Thread: Newt Gingrich on bilingual education - (it made my day)

I read this before going to bed. It felt good!


Newt Gingrich equates bilingual education with "language of living in a ghetto"

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich equated bilingual education Saturday with "the language of living in a ghetto" and mocked requirements that ballots be printed in multiple languages.

"The government should quit mandating that various documents be printed in any one of 700 languages depending on who randomly shows up" to vote, said Gingrich, who is considering seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. He made the comments in a speech to the National Federation of Republican Women.

"The American people believe English should be the official language of the government. ... We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto," Gingrich said to cheers from the crowd of more than 100.

"Citizenship requires passing a test on American history in English. If that's true, then we do not have to create ballots in any language except English," he said.

Peter Zamora, co-chair of the Washington-based Hispanic Education Coalition, which supports bilingual education, said, "The tone of his comments were very hateful. Spanish is spoken by many individuals who do not live in the ghetto."

He said research has shown "that bilingual education is the best method of teaching English to non-English speakers."

Spanish-speakers, Zamora said, know they need to learn English.

"There's no resistance to learning English, really, among immigrants, among native-born citizens," he said. "Everyone wants to learn English because it's what you need to thrive in this country."

In the past, Gingrich has supported making English the nation's official language. He's also said all American children should learn English and that other languages should be secondary in schools.

In 1995, for example, he said bilingualism poses "long-term dangers to the fabric of our nation" and that "allowing bilingualism to continue to grow is very dangerous."

Bilingual programs teach students reading, arithmetic and other basic skills in their native language so they do not fall behind while mastering English.

On voting, federal law requires districts with large populations of non-English speakers to print ballots in multiple languages.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/31/ ... index.html

Who the hell is Zamora trying to kid? Horsehocky if he thinks they want to learn "English". I see it all the time. One of my commercial accounts has one guy in the back who speaks only English, the rest I need a translator to comunicate with them, and these guys have been here for 2+ years, and they haven't made any effort to learn English.

"There's no resistance to learning English, really, among immigrants, among native-born citizens," he said. "Everyone wants to learn English because it's what you need to thrive in this country."

"The government should quit mandating that various documents be printed in any one of 700 languages depending on who randomly shows up" to vote, said Gingrich, who is considering seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.

I agree with most of what Mr Gingrich said, however we should remember that Mr Gingrich pushed NAFTA. I could never support anyone that pushed so hard on legislation that is designed to distroy working americans. I have many doubts as to the sincerity of mr Gingrich.

Our board's bilingual ed. protector posted this below. Odd little piece of news.

http://www.waukegan.org/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6805


arnisador
Starting Member 17 Posts
Posted - 03/31/2007 : 23:32:55
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Johns Hopkins Medicine
Media Relations and Corporate Communications
March 20, 2007
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT FROM MEXICO RISES TO BECOME JOHNS HOPKINS NEUROSURGEON AND LEADING STEM CELL BRAIN CANCER RESEARCHER.

One of our leading stem cell brain cancer researchers, neurosurgeon Alfredo Quinones, jumped a fence from Mexico illegally to come to the United States where he worked as a field hand. Brimming with ambition, Dr. Quinones enrolled in community college and started along a path that led to degrees from UC Berkley and Harvard Medical School, eventually gaining a position on the faculty at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Today, he's not only a leading brain surgeon but he also runs his own research lab, studying stem cells and their role in brain cancers. His work has won him countless prestigious grants including the coveted Howard Hughes Award.

In addition to these accomplishments, Dr. Quinones regularly reaches out to the Hispanic community to show young people how much one can achieve through hard work. A feature story on Dr. Quinones appeared in the winter issue of Hopkins Medicine Magazine --

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/hmn/W07/feature1.cfm


ShowMeTheMoney
Average Member 378 Posts
Posted - 03/31/2007 : 23:39:34
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Thank God he wasn't held back by being forced to languish in a bilungual education program, or he'd still be working as an unskilled laborer.

Where can we get more illegal immigrants like Mr. Q? Send back the rest.

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arnisador
Starting Member17 Posts
Posted - 03/31/2007 : 23:52:14
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quote:
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Originally posted by ShowMeTheMoney

Hmmm...I wonder, before Dr. Quinones became "legal", how many individuals, like yourself, believed he should be one of those "illegals" who should be sent back?

By the way, I bet the tutoring he provided in math and science was in Spanish. I am sure he understood that education/schooling is not just about learning English, but also, about learning academic content.



LittleLady
Average Member 473 Posts
Posted - 04/01/2007 : 00:25:59
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Well congrates to Dr. Quinones, but, I am very sure that he would have had to learn English because our universities do teach in English. Also, in order to pass your boards for medical practice, they are taken in English.

Arnisador, it seems like you are a little snippy or itching for a negative discussion on illegals. Good for Dr. Quinones, but the point of the matter here is, English, no matter which way you look at it, school is in English which no one can get around it.

Dr Q would have been successful had he stayed in mexico and not broken US laws. He is an extremely smart individual. He is one of how many millions that have broken the law? He was also one of those that received amnesty when congress promised to secure our borders and not give any more amnesty.

Just think how much he would have benefited Mexico if he had stayed there? Mexicans fleeing to the US are what are keeping Mexico down.

Keep your human capitol in Mexico, and put it to work pulling yourselves out of the dirt and grime of the ghetto. You just about made it about 14 years ago when your governments policies towards the zapatistas led them to rebel, so how's come you can't do it again?

Or have all the best of you already escaped the country with an excuse for a government comprised of criminals, con artists and flat out lying thieves.

Why don't you, as a people, try to find some honest candidates to elect?

Because they usually wind up assasinated.

Originally Posted by Hylander_1314

Because they usually wind up assasinated.

True. But a lot of blood was spilled to overthrough the British crown and create the American nation. This needs to happen in Mexico. Mexico needs a civil war--not sure if that will get past the mods, I am promoting it for Mexico, not the US of A Here we can remedy the problem through democratic action, its just an uphill battle. Either that, or the entire world needs to condemn the Mexican government, like was done with South Africa and the Eastern Bloc......But as long as our government does nothting but appease these bastards and take on all of their problems, a Mexican Civil War is the only answer for that nation.