A good idea?

[Douger]

BTW. In most countries ( that I know of) a "citizen" does not have the right to vote unless he/she/it was born there. That mistake kinda fucked up murka in my ever so humble opinion..

 

[Toronado3800]

For citizenship, English should be required. I think it's a big advantage to any foreign resident considering the linguistic skills of most Americans, but it's of minor advantage to the country.

I think much of the prejudice against Mexicans concerns the fact that they refuse to learn English. It would be to the advantage of the country if at least some of that prejudice is erased.

In a reverse situation, I have a friend who learned to speak Spanish just by living in the Bronx for several years and she just picked up on it. But the Mexicans don't seem to want to do that, although Puerto Ricans do.

Nah, adults, especially under educated adults, are just bad at learning new languages. From the time my great grand parents came over at about 20 years of age on their kids, my grandmother in particular, was their English translator.

Was funny. They lived in little ghettos where "everyone" was of the same ethnicity. You would think English was the second language there. Gang violence was terrible.

Still is funny if you visit the old neighborhood. It is full of the same Italian restaurants and folks still treat them old gang members like royalty.

Regardless though by the second generation, my grandmother's, they all spoke English fine. Just wait this out. It has all happened before and will most likely happen again as long as we welcome them into our melting pot instead of becoming some Nazi-like racists because they aren't "American" whatever that means.

 

[Toronado3800]

Well I think if we went back to treating people that don't speak the language as assholes that lack the respect to learn the language instead of the poor down trodded upon, this issue would change.

My great grandparents were not assholes as you say. Just poor bakery owners who could not afford time or money wise to learn English properly. Kids pick up languages quicker. If adults could learn languages as easily guess you could have learned Spanish for yourself and got the job.

Sorry for being so personal.

To show some personal insight, I took Spanish classes in HS & even passed some in college. Got to the point where I could honestly read a newspaper in Spanish, kinda stumble through some "are you stuck to the railroad tracks" conversations at work, but never immersed myself in it. So I only speak one language myself. I am impressed with how well many of our Hispanic customers speak English.

 

[Two Thumbs]

Well I think if we went back to treating people that don't speak the language as assholes that lack the respect to learn the language instead of the poor down trodded upon, this issue would change.

My great grandparents were not assholes as you say. Just poor bakery owners who could not afford time or money wise to learn English properly. Kids pick up languages quicker. If adults could learn languages as easily guess you could have learned Spanish for yourself and got the job.

Sorry for being so personal.

To show some personal insight, I took Spanish classes in HS & even passed some in college. Got to the point where I could honestly read a newspaper in Spanish, kinda stumble through some "are you stuck to the railroad tracks" conversations at work, but never immersed myself in it. So I only speak one language myself. I am impressed with how well many of our Hispanic customers speak English.

The Three Laws;

Take any job you can find
Work hard, you never know when you will need a reference
Learn to speak English.

These laws were taught to my Irish ancestors. They worked so well you will not find a person that can't speak English in Ireland.

I knew exactly what I was talking about.

My wifes ex-mother in law has been here about 40 years and still needs help to order off the menu at a burger joint.

People that refuse to learn are an insult to the people that came before them an did.

 

[Flopper]

For citizenship, English should be required. I think it's a big advantage to any foreign resident considering the linguistic skills of most Americans, but it's of minor advantage to the country.

I think much of the prejudice against Mexicans concerns the fact that they refuse to learn English. It would be to the advantage of the country if at least some of that prejudice is erased.

In a reverse situation, I have a friend who learned to speak Spanish just by living in the Bronx for several years and she just picked up on it. But the Mexicans don't seem to want to do that, although Puerto Ricans do.

I have a few Mexicans friends and they all have large families. As long there is someone in the family that speaks English, they can get what they need but they remain outsiders.

I agree a lot of the prejudice against Mexicans would disappear if they spoke the language. It's just human nature. What you don't understand you don't trust. I remember traveling abroad and asking directions of people on the street in English. I would get this quizzical look and shoulder shrug. My wife who speaks several language would rattle off my question in their native language and a smile of understanding would cross their face followed by directions and often a pleasant conversation. It makes all the difference in the world if you can communicate.

I think sometimes we are a bit over zealous, insisting that everyone we come in contact with speak our language. There is no real American language. We just adopted English from the British just as Mexico adopted Spanish from the Spaniards.

 

[Midnight Marauder]

Quick fix the the illegal immigration problem: Make it not take TEN YEARS and a fortune to get citizenship. Streamline the LEGAL process, get rid of 90% of the red tape, redundancies, and built in garbage. Encourage LEGAL immigration.

 

[The T]

Quick fix the the illegal immigration problem: Make it not take TEN YEARS and a fortune to get citizenship. Streamline the LEGAL process, get rid of 90% of the red tape, redundancies, and built in garbage. Encourage LEGAL immigration.

Now this I can get behind. But too make it imperative that basic English be mandatory.

 

[MaggieMae]

For citizenship, English should be required. I think it's a big advantage to any foreign resident considering the linguistic skills of most Americans, but it's of minor advantage to the country.

I think much of the prejudice against Mexicans concerns the fact that they refuse to learn English. It would be to the advantage of the country if at least some of that prejudice is erased.

In a reverse situation, I have a friend who learned to speak Spanish just by living in the Bronx for several years and she just picked up on it. But the Mexicans don't seem to want to do that, although Puerto Ricans do.

