http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll
55% Oppose Affirmative Action Policies for College Admissions
39% Favor Free Health Care for All Americans
60% Say U.S. Economy in Recession
68% Say Newcomers Should Adopt America's Culture and Language
President Election;
or the first time since late December 2011, Mitt Romney leads the president in a hypothetical 2012 matchup. Romney earns 45% of the vote, while the president attracts support from 43%. Romney holds a nine-point advantage among unaffiliated voters.
For the first time ever, Texas Congressman Ron Paul also leads the president. In that matchup, 43% prefer Paul and 41% Obama. Ten percent (10%) would vote for some other option, a figure that includes 17% of Republicans.
If former Senator Rick Santorum is the Republican nominee, the president leads by two, 45% to 43%. With former House Speaker Newt Gingrich as his opponent, the president enjoys a 10-point lead, 49% to 39%. Matchup results are updated daily at 9:30 a.m. Eastern (sign up for free daily e-mail update). See tracking history for Obama vs. all four Republican candidates.
I am with the 68% who say if you come to the USA please Adopt America's Culture and Language.
AntwortenLöschenAs a matter of fact - I am with the majority on all these polls except I would vote for Newt and Rick over Obama.
I suspect the % is higher than that.
AntwortenLöschenI Cr 13:8a
The other 35% answered the poll in Spanish.
AntwortenLöschenRun, Ron, run!!!!
AntwortenLöschenBtw, what is America's culture?
I don't know, but it is stored in a Petri dish in the back of the refrigerator. Frankly I don't want to touch it.
AntwortenLöschenSo if I move to America, do I have to learn how to drive my SUV to the drive-in church on Sunday morning while 'hollering' hallelujah and flipping the bird at the sons of bitches on the sidewalk?
AntwortenLöschenGo Giants!
I'm over halfway with you on this one, Randy. However - the reason Tesco here sell Polish brands in their own little isolated section, and there are Polish-run delis popping up everywhere for Polish customers selling only food familiar to the Polish, is not because the Poles refuse to integrate, or can't... it's capitalism. There's money for Tesco in that Polish section. Half the tradesmen and warehouse guys in my neighbourhood are from there. Ditto Asian food, Halal etc. There's a big mosque near me, and a very significant Muslim demographic. Also lots of non-Muslims from Sri Lanka and other places. It's good business to cater for these people.
Do I think immigrants should learn the language and customs to a greater degree, if they live and work here? Hell yeah.
I don't see the Chinese making much effort with that at all.
What is American culture (and of course this means US American and not Canadian American or Mexican America or even the Americans in the southern hemisphere; America is a continent not a country but that is an entirely different rant)? Is American culture McDoogles, or poorly copied British sitcoms, or perhaps walking around with a lousy tasting cup of Starbucks' coffee? Outside of the deteriorating qualities of Americans is the fact that if there is any American culture left; which I am beginning to doubt, it is a blend of different cultures that immigrated to the US.
AntwortenLöschenPeople tend to group together with like individuals and it is why there was an Irish community, a Polish community, a Chinese community, and so forth, in the cities where immigrates landed. This is only to be expected. People with like cultures do tend to stay together. Just because someone immigrates to another country does not mean they have to give up their culture or give up their heritage. However, as the immigrants move out and in society as a whole, culture exchanges took place.
The concern that many have over the US becoming a dual language country is very real. It is a bad idea to have half of the country speaking one language and the other half a different language and that is exactly what is happening in the US. For one, it increases the burden on the taxpayers. I saw a local example in an employment office; there were two racks of forms and flyers and pamphlets, one in English, one in Spanish and the Hispanic population here is still relatively small; I saw no other languages so if a Chinese or Japanese resident that did not speak English or Spanish came into the office they were just out of luck. The papers are not printed for free, this was just one office, multiply it times the number of counties in the state, and the number of other offices in the counties supplying public assistance such as the health department and social services, times all the states in the US and to the federal level and that is a huge amount of papers being printed taking a huge chuck of taxpayers money that could go to really doing something important. That waste does not have to happen; immigrants should learn the default language of the US, which is English at this time.
I recall a news article I read where a woman in Texas was claiming she was cheated in a real estate transaction. The article goes on to mention that the woman was a Mexican immigrant that had been living in the US for 16 years and could not read or speak English. Someone immigrates to a foreign county and does not make any effort to learn the language in 16 years? I could not see myself immigrating to a foreign country and surviving very well without learning the language to some extent.
