I just can't keep silent on this issue any longer. It just burns my keester that our government has decided to award citizenship to illegal immigrants. So basically we can assume that we now reward basically felonius behavior?
I consider this act to be a slap in the face to all those who have gone before us to set down the foundation of this wonderful country. Let me make this perfectly clear before we get into some sort of confrontation. I AM NOT AGAINST LEGAL IMMIGRATION IN THIS COUNTRY. God knows my grandparents and great-grandparents immigrated to this country in the beginning of the 20th Century from Italy. What I take offense to is the word ILLEGAL. For the record that means that it's against the law.
Most of us have overseas ancestry. In other words our ancestors came from somewhere else other than America. They had to leave everything they knew behind and forge a new life in a strange country. They busted their butts to make a living, learn a new language and set down roots. They also did ALL of this legally. NO ONE GAVE THEM ANYTHING FOR FREE. That includes medical coverage, food and lodging. They earned it all by hard work. They also worked hard to earn their citizenship and took the tests that preceeded it.
Yet our government, which has been fully aware for a very long time that there were illegals here and did bupkis to stop it and/or send back the offenders, has decided that the problem is too big at this point and is going to award these offenders citizenship to MY country. If the immigrants had done all this LEGALLY then I would wish them luck as they have a right as so many before them to live the American Dream...as long as they don't expect a free ride. But to not only give them a free ride now that they're here, we are also awarding them free citizenship which to me is a slap in the face not only to us now, but to all our ancestors that went before us and to the thousands of veterans of all the wars we fought in this country for the right to keep this land free and democratic (many of which died doing so) and last but not least to the thousands who died on 9/11 our legislators just more or less pissed on these people and told them in actions that are loud enough for a deaf person to hear. Basically we just said "Screw you...here ya go...we will give the illegals what others had to earn."
I am disgusted with this turn of events. The US Government just pissed on my father who was wounded in the European Theater during WWII and wound up disabled for the rest of his life. That man also fought at Normandy Beach on D Day and the very government that he fought for just sold this government and everything it stands for down the river. The government just pissed on my grandparents and great-grandparents who left everything behind in Italy to relocate to this country and busted their butts to earn their citizenship LEGALLY.
I doubt that I am the only person who sees what is happening in this country. Very slowly but surely the middle class in this country is being destroyed. Very large amounts of people are filing bankruptcy even when holding 2 jobs sometimes 3. Married couples with 4-6 jobs between them can no longer make ends meet. Due to the rising cost of gasoline everyday it is costing farmers and manufacturers to raise prices to the point of doubling. The only thing not going up is our salaries. This is forcing people to rely more and more on credit cards putting them further into debt. We are facing $4-$5 a gallon for gas here soon.
People-we've fought wars for less than this. Why in God's name are we putting up with this? Our government is basically pissing on us in so many ways and we are sitting here and putting up with it. And YES I love this country. It is because I love this country that I have the right as a citizen of this country to speak up. It isn't the country that I have a problem with. It's our legislators thumbing their noses at us and at our country and bending the rules to suit themselves. And it is the complacency of us that I have a problem with. We have sat here for the last 30 or so years and let the government whittle away at our rights and we do nothing.
I for one am going to be writing my local legislators and such and complain. If for nothing else to ease my own conscience. It may or may not get a response. But at least I am going to do something. I am disgusted with what is going on in this country. Soon it will be the very rich vs the very poor with no middle class. A Social Darwinism if you will. Us against them. Most of the middle class is slowly joining the very poor. Speak up as more voices are better heard than just one.
But hey, this is just my opinion. 
Copy & paste to friend: (Click inside box; Ctrl + C to copy; Ctrl + V to paste)
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read more blogs!
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TallBlonde1
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May 20 @ 12:40PM
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I agree with you 100%  We should not reward people who are here illegally, we should deport them. It's not fair to the rest of the people all around the world waiting to get here legally. Just because you're closer doesn't give you a free pass to break the law.
