Obama: Kids Should Learn Spanish

[Keeko]

**** this asshole. Learn Spanish? Get ****ed you Marxist piece of garbage!!


Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama lamented legislative pushes to make English the official language of the United States and said Americans should instead focus on making sure their children learn Spanish at a recent campaign stop.
?I don?t understand when people are going around worrying about, we need to have English only. They want to pass a law, we just, we want English only,? Obama told supporters in Powder Springs, Georgia on Tuesday. ?Now, I agree that immigrants should learn English, I agree with this. But understand this, instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English, they?ll learn English, you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish.?

He continued his thoughts by expressing embarrassment at Americans? language skills compared to the Europeans. ?You should be thinking about how can your child become bilingual,? he said. ?We should have every child speaking more than one language. It?s embarrassing when Europeans come over here, they all speak English, they speak French, they speak German. And then we go over to Europe and all we can say is merci beacoup, right??
As an Illinois senator, Obama voted against a measure to make English the official language of the United States in June 2007. He was one of 34 senators who voted against the measure.
At a Democratic primary debate Obama said he voted against it because ?This is the kind of question that is designed precisely to divide us,? he said. He also called the issue a ?distraction? a word he commonly uses to describe controversial issues. Obama remarked, ?When we get distracted by those kinds of questions, I think we do a disservice to the American people.?

 

[Toledo Prophet]

Just curious, if you freaked out at all on McCain when several weeks ago he said the American public is too preoccupied with non issues like having to choose a language on an ATM machine.

Seriously, though, we should learn foreign languages. And, we are terrible at it. I do sales and purcahsing for a rubber company. We have clients all over the world, and I am embarrased several times a week at just how rotten we are at communicating with our many foreign clients. Two clients in particular, one from Singapore, the other Spain. People around here flat out mock them, ignore their calls and whine because they dont speak English. Hey, but at least they're trying to communicate with us, give them a break. Oh, and they each drop about $500,000 or more per year with us. As I see it, maybe we owe it to them to speak a little Spanish and Chinese to bridge the gap.

BO is right. The whole language thing is pure and simple a wedge issue, meant to incite people. Much like the left cries over and over again about abortion rights and the right about flag burning and gay marriages.

None of those are real issues that impact our daily lives the way taxes, energy and labor issues do. Yet, we always seem to get ourselves up in lather about these wedge issues. Makes you wonder if our leaders would rather have us divided over those issues so as not to address the more pressing issues. :shrug:

 

[IntenseOperator]

How about getting kids born in America, especially Chicago, to learn to read and write English?

He seems to forget a lot about the area he is supposedly from. The public schools here are brutal. The kids, especially from the lower income areas that he says he knows so much about, can't do the basics and then just grow up and cry about not being able to get a job.

 

[Keeko]

Just curious, if you freaked out at all on McCain when several weeks ago he said the American public is too preoccupied with non issues like having to choose a language on an ATM machine.

Seriously, though, we should learn foreign languages. And, we are terrible at it. I do sales and purcahsing for a rubber company. We have clients all over the world, and I am embarrased several times a week at just how rotten we are at communicating with our many foreign clients. Two clients in particular, one from Singapore, the other Spain. People around here flat out mock them, ignore their calls and whine because they dont speak English. Hey, but at least they're trying to communicate with us, give them a break. Oh, and they each drop about $500,000 or more per year with us. As I see it, maybe we owe it to them to speak a little Spanish and Chinese to bridge the gap.

BO is right. The whole language thing is pure and simple a wedge issue, meant to incite people. Much like the left cries over and over again about abortion rights and the right about flag burning and gay marriages.

None of those are real issues that impact our daily lives the way taxes, energy and labor issues do. Yet, we always seem to get ourselves up in lather about these wedge issues. Makes you wonder if our leaders would rather have us divided over those issues so as not to address the more pressing issues. :shrug:

This is America. I speak english. Period. I have no interest in learning another language. If you think you need to learn another language or two, then I am fine with that. What I am not fine with is some ****ing politician telling me I need to learn another language or that my children need to.

