non-English speaking countries, these classes are paid for by local taxpayers. Is it fair to Russians, Asians, Bulgarians, Greeks, and Swedes who come here to have to spend their own money to learn English, in addition to paying for other people as well? Is it "fair" for us to bend over backwards at every level to accomodate people who cut in line to get here without following any of the processes that these other groups have been forced to go through? I THINK NOT.
If they want to learn English, that's extremely admirable, and I support it wholeheartedly. Please don't construe my statements otherwise!
Where I disagree is with the notion that our government, at any level, should be forced to subsidize it (after all, "these people are here, and that isn't about to change"). This type of education is something which should be paid for by churches, charities, and other organizations that supposedly want to help Spanish-speaking people. (After all, if groups like MALDEF, ACORN, and CASA have so much money, why can't they host ESL classes themselves, rather than burdening we taxpayers with the cost?)
Mexicans driving without a license face the same consequences as any one else.
Would you like them better if they all spoke English?
This reads like a satire.
That's a tricky question. Many of the Hispanics I knew in school told me that they spoke only Spanish at home, but learned English from playmates. At ages 4-8, its easy for children to learn a language (or several). Later it's much harder. The political fights are interesting but do little to help kids (anglophone or hispanophone) learn English.
I understand what you're saying. I grew up in So. Fla. and heard Spanish everywhere. I just thought of it as a cosmopolitan city and thought it was pretty cool.
Alot more are German. We need German!
If you check the French, it won't tell either.
Not surprised. They're marching or rallying every other week here.
How can be the hardworking immigrants they keep claiming to be when they are ALWAYS off protesting?
No they don't. Most of the time, they flee the scene of the crime and are never found. Even if they are arrested for a crime, as soon as they post bail, they flee to another area, and serve no punishment for the crime committed.
Would you like them better if they all spoke English?
No, I wouldn't, as I dislike any group which blatantly ignores the law—be they Democrats, Contractors, or illegal immigrants.
Fair is fair. Either we're a nation "OF LAWS," or we are nothing at all.
Please allow me to correct myself—This statement applies to illegal immigrants at large, not to Mexicans in particular. I'm very well aware that other ethnic groups exhibit the same behavior, and know of illegal Vietnamese people who have done the same thing. I condemn the act no matter who commits it, as it does nothing but raise the insurance rates paid by the REST OF US who choose to follow the law.
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