Influx of Spanish speakers creating problems for local governments, businesses

Associated Press ^ | 8-5-02 | GENARO C. ARMAS

[Oldeconomybuyer]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The influx of Hispanics into the Midwest and South is creating a language barrier in many communities, forcing changes in how governments provide services and the way businesses attract workers and customers.

In Georgia, advocates say some Latino immigrants get substandard health care because they cannot speak English well and few hospitals have Spanish translators.

[janetgreen]

This will only get worse as President Bush continues to allow Vicente Fox to dictate our immigration policies.

[StopDemocratsDotCom]

that's BS, do you think the founders of this country spoke English when they got here?

[StopDemocratsDotCom]

I meant to say the early immigrants, the Irish, Italians, ect

[sarcasm]

Interesting - I don't find the term illegal alien in this article.

[Lockbox]

One of Bill Clinton's most outrageous "midnight" actions was his Executive Order 13166 unconstitutionally trying to make not speaking English a new civil right. He ordered all executive-branch agencies to provide all federal benefits and services in foreign languages. Four days before Clinton left office, Attorney General Janet Reno published 15 pages of "Guidance" in the Federal Register, and the other executive departments then did likewise.

by Phyllis Schlafly

[sarcasm]

Bush didn't revoke the Executive Order.

[StopDemocratsDotCom]

I think they should make English the official language and they should eliminate Bilinguial Education, but for some white guy who's ancestors did't speak English when they arrived here to complain because some immigrant who recently arrived here doesn't speak perfect English, is ridiculous.

[Shermy]

Let's see...there's presently about 6 million Americans unemployed, using the conservative counting method of our government...

[skeeter]

One need only go thru the jury selection process in a multicultural city like San Jose to see how language is becoming an increasing problem.

I recently endured the process - the final jury was made up entirely of non-immigrants even though half of the hundred or so candidates were immigrants.

Dozens begged off because they either lacked English skills of claimed to lack them.

We are headed for real trouble - there are just too many non-English speakers arriving too quickly.

[janetgreen]

BS you say? They learned the language if they wanted to make a living. Why should American taxpayers have to foot the bill to accommodate illegal aliens? It's common sense that if you plan to live in a country, you learn its language, not the other way around.

[janetgreen]

Yes, I do believe the founders spoke English. Don't you?

[spodefly]

Random thoughts:

I notice La Raza's web site is in English ... didn't see any provision to get it in espanol. http://www.nclr.org/

"Influx of Spanish speakers creating problems for local governments, businesses" -- don't worry, we can just raise taxes to pay for any increased costs.

[A. Morgan]

Around Lexington, KY in the 1790s both German and English were spoken.

[Minutemen]

Look at the stats in the article(N.Carolina explicitly). It is getting worse. We are "importing" immigrants faster than they can assimilate. The other problem is that lots of them have no want or intention of assimilating. They want you to speak their language.

[umgud]

If you live in CA and want a job working with the public (gov't or private sector), you had better be bilingual or someone who is will beat you out of that job. My youngest son is a painting contractor who has gone back to night school to learn the lingo because so many of his customers and potential customers don't speak english. Sometime in the future, the Hispanics who will run CA may be looking for english speaking people to deal with the dwindling english speaking population.

[skeeter]

I think they should make English the official language and they should eliminate Bilinguial Education, but for some white guy who's ancestors did't speak English when they arrived here to complain because some immigrant who recently arrived here doesn't speak perfect English, is ridiculous.

Is it OK for some 'white guy' to complain because their non English-speaking ancestors didn't demand their lack of English skills (thus their inability to earn a decent living) be accomodated at taxpayer expense?

[Razz Barry]

"It's like something that happened overnight here. Memphis has always been a multicultural city, but we haven't necessarily been a multilingual city," said Shelby Mallory of The Work Place, a nonprofit workforce development organization for prospective Hispanic workers.

One night I went to sleep in Dalton, Georgia, and awoke in Mexico City. It's my first time out of the United States.

[spodefly]

... but for some white guy who's ancestors did't speak English when they arrived here to complain because some immigrant who recently arrived here doesn't speak perfect English, is ridiculous.

What??? Have you read the Declaration of Independence? The Constitution? Hell, even the Mayflower Compact? In what language were they written? That's right -- ENGLISH.