 

[IntenseOperator]

Seriously, though, we should learn foreign languages. And, we are terrible at it. I do sales and purcahsing for a rubber company. We have clients all over the world, and I am embarrased several times a week at just how rotten we are at communicating with our many foreign clients. Two clients in particular, one from Singapore, the other Spain. People around here flat out mock them, ignore their calls and whine because they dont speak English. Hey, but at least they're trying to communicate with us, give them a break. Oh, and they each drop about $500,000 or more per year with us. As I see it, maybe we owe it to them to speak a little Spanish and Chinese to bridge the gap.

How many kids are gonna end up working at a purchasing company that has international contacts?

 

[IntenseOperator]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZprtPat1Vk&eurl=http://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=597466

 

[THE KOD]

kee kee

I got a spanish word for you

puta

 

[THE KOD]

kee kee


koo koo


KA KA

 

[Toledo Prophet]

Keeko, I think the message BO is saying has nothing to do with forcing your kids to learn spanish, or anything....but rather than worrying about what others are doing, be more concerned first with what your kids are learning. However, who crafted that line for him, because there is no way him syaing that isn't going to cause a stir. He talks about it as diversion, divisive issue, but then crafts a statement that will cause controvsy. Kinda a dumb way to express it......maybe he should have said instead of worrying about others, make sure your kids are learning English. I think more would be applauding that statement.

IO, cant disagree with your first post at all. It saddens me to see how we ignore many school districts. There are too many issues to dissect there in this single post, or even in this single thread. I dont feel confident that leaders of either of our politcal parties really care about the issue or have significant solutions.

But, regarding your other post. I dont buy that line of thinking at all as a reason to not teach foreign languages, or anything else for that matter. Maybe high schools should not have football teams because how many of them will really play pro ball? I feel strongly that Middle School and High School curricula should involve some serious foreign laguage requirements for graduation. We create more well rounded students, with better experiences and, who knows, we might inspire a kid in each classroom to puruse it more and they might end up as the next great American international businessman.

I know, I am an idealist.

Surprised no commentary though on the crux of my post that this is nothing more than a wedge issue to incite us and keep us from tackling legit issues.....or the anti-foreign language attitude of this office despite how much business they do with us.

Alright, gotta go to lunch, er, I mean comida. :SIB

 

[THE KOD]

What if we threw out all the illegal immigrants?

Overnight, some industries would become desperate for workers. The biggest beneficiaries would be low-skilled American workers. The big losers might surprise you.

At least 12 million illegal immigrants live in the U.S. Most pick crops, wash dishes, build houses, cut lawns and do other jobs for between $6 and $15 an hour. They make up about 5% of the total U.S. work force. But ?

What if we threw them all out?

Lettuce and strawberries would rot in the fields. Dirty dishes would pile up in restaurants. Thousands of farmers and builders would go bust. Predator aircraft drones would prowl the Mexican border. And chunks of Los Angeles and Houston would look like ghost towns.

The biggest losers would be middle-class families with two working parents, living in high-immigrant states such as California, Texas, Florida or New York. Why? They would pay more for food, housing, entertainment and child care as a shortage of low-skilled workers drove up some wages, and therefore, some prices. Meantime, their own pay would remain the same. What's more, the ripple effect of thousands of businesses shrinking or closing for lack of staff might put one of the parents out of a job. Not to mention the garbage collection going to pot and no one to polish the missus' nails.

Talk back: How do illegal immigrants affect the economy?

The winners, for a change, would be the low-skilled unemployed, living just about anywhere -- if they were willing to move. Of the 12 million illegal immigrants, about 8 million are employed, mostly in low-skill jobs. The U.S., meantime, has about 22 million less-educated jobless adults, many of them blacks and legalized Hispanics, according to a 2008 report from the Center for Immigration Studies, a research group based in Washington, D.C.

