Thread: 25 million for immigrant language courses

fedupinwaukegan ought to like this one.

http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/fisher/061220

25 million for immigrant language courses


Pete Fisher
December 20, 2006


Illinois thinks it can boost its economy by helping immigrants learn the language. To the tune of 25 million dollars, all shelled out by the taxpayer of course. The New Americans Advocacy Policy and Illinois Coalition for Immigrants and Refugee Rights believe we are short changing the economy by allowing these people to walk about without any English language skills.

25 million dollars to teach English to those who have come here without bothering to learn the language prior should be paid for by those learning the new skill, not the sweat of the tax payer. American history has shown that immigrants have not always mastered the language skills, but that never seemed to have been a barrier to prosperity until now.

Businesses have long sought to assist their workers with basic language skills because they believed it improved the quality of work and line of communications with their workers. And they paid for it. Why should Governor Blagojevich now set aside tax money to do the same thing? And can they prove that this money is going to LEGAL immigrants and not the illegal ones? Of all the immigrants here, 25%, or just under 2 million, are illegal.

With about 13% of the population of Illinois being immigrants, this is a major undertaking by the state to use my hard-earned tax money to bring in more cheap labor to replace me down the line.

They want a welcoming center for immigrants to educate these people on all the state freebies to train low-skilled immigrants in industries such as hospitality and health care. A veritable Ellis Island smack in the heart of Chicago to welcome and train low-skilled workers.

Wow. I have enough problems trying to find state funding for my daughters' college and here is 25 million dollars being recommended to be set aside to help immigrants learn the language and welcome them into the state. The last time I drove downtown, I was welcomed by one of the downtown Chicago infamous 4-hour parking meters that expire in 10 minutes. And when I sent the actual times into the courthouse and fought the ticket with data and a request for the calibration records, I was immediately refused and made to pay another 75 dollars. Had I known at the time that Illinois supports a Most favored Immigrant Treaty, I would have sent my dispute into them using broken English.

I spent 6 years in the military, yet when I moved here I had no welcoming center, nor did they pay for me to learn Midwestern English because my Texan accent made it hard for me to communicate with the locals. I have paid taxes for the past 30 years and never received so much as a city map or a free cookie for relocating to Illinois. Though the recommendation never actually says Hispanic immigrants, all anyone has to do is look at the numbers they speak of and match it with the ethnic groups in the state. The numbers strangely reflect the Hispanic population.

We have such a huge population of illegal immigrants in Illinois, to the extent that Waukegan is now jokingly called "Juankegan" and the local school taxes continue to rise as it is to be able to educate their children. And you guessed correctly — in Spanish speaking classes.

If I were a Hispanic citizen at this time, I would be highly offended for two reasons. First and foremost, it would embarrass me to no end to continually be lumped into the same mix as those who refuse to comply with our laws and customs. Secondly, since this nation began receiving immigrants, the Germans, Poles, Russians, Arabic, Jewish, Indian, and many others have never demanded we shell out dough to teach them how to speak English. Most of them refused to speak their native tongue, as did my grandparents, because as they said "You are in America now, and you WILL speak English."

They demanded of their children what immigrants now demand of our society. They bring their children into the country without language skills. They do not demand their children speak English in the home. School systems have bent over backwards to teach classes in Spanish. All at a cost to the taxpayer with an additional slap in the American citizens' face with a 25 million dollar initiative to teach them English.

If I were Hispanic, I would be furious that my race was deemed too listless or stupid to be able to do what all the other cultures have done before. If any Hispanic person out there can explain to me why they cannot do what other cultures have done over the past 2 centuries, I would love to hear the explanation. And this goes for any other immigrant outside of the Hispanic arena.

Oh yes, Governor, we do have a communication problem here in Illinois. But it has nothing to do with immigrant status. So please do not listen to the recommendations of those studies. Give me 25 million and I will teach them English myself. I can have them all sit in Grant Park on a Saturday and use a loudspeaker to tell them about all the wonderful English language. It will probably be a better way to learn than forking over some cookies and Kool-aid in a nice comfortable building.

Oh yes, Governor, we do have a communication problem here in Illinois. But it has nothing to do with immigrant status.

We citizens are all speaking English, but you politicians are listening in Stupid.

Knowing english should be a requirement before immigrants are allowed to immigrate here.

thanks for thinking of me Jean!! I had a big laugh when I read your first line. Many of us would like to tell our governor a thing or two... this really is true what many people call Waukegan (from the article).

We have such a huge population of illegal immigrants in Illinois, to the extent that Waukegan is now jokingly called "Juankegan"

Here's an editorial from our paper about this...


Strategy to integrate New Americans
(http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/news ... S1.article)

December 20, 2006


The New Americans Policy Council was formed by Gov. Blagojevich a year ago to draft the state's strategy to aid immigrants. It released a report last week that called integration "one of the most overlooked issues of governance," given the rapid growth of the country's immigrant population, the pace of the global economy and the demand for workers who are both highly skilled and low-skilled. The group identified four areas where the state can help, and then offered several recommendations to carry out each task.

First, it said we need to help adult newcomers by addressing a variety of barriers to integration. We should help them to learn English, to transfer foreign credentials so they can practice their profession here, to earn citizenship for those who are eligible, and to learn job skills necessary to advance in certain industries, such as hotels, tourism and health care.

Second, it said we should help children of immigrants meet their potential through more early childhood education and by funding a pilot program in dual-language education. That pilot would help immigrants learn English as well as perfect their native tongue, and it would also help English-speakers learn a foreign language.

Third, it said we should lift the barriers that often prevent immigrants from taking advantage of public services. A state task force already is working on ways state agencies can improve. Finally, it said we should ensure "practical, local access to state programs" by strengthening partnerships with groups that work with immigrants.

We view these ideas as sensible, and our gut is that more Illinoisans than not will also view them that way, as long as the state is helping legal newcomers and is not seen as facilitating illegal immigration. The only proposal that carries a price tag, for instance, calls for $25 million to help adults learn English. It's no doubt money well-spent, but -- particularly when the state budget is in shambles -- most state residents will want it spent on those here legally, and not on illegal immigrants who are costing us money. It will be tough for the governor and lawmakers to toe that line, but the report gives them a solid base to start.

This represents the view of Sun-Times News group newspapers in metropolitan Chicago, including the Lake County News-Sun.

Why are there so many bozos voted into office in the first place?
Good article too fedup!
Btw, I sent one of your Waukegan pics to a few Illinoians, none of whom responded. Figures eh? And yet maybe it opened their eyes some.