Scott: Perhaps because a “vast majority” of Republicans in both the House and Senate “repudiated” Bush on “Immigration Reform”, while the Dems in Congress (and the CBC) were actually supporting Bush (on this “Amnesty”) ?

(BTW– it’s nice to see you here, Roderick… I always enjoy reading your comments at Booker Rising.)

Keep it up, Congressman Gonzalez. Us average joes have just about had enough…

I use to live in L.A. There were entire regions of L.A. where the common spoken language was Spanish. While it worked for the neighborhood stores and local area, I knew those people were trapped in their barrio by their lack of language skills. The schools were trying to allow kids to learn in their native languages in 1st and 2nd grade so that they didn’t get behind in school. Instead, many of these kids were still not proficient in English by 6th grade. Instead, they should have started them in English right away, with after school programs to help them learn English.

I don’t care if our common language is Spanish, Chinese, or Esperanto – a common language helps unify us as a nation and definitely helps immigrants rise up through society. Since English is by far the most common language used in the USA, I think we should strongly encourage new and potential citizens to learn English as fast as they can.

However, I don’t think this issue will directly hurt Democrats. If they don’t get the AMT modified, THAT will hurt them. Pocketbook issues always trump other issues.

Refusal to learn the prevalent language in the country where you live, be it America or any other country, is like asking to be a second or third class citizen. America is a nation of immigrants. In my lifetime I have known immigrants from Puerto Rico, Mexico, Italy, Germany, Russia, The Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, China, Viet Nam, Brazil, Columbia, and France. In all of these cases, those who worked hard to learn English were the people who succeeded and made a good life for themselves here (including my friends from Spanish speaking countries).

On the other hand, those who refused to learn the language did not do well. I once dated a girl whose parents came here from The Ukraine. Both of her parents absolutely refused to learn English – her father claimed they were too old to learn. Her mother never held a job outside the house and couldn’t even go shopping on her own. The only job her father could get was working in an entry level factory job on the midnight shift where he would not have to do much communicating and there was another employee who also came from The Ukraine but actually took the time and effort to learn English. Neither of her parents ever had a Driver’s License – she had to take them everwhere. They had no social life except to walk to the Ukrainian Club a few blocks from their house.

It is NOT racism to ask immigrants to learn the language in the country they move to – whether it be the USA or Japan or Outer Mongolia. It is a reasonable expectation that you learn to communicate with your fellow residents in your new home. It is NOT reasonable to emmigrate to anther country and expect your new neighbors to all learn YOUR language! That is the height of ego-centrism.

Roderick: So if Bush who is de facto leader of the Republican Party is pro-illegal immigrant how is this only an abatross around the Democrats’ neck?

And since Bush has endorse Guiliani and Guliani has Bush staffers working on his behalf can Guiliani distance himself from Bush’s stance on immigration.

And then there is McCain who worked on pushing the immigration compromise through the Senate (only to fail). But of course only the Democrats will suffer? Go figure.

?

The EEOC recently ruled that requirements that employees speak English on the job violate the 1964 Civil Rights Act. This led to action in Congress to overturn the regulations, which in turn sparked heated exchanges among the legislators, John Fund …

Can a single “Conservative” remember who is the strongest proponent of these “amnesty” proposals that they hate so much? Hint: He is the current President of the United States.

Of course, the automatic Conservative “free pass” kicks in whenever “George W. Bush” and “accountability” are used in the same sentence, doesn’t it?

Contrast that with the racist performance Rep. Charles Gonzalez. Spanish-speaking immigrants are not supposed to adapt to the US – instead, we are to adapt to them! Had I taken the position adopted by Gonzalez and demanded that everyone else that I came in contact with in Tanzania learn English just to suit me, I would have been branded a racist.

It is time to call politicians like Gonzalez what they are – race-baiting demagogues. It is to the shame of my state of Texas that this guy got elected in the first place.