Slate: Operation Return to Sender runs amok
Economists say if these people agreed to bone meat or install insulation, they could earn 6% to 10% more than the deported workers, as wages rose to lure new workers. That could mean $18,000 to $30,000 in pay a year.

And the economy? Short term, the effect of lost manpower and spending by illegal immigrants would be "devastating" or cause "some temporary dislocation," depending on whom you ask.

Are Americans willing to do these jobs?

Ray Perryman, the president of The Perryman Group, an economic analysis firm in Waco, Texas, calculates our $14 trillion economy would suffer $652 billion in lost output -- a dramatic 4.6% slice off gross domestic product. He predicts tens of thousands of businesses would close. Robert Rector, a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, predicts perhaps a 1% slip in GDP.


Illegal population by state
State
Estimate
State
Estimate

California
2,830,000

Georgia
490,000

Texas
1,640,000

New Jersey
430,000

Florida
980,000
North Carolina

370,000

Illinois
550,000

Washington
280,000

New York
540,000

All other states
2,950,000

Arizona
500,000

Total
11,560,000

Source: Department of Homeland Security

Why the big difference in opinion? Because people are hard to predict.

Just how quickly would Americans fill the vacated jobs? And at what pay rate? Perryman points to Texas, where he says there are more than 1 million illegal workers, but only 450,000 unemployed residents. "If you do the math, it just doesn't work," he says. He doubts that many needy Virginians would move to Texas for often-grueling, low-paying jobs.

Rector disagrees. He says it would take time for "Cousin Fred" in Texas to phone up his jobless mates in Virginia, but, "There are a lot of people who work for less than $20,000 a year." And they would move for a job.

The immigration debate is raging around apples, with CNBCs Jane Wells.Still, until the unemployed did jump in their Hyundais to head south, several industries in high-immigrant states would have a terrible time. Some are listed below. The figures in parentheses show the percentage of illegal workers in each industry's work force, as calculated by the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington. The figures are nationwide; in some localities, they would be far higher.

Home help (21%): Los Angeles would still have its sunshine, but there'd be far fewer helping hands to clean floors, cook dinner and shush the kids. Not to mention in New York, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix and Miami. Some working parents might have to quit their jobs to care for the kids or break the family piggy bank to attract a housekeeper from a neighbor.

Farming (13%): "Agriculture would come to a screeching halt," says Nicole Rothfleisch, executive director of the Imperial County Farm Bureau in Southern California. She says El Centro, the county seat, has the highest unemployment in the state (18%). But farmers can never find enough local help. Pay is $9 an hour, and the summer temperatures can hit 110 degrees. The locals, she says, "want cushy jobs with air conditioning." Economists say many farmers would go broke as billions of dollars' worth of crops lay unpicked. Farms would merge and switch to crops that can be picked mechanically, like round lettuce or oranges used solely for juice.
...............................................................

I got news for them. The census states that there are 50 million spanish people in the US.

I guarantee you these nunbers of 12 million illigals are wrong wrong wrong.

Double that. They arnt counting the ones they dont know about. And they really dont know how many make up 12 million. Maybe they counted them by drivers licenses, social security , and credit cards.

Hablo Espanol ?

Si Kee Kee

 

[IntenseOperator]

Scott,
we don't have to throw out anybody, just a total freeze on now.

And I think this country would do fine and be much better off if we were able to LAUNCH all illegals from ALL other countries of origin.

As I have said here before, at the end of the day or mine, I have NO KIDS. NADA. I own my own business and have a very good accountant. I would think all here that have kids would have a dog in this fight and show much more of an interest in the situation. Cuz they are f'd as far as their future is concerned. Hope they got lots and lots of smarts or you're planning on leaving them lots o'money. BOL

 

[Andrey]

Just curious, what Barack Obama view on internet gambling, if any? Does anyone know?

 

[smurphy]

Just curious, what Barack Obama view on internet gambling, if any? Does anyone know?

