U.S. Anthem in Spanish

The vast majority of the US public being the citizens speak english. It is a minority that don't speak english and in some cases refuse to speak english because the govt caters to them.

Your wrong it does hurt. It costs money for govt docs and other such materials to put out in languages other then english. This is a way for the state and federal govts to save money.

The total annual cost for the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to provide language services is $2.2 million. (Source: U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Report to Congress: Assessment of the Total Benefits and Costs of Implementing Executive Order No. 13166: Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency, March 14, 2002)

The total cost of providing multilingual services for the Immigration and Naturalization Service would be between $114 million and $150 million annually. (Source: U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Report to Congress: Assessment of the Total Benefits and Costs on Implementing Executive Order No. 13166: Improving Access to Services for Person with Limited English Proficiency, March 14, 2002)

The City of San Francisco must spend $350,000 for each language that a document is translated into under the city's bilingual government ordinance. (Source: Janet Ng, Asian Week.com, June 2001)

79 percent of Americans, and 81 percent of first and second generation Americans favor making English the official language of the United States. Majority support for official English was recorded among every subgroup, including age, gender, race, and political affiliation. (Source: Zogby International, June 2005)

At one point in our history, the majority also approved of slavery. Majority opinion doesn't always equate with right or just.

So slavery and speaking english are the same thing?

Try another straw man...

You equated them I was just asking the question. You said we once thought slavery was a good idea and most Americans today want to make English the offical language of the US. Do you think this is a bad idea just as we think slavery is today?

I believe that there is strength-- not weakness-- in diversity and I believe that all this nonsense about immigrants is fear overblown. If it's not downright racism, it edges perilously close. America isn't the English language. Just as the ability to speak English doesn't make you a good American, the fact that you may not be fluent in English doesn't diminish your ability to be a good citizen.

It is always the first response to people such as me that we are "racists" when we talk about immigration or the English language. No one has mentioned race but you!

You are wrong if you aren't fluent in English you will not do as well as those who are. We cater the non-English speakers like we have never done before in history. If you can't understand English we will provide for you a translator and it won't cost you a thing. Well it costs the taxpayers something and that cost when multiplied isn't cheap. It would save millions of dollars if not billions over years if we changed the official language to English and it would force immigrants to learn English if they wanted to prosper. As I noted before I could careless if companies wanted to conduct their business or even cater their businesses to people who don't speak English. I'm not advocating outlawing everything but English but we should conduct govt business in English, it would benefit everyone.

We have thousands upon thousands of Vietnamese here. I don't know the percentage of how many speak English well. I do know that entire areas of many cities have business signs and street signs in Vietnamese. That tells me we have many legal residents and citizens who speak that language and probably little to no English. They are as worthy as other citizens. They have a right to speak any language they choose- -land of the free, remember? As a representative democracy, we try to protect the few from the many, the many from the few. It's an intricate balance. Why f it up over something as inconsequential as this?

Anybody in this country has the right to speak any language they want,that is correct.
And I personally,enjoy the multiple languages,because it does add to this country.

BUT,I also believe that ALL govt documents,ALL govt services,and ALL official dealings with the govt should be in english.

People are free to speak any language they choose,but why should the govt have to print ballots in 25 different languages?
Why should my tax dollars,or yours,go to printing voter registration cards in many different languages.

So,speak any language you want,but learn english to communicate with the govt.

Why is that so difficult?

It is so difficult, because, MM, your solution disenfranchises many of your fellow (equal?) citizens.

It's not difficult, and neither is the course that President Bush has set for us in Iraq. Thanks to his clear vision and resolution, we are leading the Iraqi people to the sunny uplands of freedom and democracy.

Latinos do not threaten us. They will soon learn the language and become full fledged citizens.

Many people feel threatened by the demographic rise of minority groups, says JL Nobody. That is correct. Even other minority groups, like African-Americans feel threatened by the demographic rise of minority groups but those who know American History do not feel threatened.

It is only a hundred, or at the most, a hundred and fifty years ago, when the "nativists" felt threatened by the arrival of Germans, Irish, Russian Jews, Poles, Italians, Czechs, Greeks, etc. A good deal of literature about the refuse from Europe and warnings about the "Papists" abounded. But, despite a radical shut down of the numbers of people from Europe allowed to come to the United States in the late 1920's, these "newcomers" have become the core of the USA.

There is no reason to fear the Lation migration. Some say that our country will turn into a country which has two separate nations- an English speaking one and a Spanish speaking section. I do not think this will come about. Linda Chavez has offered research which shows that the third generation Latino marries "outside" the Latino community. In fact, Chavez claims that more Latinos of the third generation are married to non-Latinos than are married to Latinos.

This replicates what has happened to other ethnic groups.

However, it is really a bad policy for Latino groups to cling so fiercely to their language and culture in public. The appearance of so many Mexican flags offended other Americans. Other groups, Irish, Germans, Italians, Poles,do indeed cling to their culture by having ethnic celebrations and, if they are of the first or second generation, using their language at home and in social groups, but they usually have not used their culture or language as a slap in the face to the host country.

The Latinos will soon become what others have become-Hypenated Americans.

Jose Garcia will marry Susan O'Connell. They will have a daughter who will be named Maria Garcia and she will marry Joseph Kowalski. The third generation child, Jose Kowalski will then be part Mexican, Irish, and Polish.

That is what America has become and will be!!!

I really don't think that President G. W. Bush will be highly involved in any aspect of immigration after Nov. 2008. That is because he will not be re-elected.

Why is this?
Why does anyone need to put the hyphen in their heritage?
I thought the goal was for everyone that comes here to become Americans,so why continue to use a hyphen?

My family first came to the US in the late 1700's,from Holland.
Should I call myself a "Dutch-American,or am I an American?

That won't matter, because by then, his vision and resolve will have lead us to victory, and the Iraqi people to peace, freedom and democracy.

I was pondering the issue of immigration and have come to this conclusion-- Thank Heaven that we were blessed with such a bold and visionary bilingual President to set us on the road to victory in Iraq!

Do you have proof that there will be victory in Iraq for the USA? I don't. If you have proof please supply the proof. I think that Iraq will have to be handled by either President McCain or President Clinton. I much prefer President Clinton since she has the moral authority to lead us out of the morass!

That won't be needed. President Bush already has a clear vision for the people of Iraq, and a sound plan which will lead us to victory.

I must have not read the plan. Do you have a link for the plan President Bush has given us?

The President is not a follower, he's a leader. He doesn't need to give us a plan, he is leading us to victory. And he's leading the Iraqis to that shining city on the hill, democracy.