If you could in effect walk across a line from one country to another and get free medical care, free education, food stamps, subsidized housing and a pay raise then the respect for these things and the host nation naturally falls to near zero,
Add to that, the textbooks you were given in school told you the land you now stand on belongs to you, not the host country that gave you these things and now the host country owes you these things and more.

Respect for us, culture, foundations, history and language learning doesn’t and isn’t going to exist, why should they?
Because we gave them a free ride? I don’t think so.

As a nation we have been prejudiced in favor of people who naturally have no respect for America and prejudiced against people who would have great respect for everything American this in spite of the fact that in the past that loyalty and allegiance to this country meant everything.

On a monthly basis I talk to immigrants from eastern Europe, Africa, china and Mexico. In all cases except the spanish speakers, they try.

This is my personal observation.

A 27 year old lady from a Czech Republic, a waitress at a restaurant I go to time to time, has been here for about 6 years. Very good English. I asked how she learned. She did not speak it when she came to the states and would just ask friends what some noun, adjective or verb was, one word at a time. Point at a table, table.

An adult African man who works at a deli has been her a few years, legally and sacrificed being far from family, speaks very well.

Both the Czech and African can carry on intelligent conversations of substance, surprisingly so. I find them very interesting to talk to.

I also met some Chinese immigrants, young guys and ladies, been in the states about three months. Their english was not great but they tried and really where engaged. Let’s just say we could communicate.

Now there are lots of hispanic immigrants in my area and often their english is non existent, “Kay?” This is NOT A PUT DOWN. Just my experience that spanish speakers don’t know or try to know english. One spanish speaking lady, young 18-19, supposedly graduated from high school had a really rudimentary grip on english. Her favorite group is a spanish speaking rap group from puerto rico. The Gov-inator is right. They have to listen to english.

We have two broadcast spanish TV stations (more on cable I think) and many AM spanish radio stations. I have to PRESS #1 for English a lot. Self serve credit card stations, press for english or spanish.

I am NOT begrudging the hispanic immigrant their spanish language entertainment and services. If they are there use them and enjoy them. I even watch some times. Its not necessary to understand the language since the acting or action is so over the top.

Some time I use the SAP, spanish language converter to watch english shows translated to spanish for fun, to see if I can learn some words. I go to mexican restaurants and ask how to say things in spanish. I can get by enough in spanish to go to a restaurant. They are mostly spanish only speakers with very little english. May be the cashier and 2 out of 10 waiters can speak english. They get a kick out me trying to say things in bad spanish. At least I try.

Trying to learn spanish casually also makes me appreciate how hard learning a language can be for people, including me. However I get the gut feel that spanish speakers have no desire or motivation for learning english at ALL. That is the reality to me, since I see it consistently.

Nogales said immigrants need Spanish-language media to stay informed and “function in this society.”

Okay, genius, WHICH society? If it’s the one you moved to, you have to learn the predominant language. And in the USA, like it or not, that language is English. Whether it’s fair or not is not the issue. Whether it works…. IS.

It worked for AHHH-nold, right? Duh….

“Most people I’ve spoken to walked away believing that he was trying to say that we must learn English to succeed in American society,” Olmeda said.

The governor’s office backed up Schwarzenegger’s comments.

Well if you don’t, you should. Not having to learn the host country’s’ language points back to not doing a good enough job with assimilation from the start and masses of migrants don’t speak English instead of just the newest arrivals.

As California goes so goes the nation, Hispanics by the million will demanding all US citizens speak the new official language.

“Remember, if the native Americans had all spoken one language you wouldn’t be here.”

(They don’t dare dis the Indians, first of all, thus it takes a minute or so for them to grasp the implications of defending One Language as they try to think of a counter-argument that doesn’t sound racist against the Hopis and Iroqouis and Mohicans and Souix.)

Hispanics in this country are simply speaking the Spanish that English speaking Americans are too lazy or don’t want to speak for themselves.

My collie says:

You just HAD to go and say that, didn’t you?

My collie says:

You just HAD to go and say that, didn’t you?/blockquote>

Que viva el TV en espanol!!!

Turning off the TV. Period. If willing, one can learn English, or any language, while working, driving, house- and garden-working, etc. It’s a matter of will.

My Chinese and other Asian friends’ families came here with nothing. First generation, hard time speaking. Second, all degreed, perfect English, perfect scores in school and good jobs. This is cultural with the Mexicans. They almost shun the successful ones. One of their own just wrote a book about that “Clipping their own wings“.

Only in the second grade, he already was falling behind.

His teacher, a Catholic nun, summoned his parents and gave them an ultimatum: “You either teach this boy English or go back to Mexico.”

It worked, says Ernesto Caravantes. “My parents (born in Mexico) were bilingual, and they had recognized the importance of learning English.”

It’s really sad that our media and ‘intelligentia’ are helping along to exploit this, and keep exploiting other generations, just for depencency.

I remember Kid from Brooklin’s eloquent assessment on his family’s take on both language and education, in a past thread.

Clearly, he said something else on this issue first, and this more provocative quote is somewhat taken out of context. I agree with Arnold on this one, but I would have liked to have heard the entire response.

A person who moves to another country and refuses to learn the language is a colonist, not an immigrant.

What a brilliant statement. Vintage American: straight to the point, and absolutely correct. Thank you. I will now use that argument in my own debates.

Funny, they’re not to busy working to go demonstrating and waving their Mexican flags several more weekdays a year than I have days off.

Somehow our ancestors managed to pick up the language while working. Funny how that happened.

When someone starts a comment with, “I know it’s not politically correct, but…” it usually ends up being something worth listening to.

On the same note, America is now bending over backwards to suit Islam as it did to suit Spanish. What next?

Much more difficult to learn english if you only speak Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese…we never hear how unfair it is to learn our language from Asians.

right2bright

My daughter went to school with kids from Vietnam and they all spoke perfect English, more so than those from China or South Korea. They told her the schools in Vietnam encourage them to learn English.