He has no problem with it.

 

[smurphy]

**** this asshole. Learn Spanish? Get ****ed you Marxist piece of garbage!!

Well, at least YOU are finally posting YOUR thoughts, rather than just copy/pasting.

A little negative wouldn't you say, AR?

 

[Andrey]

Then he should be OK with vast majority people on this forum.

He has no problem with it.

 

[DoMyDermBest]

Actually, he is right. American kids should learn chinese, german, and russian as well. We need to offer arabic languages and Latin. Kids learn languges easily, and and with that comes diciipline. That said, English should be the only official language use for any governmental or legal transactions in the U.S. If you are in America, and want to register to vote, or get your drivers license,hire a translator. If you want to live here, it is your job to learn English.

 

[gardenweasel]

He has no problem with it.

could you post a linkee,please?...

thanks

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

What if we threw out all the illegal immigrants?

Overnight, some industries would become desperate for workers. The biggest beneficiaries would be low-skilled American workers. The big losers might surprise you.

At least 12 million illegal immigrants live in the U.S. Most pick crops, wash dishes, build houses, cut lawns and do other jobs for between $6 and $15 an hour. They make up about 5% of the total U.S. work force. But ?

What if we threw them all out?

Lettuce and strawberries would rot in the fields. Dirty dishes would pile up in restaurants. Thousands of farmers and builders would go bust. Predator aircraft drones would prowl the Mexican border. And chunks of Los Angeles and Houston would look like ghost towns.

The biggest losers would be middle-class families with two working parents, living in high-immigrant states such as California, Texas, Florida or New York. Why? They would pay more for food, housing, entertainment and child care as a shortage of low-skilled workers drove up some wages, and therefore, some prices. Meantime, their own pay would remain the same. What's more, the ripple effect of thousands of businesses shrinking or closing for lack of staff might put one of the parents out of a job. Not to mention the garbage collection going to pot and no one to polish the missus' nails.

Talk back: How do illegal immigrants affect the economy?

The winners, for a change, would be the low-skilled unemployed, living just about anywhere -- if they were willing to move. Of the 12 million illegal immigrants, about 8 million are employed, mostly in low-skill jobs. The U.S., meantime, has about 22 million less-educated jobless adults, many of them blacks and legalized Hispanics, according to a 2008 report from the Center for Immigration Studies, a research group based in Washington, D.C.

Slate: Operation Return to Sender runs amok
Economists say if these people agreed to bone meat or install insulation, they could earn 6% to 10% more than the deported workers, as wages rose to lure new workers. That could mean $18,000 to $30,000 in pay a year.

And the economy? Short term, the effect of lost manpower and spending by illegal immigrants would be "devastating" or cause "some temporary dislocation," depending on whom you ask.

Are Americans willing to do these jobs?

Ray Perryman, the president of The Perryman Group, an economic analysis firm in Waco, Texas, calculates our $14 trillion economy would suffer $652 billion in lost output -- a dramatic 4.6% slice off gross domestic product. He predicts tens of thousands of businesses would close. Robert Rector, a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, predicts perhaps a 1% slip in GDP.


Illegal population by state
State
Estimate
State
Estimate

California
2,830,000

Georgia
490,000

Texas
1,640,000

New Jersey
430,000

Florida
980,000
North Carolina

370,000

Illinois
550,000

Washington
280,000

New York
540,000

All other states
2,950,000

Arizona
500,000

Total
11,560,000

Source: Department of Homeland Security

Why the big difference in opinion? Because people are hard to predict.

Just how quickly would Americans fill the vacated jobs? And at what pay rate? Perryman points to Texas, where he says there are more than 1 million illegal workers, but only 450,000 unemployed residents. "If you do the math, it just doesn't work," he says. He doubts that many needy Virginians would move to Texas for often-grueling, low-paying jobs.

Rector disagrees. He says it would take time for "Cousin Fred" in Texas to phone up his jobless mates in Virginia, but, "There are a lot of people who work for less than $20,000 a year." And they would move for a job.