Why aren't more people speaking up? Well it's been pounded into their heads for the last 4 years it's unpatriotic to disagree with the idiot running the country. It's a large scale, incredibly transparent form of brain-washing, but sadly in some cases it's worked.
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pinkntastey
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May 20 @ 12:56PM
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And a damn good opinion it is. A friend of mine who was born in germany to american parents who were serving at the time had to go through the same thing than any other alien had to go through to get there citizenship. On the day she and others were to take there tests and repeat the oaths, she was the only one there that could actually repeat what they were saying, She was the only one there that knew anything about our history. At the end, the government gave each alien a big envelope which contained Money, Food stamps. medical care cards,and a place to live. They all got one but her. she asked where hers was, They told her she didn't get one. She asked why not because she had to go through everything the other had to do. They told her because she was white and was considered an american. To me, that is a little double standard, She shouldn't have had to go through all that shit, but was forced to in order to gain her citizenship. so your opinion is a valid one, and a damn good one.
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carold
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May 20 @ 1:10PM
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pinkntastey you're kidding me...she was white and considered an American. Does this mean that anyone who isn't white isn't an American? That's disgusting. While I AM white, I consider that comment to be an affront to every American who isn't, and it's spitting at our country where all men are created equal. Or allegedly are.
NO ONE should be given food stamps or anything else without having a damned good need for them and they MUST meet the qualifications to receive them. Becoming a citizen does not meet that. WIC and food stamps were created to assist people thru hard times not become a way of life, as it seems it has over the past few decades.
And speaking of "non-white" Americans...that would mean Native Americans, who obviously were here to tie up the boats when the rest of us arrived (which I am sure they are sorry now that they did) are not real Americans.
Honestly just when I think this government can't get anymore "bass-akwards" I hear something like what you just said.
I know my nose is clean...I NEVER voted for George Sr, George Jr, or that other idiot Bush Jebbie when I lived in FL. Sr and Babs are poster children for birth control. I don't trust any of them. But then I really don't trust any politician. They are living proof that prostitutes have children. This was one of my grandfather's favorite expressions, and since he was born in 1890 seems politicians haven't changed too much in over 100 years.
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sparechange64
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May 20 @ 1:12PM
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http://www.congressandimmigration.com/senate_and_house_votes_on_illegal_Immigration.htm
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/vote_menu_110_1.htm
Educate youselves
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TallBlonde1
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May 20 @ 1:37PM
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Since I aimed by barb at the dictator, I mean, man in charge, I went to the White House's own website:
This proposal is not amnesty because illegal workers must acknowledge that they broke the law, pay a $1,000 fine, and undergo criminal background checks to obtain a Z visa granting temporary legal status.
A $1000 fine to be paid by the poor. Sounds more like a $1000 bribe to be let in for being here.
Here's where it falls apart:
To apply for a green card at a date years into the future, Z visa workers must wait in line behind those who applied lawfully, pay an additional $4,000 fine, complete accelerated English requirements, leave the U.S. and file their application in their home country, and demonstrate merit based on the skills and attributes they will bring to the United States.
Ok, be realistic here. How many people do you think are going to step up and pay these fines and be willing to leave after they struggled so hard to get here? It's much easier to stay illegal and not do either of these things. I'm my opinion, the first one is just a bribe to stay here for breaking the law,(and it is amnesty in that sense) and the 2nd just isn't going to happen. It's not a realistic propsal.
My source:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/immigration/
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sparechange64
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May 20 @ 2:04PM
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tall .... this legislation is proposed by representatives .... not bush, although he has made many statements reguarding this .... look at the links I posted to see how they vote on such issues
you see .... IT'S important to understand, that this piece of legislation attempts to get the illegals to willingly get DOCUMENTED of being here ... and if they fail to pay the 5 grand, know english, leave and come back with a visa and get into the back of the line - they will be deported .... where as now, we don't even know where they are at since the budget for tracking and deporting illegals is insignificant
not that I necessarily agree ...... but do understand what is attempted to be accomplished ...
