You should speak the language of a country if you live there.

[MrBaggins]

Originally posted by Sagacious Dolphin
Should everyone on Poly be expected to speak English, or is just the lingua franca.

wouldn't that be Finnish?

[Guynemer]

Originally posted by Caligastia
Guynemer-

How are people ever going to get along if they dont learn to communicate with each other? By having spanish-only schools we would be creating mini-countries within the US. This just isolates people from each other and adds to racial tension.

My point was that it's rather asinine to say that people should be forced to learn English. That very idea is rather hideously un-American. EDIT: Forgot to add this: people will learn English if it is advantageous for them to do so. No need to force it people. In some areas (Florida, Texas, California), you can get by quite nicely with only Spanish.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Felch X
The fact that we have immigration restrictions in this country beyond they obvious (invading armies ought to be stopped at the borders), is a travesty. Anybody who wants to be American and is willing to accept our principles of freedom and democracy should be allowed in.

How are you going to know whether they accept our principles of freedom and democracy? If you are just going to let anyone in who wants to live here there are going to be a hell of a lot of people moving to the US. The INS cant even process the immigrants that are coming in now, so how are they going to manage if you just let everyone and his brother in?

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by MrBaggins


wouldn't that be Finnish?

Nope. They are all immigrants.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Guynemer


My point was that it's rather asinine to say that people should be forced to learn English. That very idea is rather hideously un-American. EDIT: Forgot to add this: people will learn English if it is advantageous for them to do so. No need to force it people. In some areas (Florida, Texas, California), you can get by quite nicely with only Spanish.

That is a problem, because it shows that there are groups of people who are so isolated from the rest of the country that they dont even speak the common language. And when this group is also of a different race than the majority you are asking for trouble. Its hard enough for people of different races to get along without separating them by language too!

If a trend like this is allowed to continue then you will eventually have these groups asking for autonomy and their own government.

Do you want the United States to exist in 500 years?

There is no need to force people to learn english, but neither should we accomodate them if they refuse to do so.

[Dauphin]

Where's Ramo and his crusade for the representation of the elderly hispanics?

[Jay Bee]

Cali, believe me, what you've posted is bull****. And I tell you from the perspective of someone who deals everyday with lots of people who only speak Spanish

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Jay Bee
Cali, believe me, what you've posted is bull****. And I tell you from the perspective of someone who deals everyday with lots of people who only speak Spanish

Im interested to know why you think its bull**** then.

[Felch]

Originally posted by Caligastia
How are you going to know whether they accept our principles of freedom and democracy? If you are just going to let anyone in who wants to live here there are going to be a hell of a lot of people moving to the US. The INS cant even process the immigrants that are coming in now, so how are they going to manage if you just let everyone and his brother in?

The vast majority of people who come to the US want to accept our principles. If the INS system were streamlined it would be much easier to process immigrants. Besides, if we allow people to enter the country freely then the INS (or whatever new administration is put in its place) to focus on processing legal immigrants. As it is, too much mony is spent trying to keep people out who only want to work hard and make a better life for themselves and their families.

In my opinion, as long as someone is not known to be a violent criminal or belligerent towards the United States or our allies, they should be allowed to enter the country. If they don't fulfill that minor obligation, they should be kept out until such time as they are not seen to be a threat to the people here.

[Jay Bee]

Cos you are assuming they refuse to learn English. Most of them don't speak English just because they have not been taught.

[MrBaggins]

Originally posted by Felch X


The vast majority of people who come to the US want to accept our principles. If the INS system were streamlined it would be much easier to process immigrants. Besides, if we allow people to enter the country freely then the INS (or whatever new administration is put in its place) to focus on processing legal immigrants. As it is, too much mony is spent trying to keep people out who only want to work hard and make a better life for themselves and their families.

In my opinion, as long as someone is not known to be a violent criminal or belligerent towards the United States or our allies, they should be allowed to enter the country. If they don't fulfill that minor obligation, they should be kept out until such time as they are not seen to be a threat to the people here.

An open-arms border with no profiling just means more florida flight students knocking down buildings.

[Kropotkin]

Originally posted by MrBaggins
An open-arms border with no profiling just means more florida flight students knocking down buildings.

Well, but at the same time that shows that the current migration-policy isn't a garantee for new citizens that accept its principles. So, all in all, that hardly seems to be a vaild point.

As a side note it might be so that principles can and possible should be changed if people no longer accepted them. principles based on some sort of natural order has been proved wrong before.

[Alex]

Originally posted by MrBaggins


An open-arms border with no profiling just means more florida flight students knocking down buildings.

I can almost hear Le Pen saying this...

[Alex prepares himself for a bombardment...]

[MrBaggins]

Originally posted by Kropotkin
Well, but at the same time that shows that the current migration-policy isn't a garantee for new citizens that accept its principles. So, all in all, that hardly seems to be a vaild point.

As a side note it might be so that principles can and possible should be changed if people no longer accepted them. principles based on some sort of natural order has been proved wrong before.

If anything that is a reason for cracking down harder. You weed out, using profiling techniques those likely to harbor unneighborly thoughts...

are you a muslim? have you ever been to a mosque? etc

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Jay Bee
Cos you are assuming they refuse to learn English. Most of them don't speak English just because they have not been taught.

Im not assuming anything except that there are groups of people in the states who cant communicate with the majority of americans. Whether its because they refuse to learn or not doesnt make much difference to the fact.