Throwing in the 'white guy' comment to imply that racism has something to do with it, and showing an ignorance of history makes you sound like an 18 year old educated in Kalifornia.

[StopDemocratsDotCom]

Did I say illegal aliens? You guys just LOVE to post the word illegal right next to "hispanic". I was born in Cuba and I bet i'm more "American" than most Americans 19 year olds out there.

[Coeur de Lion]

Who cares. You come to a country illegally. And, now there's a problem because you don't speak the language. I'm just glad the problem is becoming readily apparent outside of the Southwest. In California there's a debate going on whether we should tax property owners in order to pay for emergency health care. But, everyone fails to discuss the elephant in the room. That is the illegals are not a benefit to our society but a continual drain on it; the fact it's rearing its ugly head in other states is a possible sign of hope. But it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better. That is if ever gets better.

[gunnedah]

The only people today that dont have any rights are those of us born and raised in America, the exception being a criminal.It is high time to take America back.

[Minutemen]

By the way, I see in one of your later posts that you are from Cuba.(you speak Spanish?) That is fine. I am a "gringo" I can speak Spanish too but this is the USA. Our language is "English"

[Minutemen]

Ooops! I posted this to myself (#23) I meant it for you,StopDemocratsDotCom.
By the way, I see in one of your later posts that you are from Cuba.(you speak Spanish?) That is fine. I am a "gringo" I can speak Spanish too but this is the USA. Our language is "English"

[skeeter]

I think they should make English the official language and they should eliminate Bilinguial Education, but for some white guy who's ancestors did't speak English when they arrived here to complain because some immigrant who recently arrived here doesn't speak perfect English, is ridiculous.

I sense a certain schizophrenia coming from otherwise conservative immigrant Americans on issues of this type - language, immigration policy, etc. You agree with the points made by conservatives but seem to resent those making them.

Why - do you think only certain types of Americans should be allowed to comment on such issues? If so, what types?

[StopDemocratsDotCom]

I speak English, but if I want to speak spanish at home, read spanish papers, and watch some spanish tv programs I bet I will be considered "an illegal-alien, welfare recipient, and a threat to National security" and not the American citizen, editor of of a site for American politics, and a strong pro-American conservative, by some of the rednecks on here.

[StopDemocratsDotCom]

no, not at all. I just think that many times some of the comments go over-board. This country was founded by immigrants.

[gubamyster]

". I was born in Cuba and I bet i'm more "American"

Despite you lack of using the "shift" on "i'm" it appears you came to America and realized that to get ahead you needed to learn English. Thus you are proof that assimilation is the key to success in America. Since you were able to realize & accomplish this, why do you expect less from others? For you to believe that others cannot assimilate is perpetuating the soft bigotry of low expectations.

As for our four forefathers &other immigrants to America (those “white guys”) in earlier centuries they assimilated very quickly. Many of them refused to allow themselves and their children to speak anything other than English. They did not want the stigma of being different & they knew to get ahead was to speak English. As a matter of fact, most wanted nothing to do with the old country. Most parents and grandparents upon passing through Ellis Island declared they were Americans and didn’t want to be associated with their previous country.

They did not wave the flag of Italy or Germany. They did not celebrate Italian Independence Day or German Independence Day. They did not want to be called Italian-American or German-American. They took pride in being called AMERICAN and fighting for America against their former country, some of who were recent immigrants, in WWI and WWII.

[janetgreen]

I see that you live in California too, and because of that fact you should clearly understand why people associate hispanic and illegal aliens. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure that one out. Californians are getting sick and tired of paying the bills for lawbreakers, you know that.

You shouldn't label people as "rednecks" just because they don't believe in massive illegal immigration, and that's exactly what we have here in California, and most of it is hispanic.

[Boonie Rat]

Bush didn't revoke the Executive Order.

Yeah, but he did revoke ..... uh .... he revoked ... uh.... he ...revoked...uh. Never mind.

Boonie Rat

MACV SOCOM, PhuBai/Hue '65-'66

[fogarty]

My wife is from El Salvador. She speaks fluent English because she came here and took nearly 2 years worth of classes. I likewise am fluent in Spanish, and we improving everyday because we speak both languages at home.

