Hispanic Group Criticizes Schwarzenegger - Yahoo News

[MoonAndSun]

<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=511&ncid=703&e=1&u=/ap/20030828/ap_on_el_gu/davis_recall>


snip> "The nation's oldest Hispanic civil rights group called on Arnold Schwarzenegger to step down from the advisory board of U.S. English, a group that seeks to make English the official language of the United States."


they just keep hammering poor Arnie!!!

[cprise]

1. read and kick!

.

[enki23]

2. he's on the advisory board of US English?

hope that factoid becomes well known throughout the state.

[CatWoman]

5. ENKI!!!!!!

:hi:

:D

:hi:

:D

[CO Liberal]

6. Kinda Like Fred Phelps Being on the Board of PFLAG

:-)

[toopers]

7. What's wrong with English being the official language?

I think we should make English the official language of the US!

[hang a left]

11. Excuse Me But

I did not know English was not the official language.

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. Bustamante making news in Texas.

This same article is printed in the Houston Chronicle under the heading, "Bustamante: Oil companies ripping off Californians."

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/2070021

[MoonAndSun]

4. Cruz is kicking butt!!

:dem:

[musiclawyer]

8. you know....

I also think that there is nothing wrong with declaring English the official langauge.......only if such declaration is tied to one in which all k-12 kids must be schooled in a foreign/second language. This tends to take the air out of the xenophobic, reactionary, ultra-nationalist, and bigotted balloons that often support such declarations. That's why I'd never support the former unless its tied to the latter. The Hispanic Civil Rights group should make clear the reasoning behind it's position, on penalty of creating sentiment contrary to what it wants.

[NekoChris]

9. I hate to sound..

..pig headed, but, there is no reason why English SHOULDN'T be the official language. It's taught at elementry level, I would assume that 80%+ of the nation understands it..

..I mean it's great if you were raised under another language, or if you want to know multiple languages, but I am really, really, sick of encountering people who live here who can't speak a WORD of it.

I work with guys from Bosnia who speak it, and well.

Yet I've been to a McDonalds in D.C. where the manager had to translate my orders to the girl at the register.

WTF.

[0007]

13. We're going in that third world mentality

I was in Furr's cafeteria the other day and pointed at the mashed potatoes and said , I'll have some mashed potatoes. Easy huh?
Wrong! She didn't catch on and had to call another worker, the other worker couldn't figure it out and had to call the manager. At least
in Chinese restaurants the chinese folks will learn the menu in english and can understand what you want. But don't tell 'em to have a
nice day, cuz they won't know what you mean.

[DCDemo]

14. Uh...it takes time to learn English

You can't expect an immigrant to show up, start working, and instantly know English.

Making the the national language would be a big mistake. With that precedent, when Hispanics are the majority, they can then make the official language Spanish and force everything into Spanish....would you want that?

It's a VERY big issue. My mother has worked for all of her life to help 2nd language learners learn English (and other languages), first through Bilingual Education, then through congitive teaching and learning techniques.

I can assure you that this does work, but it takes time...and you can't demand that citizens or immigrant/citizens-to-be know English from the get-go. It took you years to learn the language...you have to give that same opportunity to others as well as the resources to learn.

On a side note, I work with demographics, Census data, etc., and I know a lot about the people of the US and their behavior - more than most people do by far.

I can tell you that it is a fact, both now, and for our history, for 1st generation immigrants to not learn much if any English, but their children do, and help them get along. You will not change this behavior with an official language. You have to work with it and make the best of a human situation.

Denying people equal opportunity, especially in things governmental, because they do not know a specific language is ok if you fully fund, support, and create serious English education so that people don't have to work all day (and night often since they have low-paying jobs) and take a short course when they can, and spend 15 years getting semi-competant with English. It's reality.

Back in the 70's, Bilingual Education was a explored deeply for a very good reason - children, often Hispanics, were being taught English in school before they could go on. So a kid spent two or three years in an early grade (3,4,5, etc.) before they could go on, and when they got to be 16,17,18, they would drop out at ASTRONOMICAL rates. They did this because they were perhaps freshmen, often still in grade school, and were around kids when people their ages were doing different things with kids their ages, etc. Suffice to say, if you can get them keeping up in school AND learning English at the same time, they stay in school at much higher rates, future poverty is reduced, and more competant employees are created for the job market.

[montana_hazeleyes]

10. Arnie speaks English?

!

[dfong63]

12. LOL

[haymaker]

15. Nothing like an English-only related subject

to bring out the newbie, under the bridge crowd.

[jiacinto]

16. This will hurt him among Latinos even more

nt

[maggrwaggr]

17. let's see, can't get the Latino vote, can't get the Jewish vote ....

He's in the wrong state. Maybe he should try Idaho