... already we allow 450000 or therabouts of immigrants from mexico, while they only allow 3000, though their population is only 1/3 of ours
one point is to erect the fence to stop the bleeding, then look at the issues within the walls .... but even though the bill has passed - "CERTAIN" individuals are hanging onto the checks
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sparechange64
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May 20 @ 2:07PM
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two more things ...
the "dictator" as you call him can do nothing without the congress - think about it
if one looks at the historical voting record ... democrats have been against immigration reform ... HEY, don't take my word for it, look at the bills
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Mission_Impossible139
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May 20 @ 2:38PM
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It's a global economy now. No longer can an American citizen think they'll be able to have a job with no skills, no education and compete with China, India or any other group of people who will work for much less. Isn't that the capitalist way? Supply and demand? You need an education, you need skills that others don't have and in otherwords, you need to offer something that can't be outsourced to other parts of the world. That's what's going on in America.
You obviously don't know how the INS makes it almost impossible to come into the US legally. If the rules were different, you would see most of the illegals become legal. You just don't have a clue about how America forces immigrants to be illegal. In the congress, as we speak, it appears there are laws being worked on by BOTH sides that will change the illegal landscape. But, the real solution, the only solution is to make sure our neighbors become strong finanacially, socially and can be successful as nations rather than what they are today.
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KiddBilly
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May 20 @ 2:40PM
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It's refreshing to see there are others that agree with me! I'm curious though. They think the job is too big to handle now, (plus the ever-greedy bastards are just hoping these illegals pay up to line the coffers), but we have these immigration rallies where thousands show up in one place. Wouldn't it be easy to just round them all up where they meet, like laying D-Con in a mouse hole? I know not everyone that goes to these are illegals, but you can be damn sure there are plenty there. One fell swoop, all around the country, you start loading them into 53 footers and ship them Fed Ex right back where they came from!
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TallBlonde1
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May 20 @ 2:47PM
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Spare, I absolutely understand what it intends to do. What I'm saying is that it's not realistic, and it won't work. It would be like asking the gun owners to hand over all unregistered weapons, pay a fine, and then in a few years they either make you pay a larger fine since now they know you have it, or hand it over to them. It's not going to happen.
I did look at 2 of the 3 the links you put up, but those state who voted, I was talking about the president.
And I'm not even going to get into the joke of an immigration system Mexico has. If more people were educated on how they treat illegal immigrants there maybe they'd be less sympathetic...but that's not the topic.
I understand the president didn't write it. When I said disagree, I mean that when he supports a bill he is representing it - he is the person the people are supposed to look to for what to do, right? If you disagree with this proposal, you are disagreeing with him and it's not acceptable to do that in some circles. It's kind of like spreading the blame out for the Iraqi war, by saying congress voted for it that somehow takes the responsibility for it off of Bush's shoulders. I think not, as the man in charge, he is ultimately responsible for the actions of this country as long as he sits in that office.
If he were against this proposal you and I wouldn't be having this discussion, I think.
(And now I actually have a date  so I won't be able to continue this debate with you right now-email me pls if you want to continue to talk later)
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conny90045
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May 20 @ 2:52PM
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Great Blog!!! What is this world coming to 
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blkfoot1954
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May 20 @ 3:03PM
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I so agree with you Carol...I could not believe that they would let all these people stay here with out having to go through what all the rest have had to go through..IT is a slap in the face to any who have had to go through the process of becoming a citizen of our country..What in the world will they think of next...They going to give them all money to start their own businesses also and take more away from the rest of us? 
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Kentuck
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May 20 @ 3:17PM
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First let me say a very good Blog and subject.
Some people will agree and other will not.
This problem starte 60 some years ago. During World War 2, Mexicons were brought into this country by the thousdands to work the Steel mills and other work that the young men of America would have been doing--instead they went off to war. As with any government program, Congress and the President did not have an end policy. Let just call them the big f*** UPS.
