Thread: Rep. Calls for English-only Consumer Protection

POLITICO 44

Rep. calls for English-only consumer protection

By VICTORIA MCGRANE | 10/21/09 7:44 PM EDT

Financial reform just wandered into the culture wars.

Democrats erupted over an amendment offered by New York Republican Rep. Chris Lee Wednesday night that would bar the proposed consumer financial protection agency from mandating financial firms provide disclosures in any language other than English.

“In America we are all equal, and we should not allow ourselves to be divided by this notion that one language is better than another,â€

[quote]“You know, if you go to Europe and you’re in Germany and you only speak German, you’re considered kind of not an educated person. If you go to France and only speak French – and let me tell you, the French think very highly of their French – no, you’re really not considered that educated of a person. Why is it in America that we want to pass laws where ‘We Learn English’ and we feel somehow satisfied and somehow important?â€

Approving constituents of Rep. Lee can email him below:

http://chrislee.house.gov/index.cfm?sec ... ntree=4,58

and/or
with others express support for his actions in support of official English in the United States at:

1711 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202.225.5265
Fax: 202.225.5910

325 Essjay Road, Suite 405
Williamsville, NY 14221
Phone: 716.634.2324
Fax: 716.631.7610

1577 West Ridge Road
Greece, NY 14615
Phone: 585.663.5570
Fax: 585.663.5711

[quote="miguelina"][quote]“You know, if you go to Europe and you’re in Germany and you only speak German, you’re considered kind of not an educated person. If you go to France and only speak French – and let me tell you, the French think very highly of their French – no, you’re really not considered that educated of a person. Why is it in America that we want to pass laws where ‘We Learn English’ and we feel somehow satisfied and somehow important?â€

Look at it this way even Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez speak English. When I lived in Canada I worked with people from several South American countries and guess what? They all took English in high school for several years in order to graduate.

[quote]“This type of legislation should not be in the books, not for the United States,â€

[quote]“They certainly want our business.â€

He mocked advocates of English-only measures, suggesting it makes Americans less sophisticated than the rest of the world.

What a dufus. The rest of the world learns English because that is the language of international flight and international business, plus international everything.
But in Germany in the 1970s, I had to deal with documents only in German. In Syria and Egypt, everything was in Arabic--which luckily my friends translated for me. But wherever I went, there were those that were impressed I was trying to learn a little of their language (consult the Berlitz books) and, most importantly, they would do their best to get some English lessons from me.
The problem is that so many, especially the illegals in this country, have no reason to learn English, as we cater to them by providing tax-payer paid translators.

Most citizens of a country are very patient with people visiting their country that at least attempt to speak the language of the guest country.

It seems the majority of illegals in our country think for some reason we should not only give up our jobs, and money to them by our language and culture as well.

Illinois Democrat Rep. Luis Gutierrez is just a Hispanderer who doesn't even represent Americans.