Thread: Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

Isn't it the law for kids to go to school and learn how to read? No worries though, Obama plans to expand the current system with his "no illegal immigrant left behind" bill

I believe it might be the law for children to go to school, but you can't make them learn to read any more than you can make them learn algebra, or the multiplication table.

As for Obama, things are starting to seem inevitable, huh??

[quote=ScottS;240386]*sigh* ok, you said

How can you make it a law for an immigrant to read English when it isn't the law that a natural citizen read English, or read at all for that matter?

And now you say

I believe it might be the law for children to go to school, but you can't make them learn to read any more than you can make them learn algebra, or the multiplication table.

Okay, that's true... but what's the point? You can and should make them learn to read, just like you can make them learn algebra or the multiplication table (I'm a little slow, please bear with me)

As for Obama, things are starting to seem inevitable, huh??

It certainly does seem that way. I've already promised my wife I'm going to take her shooting again somewhere before inauguration day next year

Originally Posted by ScottS

I believe it might be the law for children to go to school, but you can't make them learn to read any more than you can make them learn algebra, or the multiplication table.

As for Obama, things are starting to seem inevitable, huh??

I don't think this is the case yet. There's still a long way to go. We haven't even had the conventions.

I think the GOP will try to keep things close until the last month or so then really try to hammer away at the real prospect of having Obama as pres. Kind of the way a defensive football team keeps a game close until they've ground the opposition down and can pound out an ugly win in the fourth. Who knows though....

Jordan

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

I have a confession to make. Has anyone else received a phone call from an undesired caller before and pretended to be Indian in order to get out of the phone conversation? I do this on occasion at home when soliciters call me, but I've done it at work once or twice too. "Hang on let me connect you to our customer service department. (put caller on hold and then resume with Eastern accent) Heddo dis is Parjeeb, hah meh A hep you?" and then just string them along for the ride in circular broken-English discussions haha

that's just evil. but hilarious.

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

It certainly does seem that way. I've already promised my wife I'm going to take her shooting again somewhere before inauguration day next year

That reminds me: I need to buy a rifle while it's still easy.

I would like the language laws, not to force immigrants to learn English (who's going to enforce it anyway?), but to cut down on all the bi- tri-lingual things we have to deal with. I'm tired of being told that I need to learn Spanish because English isn't going to be spoken in my area in 10 years. I'm really tired of feeling like an outsider in my hometown because the shops, personnel, and merchandise all cater to languages I don't understand.

Originally Posted by icedog

¿Possiblé usted significó inglés?
Your signature says you are in New York City. Are you saying that is a "border city"?
I agree with you. In other countries we are expected to speak the official language of the country. However, those countries don't bill themselves as the "melting pot". Having said that, I have travelled a bit and never had any trouble Speaking English in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, Norway and Sweden. It appears the schools in many countries teach English.
If it were not for immigrants, the USA would not exist. Here there are neighborhoods that are completely non-English and that is far from limited to Spanish. There are people that are born in the USA but grow up rarely speaking English. Our major cities have Chinese, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Greek, German, Italian, Polish, Isreali and other sections that, because of heavy concentration of a given nationality can seem quite convincingly foreign.

Isaacrn from N.Y.C. does come from from a border town. It's called New Jersey

I would like to interrupt this program for the following message: Thanks Billy jeff for a great thread! And now back to the program now in progress.

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

I would like to interrupt this program for the following message: Thanks Billy jeff for a great thread! And now back to the program now in progress.

It would've been nice if his only intent was to start a good thread instead of trying to put a couple of members here on the spot!

If I am wrong Billy, PM me so that we can hash this out properly!

Originally Posted by loueedacat

I think we should insist that well off youngsters from families that have been American for generations learn to write intelligible English first. Then we can worry about the immigrants that are busting their tails to make a living here doing work no one else wants to do.

If there is an immigrant doing a job I won't do, they can stay and speak however they want.

I have, however been unemployed for 9 months.

I actually didn't get a job as a landscaper because I didn't speak Spanish.

Now you tell me again, that they should be allowed to stay!

Originally Posted by Wildtim

I actually didn't get a job as a landscaper because I didn't speak Spanish.

Perhaps you should learn some Spanish.