Small business and the wealthy did nothing to help end this problem. The upper middle class now has a CHEAP POOL BOY, GRARNER, DRIVER, MAID OR WHAT EVER LOW PAID SERVERENT.
has any one ever Read books by John Stienbeck " grapes of Wraph"" "' the red Poney, ""East of Eden"". You should do this and it will explain some things.
But the big thing is that these people do the shitty yes the shitty work that o Born American would do. We have vast copany farms---product is harvested by hand by Mexicans. In your resturant the dish waser is automatic but the shit scraper and the one to carry out the garabage is Mexican. Most of your fast food resturant kitchen help is Mexican.
Send them back across the border and the US ecomic what that is left here-will come to a hault---no more shit movers.
Yes this is a problem brought on by our federal government by turning their head so the Rich can get Richer.
Now if this plan goes through--all these people that ire these people will have to charge you ore for their service. Yep a 4.00 dollar hamburger will go to 5.00 bucks.
to solve the problem--elimate the source of the problem. Set up employment places in Mexico city, Tampico, and Teewana to hire legal Immigrants. No jobs , no money, no well fair, will insure a return to Mexico.
The Muslum countries of the Mid-east do that--they do not have this problem.
Maybe --get the to take Mexicans instead of Orientials.
that is the problem. Just look to Washington or the f*** ups.
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carold
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May 20 @ 6:06PM
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To everyone who read this blog and to those who commented...thank you. We should all continue this discussion whether we are pro or con. That is what this country is all about. Take an active part in it instead of being so passive. Being passive is why things are happening the way they are.
I am living in an area right now (North Carolina Piedmont Triad) that is primarily industrial and agricultural. The primary exports here were furniture, textiles and tobacco. With tobacco reform, the farms are pretty much non-existent. I am not a smoker and the no smoking rules didn't bother me that much other than Uncle Sam telling others what they can or cannot do...but that one I was okay with until I forgot about the ripple effect that it caused in society. With the closing of the farms, came the closing of the paper factories. This put more people out of work. With the closing of the factories, it hits each outlying business that comes in contact with the one before it.
Furniture (i.e. Broyhill and Thomasville) and textiles (Lexington Home Brands, Liz Claiborne etc) all outsourced their work overseas mostly to China and Mexico. (Mexico got me thinking...we give them the work and we accept their illegals...hmmm) With the closing of these business came again the ripple effect and more people out of work. High Point NC is where one of the furniture markets is held every year. More and more of the businesses are closing. Other new market is now in Vegas. More to do, taking less and less away from here. Mom and Pop furniture stores in business 50+ years now closing their doors. More and more laid off. Davidson County NC has the HIGHEST unemployment rate in the state and as of a few weeks back the state was 5th in the nation. Makes me wonder about the other 4.
This area is a ghost town. Many out of work. For Sale signs on cars, trucks, houses all over because people can't work. Industrial and agricultural is all they have known since the area was settled. Those graduating college here are either migrating to other areas or from other states to begin with. Now the meat of this tirade of mine...the majority of jobs held though are held by recent immigrants. Restaurants seem to hire only Hispanics. Because the majority are illegal they work well below minimum wage, although most restaurant workers work mostly for tips. Some hispanics here hold 3+ jobs. Sounds industrious. And it is if you think about it...but to the person who commented about getting them all together and rounding them up...that would be too easy. I know that sounds sarcastic and it's meant to be.
A year back hispanics in this country held a boycott in May about the US policy on immigration. As I stated before I am NOT against immigration if it's legal. And yes the US does make it hard for immigrants to be legal. It's supposed to be. Otherwise let's just get boats, planes and trains together and just give everyone free passage, lodging, medical and such just for coming here. I'm glad the immigration department or INS makes it hard for them to get in here.