Nah, adults, especially under educated adults, are just bad at learning new languages. From the time my great grand parents came over at about 20 years of age on their kids, my grandmother in particular, was their English translator.

Was funny. They lived in little ghettos where "everyone" was of the same ethnicity. You would think English was the second language there. Gang violence was terrible.

Still is funny if you visit the old neighborhood. It is full of the same Italian restaurants and folks still treat them old gang members like royalty.

Regardless though by the second generation, my grandmother's, they all spoke English fine. Just wait this out. It has all happened before and will most likely happen again as long as we welcome them into our melting pot instead of becoming some Nazi-like racists because they aren't "American" whatever that means.

I share your optimism. And speaking of old world Italians, my brother-in-law's parents still spoke Italian (until they died), but understood English just fine. It's because they didn't converse in anything but Italian in their house, and I think that's why so many Mexicans still don't speak English. When it's not the primary language in the home or the community, there's no incentive to learn.

 

[The T]

 

[MaggieMae]

Quick fix the the illegal immigration problem: Make it not take TEN YEARS and a fortune to get citizenship. Streamline the LEGAL process, get rid of 90% of the red tape, redundancies, and built in garbage. Encourage LEGAL immigration.

That would definitely go a long way toward solving this problem that has gone on far too long.

 

[WillowTree]

Quick fix the the illegal immigration problem: Make it not take TEN YEARS and a fortune to get citizenship. Streamline the LEGAL process, get rid of 90% of the red tape, redundancies, and built in garbage. Encourage LEGAL immigration.

We encourage legal immigration now. what you're advocating is open borders aren't you?

 

[Midnight Marauder]

Quick fix the the illegal immigration problem: Make it not take TEN YEARS and a fortune to get citizenship. Streamline the LEGAL process, get rid of 90% of the red tape, redundancies, and built in garbage. Encourage LEGAL immigration.

We encourage legal immigration now. what you're advocating is open borders aren't you?

Not at all.

And we do NOT encourage legal immigration, when you consider how difficult, time-consuming and expensive it is to obtain citizenship.

 

[BolshevikHunter]

How about a clean bill of health, no felony criminal record and something close to an education be required for Legal immigrants? I don't think that's too much to ask. ~BH

 

[gekaap]

No, it is a stupid idea. Making someone speak a certain language is unconstitutional. What next, we make them wear a certain style of clothing?

If I am not mistaken, the citizenship test is in English anyway.

How is it unconstitutional for Congress to exercise its constitutional powers to make rules regarding immigration and naturalization?

 

[BolshevikHunter]

No, it is a stupid idea. Making someone speak a certain language is unconstitutional. What next, we make them wear a certain style of clothing?

If I am not mistaken, the citizenship test is in English anyway.

How is it unconstitutional for Congress to exercise its constitutional powers to make rules regarding immigration and naturalization?

~BH

 

[Cuyo]

Quick fix the the illegal immigration problem: Make it not take TEN YEARS and a fortune to get citizenship. Streamline the LEGAL process, get rid of 90% of the red tape, redundancies, and built in garbage. Encourage LEGAL immigration.

It hasn't changed because the BOGSATs don't want it to change. If they did, all they'd have to do is make mandatory jail time for hiring illegals... And enforce it... <POOF!> problem solved almost instantly.

Unfortunately it's a much deeper and more complex issue than grandstanders want to make it appear.

 

[Cuyo]

Quick fix the the illegal immigration problem: Make it not take TEN YEARS and a fortune to get citizenship. Streamline the LEGAL process, get rid of 90% of the red tape, redundancies, and built in garbage. Encourage LEGAL immigration.

We encourage legal immigration now. what you're advocating is open borders aren't you?

Not at all.

And we do NOT encourage legal immigration, when you consider how difficult, time-consuming and expensive it is to obtain citizenship.

I don't know current policy, but I once contacted an immigration lawyer at the request of a Guatemalan on my construction site who wanted to become legal. That lawyer said he would have to go back to Guatemala for 10 years before even attempting to start the process.

Things may have changed - That was during Bush's 1st term.

 

[Midnight Marauder]

Quick fix the the illegal immigration problem: Make it not take TEN YEARS and a fortune to get citizenship. Streamline the LEGAL process, get rid of 90% of the red tape, redundancies, and built in garbage. Encourage LEGAL immigration.

It hasn't changed because the BOGSATs don't want it to change. If they did, all they'd have to do is make mandatory jail time for hiring illegals... And enforce it... <POOF!> problem solved almost instantly.

Unfortunately it's a much deeper and more complex issue than grandstanders want to make it appear.

Which, you just did the same thing. Proposed a feel-good, simple solution to a much deeper and complex issue. The fact is, most illegals are hired because they provided false identification. That's not on the companies who hired them, it's on the fraudulent applicant. If the I-9 form is being filled out erroneously, that's not the companies' fault. The illegal should be jailed here, not the company who followed the law. The law does NOT require companies to verify the documents.

 

[Midnight Marauder]

We encourage legal immigration now. what you're advocating is open borders aren't you?

Not at all.

And we do NOT encourage legal immigration, when you consider how difficult, time-consuming and expensive it is to obtain citizenship.

I don't know current policy, but I once contacted an immigration lawyer at the request of a Guatemalan on my construction site who wanted to become legal. That lawyer said he would have to go back to Guatemala for 10 years before even attempting to start the process.

Things may have changed - That was during Bush's 1st term.

That has nothing at all to do with Bush. It has everything to do with bloated government red tape that has been building up over generations of congresses, Presidents, you name it.

 

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