Lotsa people been cheated in real estate transactions who spoke fluent English. I agree that if I lived in another country I would attempt to learn the language(s) of that country, although, as we age, it is more difficult (not impossible) to learn a second language, particularly to the extent that we can transact legal business in it.
AntwortenLöschenYes, pamphlets and so forth in different languages can be seen as a burden. Once again, what is the price we are willing to pay for accepting immigrants. An immigrant with a job pays income taxes, an unemployed immigrant does not.
Personally I would be happy if our English speakers could speak English, which many cannot.
Here, many government services, such as the application for a driving license (if I remember correctly), can be provided in all sorts of languages... the applicant need only state preference when they request one. Same as if they're disabled and need special allowances for that, like braille, or text-phone for the deaf. Urdu, Polish, Welsh, Hindi and other Indian languages are common. Thus, we already do have one official language, but it doesn't stop us catering for those needs.
AntwortenLöschenYou're British anyway, aren't you Kim?
Globalism in action!
AntwortenLöschen"Newcomers Should Adopt America's/England's/Japan's/Russia's Culture and Language". I wouldn't have a problem with this if it were more clearly defined. This is a Y/N question that requires a conversation, not an either/or. Are we talking about adopting the host country's culture to the exclusion of one's own? Are we talking about learning the language of the host country as well as keeping our own and teaching both to our children?
AntwortenLöschenI think we can adopt the customs/culture/language of our new country without losing our own - unless there is xenophobic pressure to do otherwise. And that would be best: to learn the host culture but not totally abandon our own. America has been enriched by many cultures and has come a long way from the days of "No Irish need apply". As Mike says, people less than fluent in English can be accommodated and apparently are in the UK. (Registering voters in the US, it was fascinating to see how many native born American English speakers could not follow directions on a form written in English.)
It makes sense to learn the language of the place you live. It doesn't make sense for the host country to resent keeping your own language as well, as is seen in America (US).
But we in the US are not alone. Until recently, in Japan, one had to take a Japanese name to become a Japanese citizen (Wiki). Russians were very racist when I was there in 1969 and still are. The story was that if an African man wanted his son to become a Capitalist and lean toward the West, he would send him to the (old) USSR for an education, for he would be treated so badly, he would reject Communism and everything Russian.
Being open to new cultures, and learning new customs and languages while keeping one's own, or elements of one's own, is highly desirable. The xenophobic wish or demand for newcomers to totally assimilate to the dominant culture and language is not.
To be fair Bennett, I don't think anybody is asking that someone who comes to live in the US drop their own culture or language. We have a long history of diverse cultures after all, and many people speak something other than English at home. There are also all sorts of organizations that promote cultural heritage.
AntwortenLöschenThe sticking point is the demand that a person comes here expecting to get services in their own language, and that the government and schools accommodate that demand. I don't believe they have that right. Public Schools do NOT teach in German, French, Japanese, Russian, Chinese, etc. Why should they be forced to teach in Spanish? Same for government forms. Either accommodate all of them - good luck, or pick one language everybody is expected to use.
Not as much, any more. It certainly was asked of the wave of immigrants who came to this country in the last century. And is asked of Latinos and middle easterners today, to one extent or another. Ethnic diversity is certainly not prized in many parts of this country.
AntwortenLöschenTeaching (older) children in Spanish, or their native language, while simultaneously teaching them in English has one advantage: they learn faster. That is one thing I can say for No Child Left Behind: when the test scores of native Spanish speakers began to impact schools, those schools started teaching in Spanish as well as English.
Makes sense. If you come here you should learn English.
AntwortenLöschenAlso, when I travel overseas if would be helpful if they could brush up on their english as well. I tried ordering a beer in Avignon France a couple years back and the guy could barely take my order. How hard is ti?
"Hey Frenchy - give me two american beers and a cheeze plate si voun plate". I even through some native language in at the end to show respect for their culture.
At least you have a sense of humor, Randy, for a white bread and mayonnaise eater.
AntwortenLöschenPersonally, I'm not ready, just yet, to be assimilated into the Borg. Minchia!
ROFLO
AntwortenLöschenNice!