I was denied a job in Miami once because I wasn't completely bilingual. This is MY country, yet I had to be completely bilingual in order to work there. However, go to Miami especially Hialeah and find out how many people there are bilingual. Not too damned many. I am all for education and I believe in this country our children and ourselves for that matter are at a disadvantage not being as educated as others in other countries. However, the majority of the Cubans in Miami are not bilingual and speak ONLY Spanish. And they had the jobs. I however was turned away for that reason.
Here in NC the majority of hispanics come into the store and cannot speak English. They bring in their children to translate for them. Yet they are holding down 2+ jobs and whip out $100 bills like water. Yes, I am happy for them in that they have those $100 bills...and maybe coveting them a bit myself. But with that boycott, well it hit a sour note with me. We here are not upset by the immigration itself. It's what this country was built on. It's the ILLEGALS getting free stuff. Ok? Who's footing the bill for the free stuff? Them? No, us. We are. We're paying for it. Taxpayers. It took me 2 years to find a perm job in this state and I got laid off and spent 6 months on unemployment trying to find something. And I got stuck paying state tax to boot. Wound up working at Wally World. Yet I am expected to pay for their free stuff and they are pissing on this government and the government is pissing on us? Let me think about that a moment...NO...did I take too long?
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azgirl701
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May 20 @ 7:30PM
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this hole thing just sucks
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sparechange64
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May 21 @ 1:19AM
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ok ... agreed
If someone thinks we are NOT letting enough people in
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/statistics/publications/IS-4496_LPRFlowReport_04vaccessible.pdf
IT should astonish you ... twice as many people immigrate to the US than any other country ... add up all hispanics, latinos = 396k last year
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carold
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May 21 @ 6:50AM
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Heard an old joke the other day that has more merit than any other time...This is America, speak learn to speak Spanish like everyone else.
As I said before I have no problem with immigration as long as it's legal, however we are now into this situation where many that are immigrating are getting food stamps, housing, education and vehicles the moment they walk into the country. And the tax payers/legal citizens are paying for it. Our salaries haven't budged in quite some times. Most companies are telling us no raises. Yet the cost of living is out of site. Milk is going to double by summer according to financial experts. Farmers are paying too much to get things to market. So the cost is being absorbed by us. You can't give most houses away anymore because people have no money left over to purchase one. And if you had a few bucks you couldn't afford to purchase a one room shack for $1 million. And that used to be a joke...not anymore.
The land is full people. Yet they continue to knock down whatever trees are left to develop and build. We have no choice, well we do, but it isn't the capitalist way. And yeah I know it sounds like I am getting off track.
We may have to close our doors soon and hang up a sign...America full, move on to the next country. We may also have to be like China and only allow one child per couple. Sounds drastic, but we're full here.
And what's sad is this is only going to get worse. That part scares me. That movie "The Day After Tomorrow" may be coming true after all.
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Mission_Impossible139
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May 21 @ 7:59AM
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I was denied a job in Miami once because I wasn't completely bilingual. This is MY country, yet I had to be completely bilingual in order to work there. However, go to Miami especially Hialeah and find out how many people there are bilingual. Not too damned many. I am all for education and I believe in this country our children and ourselves for that matter are at a disadvantage not being as educated as others in other countries. However, the majority of the Cubans in Miami are not bilingual and speak ONLY Spanish. And they had the jobs. I however was turned away for that reason.
Why are you complaining about the Cubans? They are here legally. It would seem obvious to me that if you were working in a Cuban area of Miami, you would be required to speak Spanish or their business would be taken elsewhere. The answer to that question is to lift the stupid laws against Cuba, allow free travel and investment there, set a good example and you'd have a lot of Cubans returning.
Your perception of what is going on in America is so flawed, I don't have the time nor energy to comment on all of it. First, most Spanish speaking illegals or legals, know that if they learn Spanish, they'll be much more successful in business. You don't just cross the border and instantly chose what language you're going to speak. Do you know any languages fluently besides English? If you do, then you'd know how much work it is to learn one. Spanish speakers ARE learning but give them time. You also don't have a clue about the reality of the INS laws. They make it practically impossible to even obtain a visitors visa. Because the rules are so over the line strict, hardly anyone comes across legal. I could go on and on showing you how wrong you are but I don't have the time or interest.
