Thread: ALIPAC: New York Times Defends Obama

The Candidates Speak Off the Cuff, and Trouble Quickly Follows


By LARRY ROHTER
Published: July 11, 2008
New York Times

At this rate, both John McCain and Barack Obama may want to rethink their fondness for town-hall-style meetings. Both have embroiled themselves in controversies this week as a result of departing from scripted campaign speeches and speaking off the cuff.

Start with Mr. Obama. Answering a question that touched on bilingualism at one such forum in Powder Springs, Ga., on Tuesday, he said, “I agree that immigrants should learn English.â€

That policy statement also draws a contrast between China, where studying English is compulsory for all primary school students, and the United States, where less than one quarter of public elementary schools report teaching foreign languages. One remedy, the statement suggests, is President Bush’s National Security Language Initiative, parts of which Congress has approved.

Great as long as you can pick what foreign language you want to learn. So far even the elementary schools who supposidly teach a foreign language....the only one I've heard of Spanish.

[quote]“Americans have got to understand that we are paying present-day retirees with the taxes paid by young workers in America today,â€

bttt

bttt

[quote]“It’s common sense, what he said,â€

And how many languages are we suppose to learn? is one foreign language more important than another?....

You see I don't plan on leaving MY country, there for I see no need for a foreign language and I should be able to understand people who want to come to MY country so I don't feel I am in another country while in MY own.

Learning another language may or may not be beneficial for any or all. However, Mr. O decided we should learn the language of those whose majority are illegally entering our country. Had he chosen French, or Chinese, or Arabic, or Farsi, or a huge number of others, we could have understood somewhat. However, he should have let it with American children should learn another language, not just one particular language. By doing so he implies that if we wish to get along in our own country, we must learn the language of our invaders. That is why he screwed up.
Additional languages may help us, but which language should be up to each person, and if they want to learn any other. In America, we speak English.
In fact, we do NOT speak English. The English would be appalled to hear us say we speak their language.
We speak AMERICAN. A unique hybrid language of English and multiple other languages and phrases. American is NOT English, its American.
Maybe the law passed should be one that reflects the reality that we have revised the English language (Englishmen would say bastardized), to fit our own national character. So lets push for American to be our language.
The NYT reporter here also implies "town hall style meetings" could be a problem, so McCain should back off on his idea. The idea which Obama said he would go for, but now does not want to talk about. Just like many other things he would go for or do, Obama & his allies in the media, are once again trying to back-peddle away from something.
I want Town Hall Style Meetings between the candidates. They will expose the flaws in each candidate so we know just how vacuous their speeches are and how fickle their supposed policies are!

Originally Posted by SOSADFORUS

And how many languages are we suppose to learn? is one foreign language more important than another?....

A good solid point. Is mr. Obama siding with La Raza on this one? Does he want to make chinese or russian immigrants learn spanish? Sounds a bit offensive to me.

We need official English to stop discrimination and segregation in the workplace. So many restaurants go out of their way to coddle the spanish speaking staff that they cant fathom getting english speaking staff working there.

Here are some examples:
1. Kitchens typically have a radio playing spanish music, even if non-hispanics work in them. This is a definite deterrant to non-hispanics wanting to work there.
2. The restaurant hires a kitchen manager fluent in spanish, but not very good in english.
3. Kitchen staff are allowed to speak to each other in the kitchen in spanish creating a 'clic' that non-spanish speakers cant fit into based on nation of origin and/or race -- this is reinforced by the above.
4. During staff meetings kitchen staff are not allowed to participate, but instead have a separate spanish-language meeting... even though most speak english in some capacity.

All of the above effectively shut out english speakers from holding these jobs. Jobs that account for at least 1/8th of a restaurants staffing and upto 1/4 when you include bus boys and bar backs in many establishments.

Where will we stop this segregation? When is it too much to force one group of peoples to dominantly work in one area and coddle that, especially when it goes against standards of our nation.

Fixes:
1. require english at work
2. require all non-fluent staff to take english courses and pass them
3. hire managers who speak english fluently, and not a foreign language
4. do not allow ethnocentric music to be played in the kitchen. Instead use a rotating system of stations which could include each ethnicities choice, or play more standard music like a mix station or even the music patrons inside the establishment are listening to.

Right on "dragon5" so much for "they will learn English" as Obama put it....and yet we have whole Spanish speaking towns in America....we are forced to speak their language in the work place, they print ballots in Spanish...yet you can not vote if you are not a citizen, and you can not become a citizen unless you speak English...is there something wrong here?....

Yes...too many people in America think the way Obama does!