The Political Discussion Thread

[Pharaoh Hamenthotep]

So.. the American dream is dead The multi-cultural-everyone-is-welcome melting pot is no more

Maybe you want to divide the US into sections? Put the Spanish-speaking people into a reservation? And some "whites only" areas too while you're at it.

You seem to want to go backwards..

[Britta]

I would advise not breaking out the time machines. For one thing, it never ends well. That aside, that America never really existed in the first place.

[Pharaoh Hamenthotep]

I would advise not breaking out the time machines. For one thing, it never ends well. That aside, that America never really existed in the first place.

I know. But all this hate towards the Mexicans..

Draw a line on a map and people will fight over it forever

[Britta]

Just don't draw a line on a map in a museum, or you'll actually be fighting in court.

[Pharaoh Hamenthotep]

They'll never catch me!!

*flees*

[aretood2]

As far as government goes, since taxpayer dollars are used to provide the 2nd language services, it is my business.

But why is it wrong?

In either case, though, the fact that managment of these organizations deem it necessary to spend money to provide services in Spanish illustrates how many people are coming here and NOT bothering to learn our language.

That in itself is an assumption based on nothing. You believe that it is what it indicates absent of any actual evidence. The actual evidence shows that people are in fact learning English, period. The evidence also shows that the children of immigrants loose bits of their ability to speak and use their heritage language. Grand children begin to loose fluency, and great grandchildren only retain the most basic of phrases and vocabulary. You're worrying about nothing, about a myth.

And many of them are born in the US. Which has no official language. So.. they have as much right to use their language as you do yours.

Most hispanics born in the US to immigrants are bilingual and most of them are dominant in English and use it more often than Spanish. They're kids won't probably speak much Spanish at all (Which is the case with many 2nd generation Hispanic Americans).

[jelgate]

So.. the American dream is dead The multi-cultural-everyone-is-welcome melting pot is no more

Maybe you want to divide the US into sections? Put the Spanish-speaking people into a reservation? And some "whites only" areas too while you're at it.

You seem to want to go backwards..

That kind of already happens. Different culture form their own communities. At least in the city.

[aretood2]

That kind of already happens. Different culture form their own communities. At least in the city.

I once watched the movement patterns of Chicago. It was like Irish residents were in a dance with the German residents. One moves out of an area, the other moves in. Then new groups show up and follow the same pattern.


Edit: It was a graphic that displayed those patterns that took place over time.

[jelgate]

I would probably be a social outcast having Irish and German ancestors

[Pharaoh Hamenthotep]

I would probably be a social outcast having Irish and German ancestors

Jel can live in PH's closet

[Coco Pops]

Just don't draw a line on a map in a museum, or you'll actually be fighting in court.

Have you tried that?

I'm disappointed in the views people like Trump hold. But not surprised.

[garhkal]

I would go further. In my view, a country should have an official language, such as English for the U.S., and the government should only provide services, information, communication of any sort in the official language of the country.
No translation services, no 2nd language, no nothing. Speak and read the official language or get out.

While i can agree all official forms etc should be in the national language, i DO still see a reason for translators for court rooms in Criminal trials.. as not all criminals would be natives.. You have visitors (Holiday), those on work or student visas as well.

Making a stink about what exactly?

That cause of the DOJ, Cal is now being effectively forced to use Tax payer monies to provide Illegal immigrants (and legal residents who just never bothered to learn English) a translator for CIVIL court cases, such as the woman the article mentions, in her Divorce...

Many countries do have official languages.. I say the official language of the US should be the one spoken by the first people to live there. The same with the culture, anyone who moves there should adapt to the culture that already exists..

In which case, which of the many native American tribal tongues should we all be speaking?

The only difference now is that the white English speaking folk are being asked to share their cities with brown folks who speak different languages.. Think of the property values!!

Asked? More like being demanded..

In reality, immigrants today are learning English at the same level as immigrants throughout American history (including colonial history).

Are they? Then why is it supposedly that 7 million of those Immigrants in just one state, don't speak English at all, or DO but barely?

This is something that people don't understand. Some do, and their point is to severely curb legal immigration.

I fully support Legal Immigration. Just not illegals being here and people wanting to give them almost everything they 'demand' just to not look racist/win the Hispanic vote..

It reminds me of this incident where a hispanic mother took her son out to eat at IHOP and they were speaking to each other in Spanish only to be hassled by some hopefully senile woman for not learning English. Never-mind that the hispanic woman already knew English.

Linky for the curious.

I heard of that before. I liken it to when i was in the Navy, hearing people grumble about sailors in the US navy, on US ships chatting to one another in their home countries tongue (Phillipines for note).. And people going on about "They are on a US ship, speak bloody English!"..
IMO if you want to chat in a Foreign language to a fellow 'countryman' while off duty (like on the mess decks) go ahead. Just don't expect me to have to learn your language to get you to do stuff.

Spanish-speaking people pay taxes too... It's not fair for them if everything is in English.

And many of them are born in the US. Which has no official language. So.. they have as much right to use their language as you do yours.

While true, currently we Don't have an official language. That is why i am asking SHOULD we.. IIRC back in the 1800s/1900s, we DID require people who wanted to immigrate here to speak English, and you HAD to prove you understood it well enough to take the citizenship test.. Sometime in the 1950s onward, it seems we stopped that practice..

Most Hispanics born in the US to immigrants are bilingual and most of them are dominant in English and use it more often than Spanish. They're kids won't probably speak much Spanish at all (Which is the case with many 2nd generation Hispanic Americans).

Then why is it when i lived in MS, and traveled to Tx to look at jobs, several of the Businesses in Houston of all places, told me if i Didn't speak Spanish (just so i could speak to the workers in their own tongue NOT ENGLISH), don't bother applying.??
That to me DOES show that a lot of Hispanics here do NOT speak English even as a 2nd language..

[Annoyed]

One other thing... You can't really compare prior waves of immigration to the current one.
In prior waves, the immigrants were coming into the country legally, via legal entry points and procedures, in numbers set by the United States.

A very large percentage of the current wave is coming in illegally.

This has been a long standing issue, too. Back in the eighties, Reagan granted amnesty to the illegals in the country at that time. Part of this was also added requirements for employers to verify that job applicants were in the country legally.

That didn't work out so well, did it?

It's time to try another solution.

[Pharaoh Hamenthotep]

Have you tried that?

I'm disappointed in the views people like Trump hold. But not surprised.

He plans to build a wall to keep the Mexicans out.. Yet his "Signature Collection" is made in Mexico.. Seems he has no problem using them for cheap labour.. He just really hates the idea of getting too close to them..

Maybe it's because they might try to rescue that poor guinea pig he forces to live on his head

[Coco Pops]

He plans to build a wall to keep the Mexicans out.. Yet his "Signature Collection" is made in Mexico.. Seems he has no problem using them for cheap labour.. He just really hates the idea of getting too close to them..

Maybe it's because they might try to rescue that poor guinea pig he forces to live on his head

That poor creature having to live inside that head... Or did you mean his hair which lives in sybiosis with him? I thought his hair was the guinea pig..