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Mission_Impossible139
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May 21 @ 8:00AM
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Mistake above...if they learn "ENGLISH" they'll be much more successful.
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sparechange64
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May 21 @ 1:51PM
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I feel your pain, I too was passed on a job for that purpose - and although I do speak several languages, not that particular one (german)...
quoting "I could go on and on showing you how wrong you are but I don't have the time or interest."
I do not see why she is wrong ... the constitution is in English, the Declaration .... and so on, and so on .... English is the most widely spoken language in the entire world (as it is the second language of choice for mutitudes of countries - even chinese are learning it) .... when I watch public tv, read newspapers, signs, stores, and on and on ... English
we know you love mexico steve, but America is being more than fair
although I recommend everone learning another language, WHY should they be forced to here?
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carold
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May 21 @ 2:10PM
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Thanks again to everyone for stopping in and commenting. And yes I know we don't all agree. It's hard without face to face to sit and really discuss this situation. It's much more in depth than we can get into here. Besides this is a blog not a forum.
The situation I commented on regarding Cubans almost came across as a slur to all Hispanics. Not the case though. At least not what was meant. I am Italian and Spanish myself. So I could hardly speak negatively about Hispanics. I just think that the standard of having to be bilingual should apply to both sides. I had to be to achieve the offered position, then so should they. That was my comment. As for the National language situation that may have been hinted at...we have no National language in this country. Although people stay more with the British and Plymouth Rock, this country was settled by the Spanish long before Plymouth. The oldest city in the US is in Florida called St. Augustine. So if anything the national language if we had one would be Spanish. But it wound up that the majority of people years back chose English and I think it had something to do with being more established in this area allowing for education and access to law making. So the majority chose English as a matter of communication.
We got off subject here, but we're all talking. And we're all entitled to our opinions. So opinion on.
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Mission_Impossible139
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May 21 @ 3:18PM
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What you have is a large group of immigrant people both legal and illegal. Many of the illegal ones, under current legislation that appears to have legs, will soon be legal. Ok, so you have all these folks who speak Spanish. Most will want to be successful in America so will learn English. That is truth. However, in the meantime, they need insurance, they need help in other areas. So, if you are a business and want to cater to this large group of people, you hire someone who is bilingual. It's just a good business practice. Like I said before, you don't just cross the border and learn English in a few months. It takes a couple of years. It's always amazed me, of the latinos that I have known, how quickly they learn English and how quickly they go from menial jobs to their own business' or on to management positions because of their drive to succeed.
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Desert_Flower
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May 22 @ 6:32PM
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This legislation has only passed the Senate. It has not passed the House of Representatives. There is still time to write to your Representative and ask that it not be passed in the House.
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happy4tom
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Nov 5 @ 9:48AM
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Here is a web site to get after them ! it works! Help stop this madness!
http://www.numbersusa.com/user
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Kandykammy
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Nov 5 @ 10:17AM
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I agree with you. Depending on where you are from there are different standards. It is a slap in the face.
They told her because she was white and was considered an american. To me, that is a little double standard, She shouldn't have had to go through all that shit, but was forced to in order to gain her citizenship. so your opinion is a valid one, and a damn good one
That is so wrong to treat her that way. All should have to learn the language like she did.
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Kandykammy
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Nov 5 @ 10:22AM
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but we have these immigration rallies where thousands show up in one place. Wouldn't it be easy to just round them all up where they meet, like laying D-Con in a mouse hole? I know not everyone that goes to these are illegals, but you can be damn sure there are plenty there.
Now that is a good place to round them up and deport them
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Kandykammy
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Nov 5 @ 10:30AM
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Mexico got me thinking...we give them the work and we accept their illegals...hmmm) With the closing of these business came again the ripple effect and more people out of work
That is the problem right there. Did you know that the illegals can make more money in the US than they can make in the outsourcing factories in Mexico.
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