I have no fear of Spanish becoming more popular. Chance and change favor the prepared mind...and those who look ahead know the benefits of learning more than one language.

[fogarty]

LOL! Yeah can the Bushbots name any Clinton act he actually revoked? For that matter is there any Clinton policy Bush has decisively and emphatically killed, other than the global family planning policy ?

[StopDemocratsDotCom]

I dont want to lower expectations, it's just that some people expect legal immigrants to know the language 100% right when they set foot in this country. And to deny that the immigrants that came through Ellis Island didn't keep some of their cultures from their original countries is pure ignorance. Does pizza, french fries, pictures of New York's Italian, French, German,ect ethnic neighborhoods in the 1880's. Those people that live in this country and are "anti-immigrant" (i didn't say anti-illegal, anti-welfare, like me) are ignorant of their history, their roots, and their ancestry.

[4Freedom]

This country was founded by legal immigrants that worked for everything they got.

This country is now being destroyed by illegal immigrants that want everything handed to them on a silver platter.

We've become Handouts 'R' US.

[StopDemocratsDotCom]

I AM AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, BILINGUIAL ED, ANTI-WELFARE, I AM AGAINST ENTITLEMENTS, I THINK ENGLISH SHOULD BE THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE, I AM AN AMERICAN CITIZEN THAT BELIEVES EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW HOW TO SPEAK ENGLISH, SHOULD BECOME CITIZENS, AND SHOULD VOTE. oh wait, but I was born in Cuba, guess you should call the INS to deport me huh?

[StopDemocratsDotCom]

by the way, why are you speaking English if it's from England?, why do you eat pizza if it's from Italy?

[StopDemocratsDotCom]

The last post is for those that are arguing with me :)

[Brush_Your_Teeth]

that's BS, do you think the founders of this country spoke English when they got here?

Considering that almost every single one of them was english by birth or themselfs english I would say yes.

[StopDemocratsDotCom]

I know, i clarified my point in the post after that one

[VOA]

...do you think the founders of this country spoke English when they got here?

Not to mention all the Germans.
I can't remember but didn't the Continental Congress consider making German
the national language?

[Republic If You Can Keep It]

The nonprofit group ProEnglish says 26 states have enacted laws making English their official language. Whoa! Expect a Supreme Court ruling striking these laws down in the near future.

[willyone]

The difference was that no one told them they did not have to learn English or assimilate. That is the problem. If you lived in So.Cal. you would have a different outlook.

[gubamyster]

And to deny that the immigrants that came through Ellis Island didn't keep some of their cultures

There is a difference between keeping some of your culture and not assimilation. How many of those forms at Ellis Island do you think were in Italian, German, Irish? Now go down to the DMV and see in how many different languages you can take a driver's test. As for myself, I am not against controlled immigration. I am against illegal immigration. I am also against immigrants who do not assimilate and would have America adopt Cinco de Mayo as a holiday. And yes, I am against driving down the street and seeing more flags of another country than flags from America.

You say you do not want to lower expectations, but that is exactly what you are doing by making it easier not to assimilate.

[willyone]

You need to take a logic course. Or learn some history.

[B Knotts]

I meant to say the early immigrants, the Irish, Italians, ect

Are you suggesting the Irish spoke Irish Gaelic? You know that the Irish have been speaking primarily English for quite a while, don't you?

[Brush_Your_Teeth]

I meant to say the early immigrants, the Irish, Italians, ect

Back then my great grandfathers that came from italy started to learn it on the boat and as they lived and worked here. They made dam shure their kids learned it and infact both of them never taught their children Italian. They had a lot of pride in their new home and almost every single member of my family fought in the second world war and had no problem killing Italian troops.

[willyone]

Who are you really? What is your real point? This is not 1920. The times have changed. I find it hard to believe you are a Cuban. In fact I would say you are full of it. You just want an aggument. You sound like Dane and have probably posted under many names.

[StopDemocratsDotCom]

when people lose a debate, they start the personal attacks. It looks like you lost it pretty early buddy.

[Consort]

This will only get worse as President Bush continues to allow Vicente Fox to dictate our immigration policies.

The enemy is the Democrat Party — they are the ones who see political gain in the immigration status quo.