The immigration debate is raging around apples, with CNBCs Jane Wells.Still, until the unemployed did jump in their Hyundais to head south, several industries in high-immigrant states would have a terrible time. Some are listed below. The figures in parentheses show the percentage of illegal workers in each industry's work force, as calculated by the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington. The figures are nationwide; in some localities, they would be far higher.

Home help (21%): Los Angeles would still have its sunshine, but there'd be far fewer helping hands to clean floors, cook dinner and shush the kids. Not to mention in New York, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix and Miami. Some working parents might have to quit their jobs to care for the kids or break the family piggy bank to attract a housekeeper from a neighbor.

Farming (13%): "Agriculture would come to a screeching halt," says Nicole Rothfleisch, executive director of the Imperial County Farm Bureau in Southern California. She says El Centro, the county seat, has the highest unemployment in the state (18%). But farmers can never find enough local help. Pay is $9 an hour, and the summer temperatures can hit 110 degrees. The locals, she says, "want cushy jobs with air conditioning." Economists say many farmers would go broke as billions of dollars' worth of crops lay unpicked. Farms would merge and switch to crops that can be picked mechanically, like round lettuce or oranges used solely for juice.
...............................................................

I got news for them. The census states that there are 50 million spanish people in the US.

I guarantee you these nunbers of 12 million illigals are wrong wrong wrong.

Double that. They arnt counting the ones they dont know about. And they really dont know how many make up 12 million. Maybe they counted them by drivers licenses, social security , and credit cards.

Hablo Espanol ?

Si Kee Kee

--might reduce welfare by 50% and get employment to record levels--cut out medical cost shifting--reduce taxes used to support them-ETC ETC

the welfare reduction would be tough however--when there befefits are more than "jobs others won't do"

 

[gardenweasel]

--might reduce welfare by 50% and get employment to record levels--cut out medical cost shifting--reduce taxes used to support them-ETC ETC

the welfare reduction would be tough however--when there befefits are more than "jobs others won't do"

clean up the prison system in the west and southwest...

and provide a windfall for the baby boomers...by giving the soc sec system a goose from all the soc. security wages in their "suspense file" due to illegals stealing and using social security numbers...or just making them up...

but,i`m sure congress would pilfer that windfall and waste it on more giveaways to buy votes... .....

 

[smurphy]

could you post a linkee,please?...

thanks

Well, I guess I can't find a clear statement to back this up. He seems to be against expansion of live casinos across the US (which I agree with). Been pretty vague about internet gambling. He is apparently supported by gamblers though..

http://www.gamblecraft.com/news/2008Feb/politicalobama.htm

Political Position on Online Casinos: Obama

As an election year in the United States, voters across the country are asked to weigh the pros and cons of each presidential candidate and vote on who will shape the policy in the country for the next four to eight years. That?s a pretty serious choice, and the primaries is the first place that voters have the opportunity to weed out those senators and politicians who may not be on line with their view points. One big issue for internet gamblers this year is whether the incoming presidential nominee supports regulating the online casinos industry rather than the current ban. As for the Democratic candidates for nomination, Obama and Clinton, it?s a tough choice for voters who may want more of a definitive stance from either politician.

Both candidates have voiced support for a more detailed and researched study of the online casinos gambling industry and the affect of regulating the industry in the U.S. On the one hand, Barack Obama is rumored to be an avid poker player ? and many poker groups advocate choosing Obama on this issue because he has previously demonstrated a predisposition toward the land poker games.

Specifically, the Poker Players Alliance, a powerful group that is currently lobbying for internet poker gambling to be excluded from the current U.S. online casinos gambling ban, has suggested that Obama would be more beneficial in this regard because ?he?s a renowned poker player,? comments John Pappas, the Executive Director of the PPA. He continues to note how his favor for poker could work in favor of online casinos poker. Pappas remarks, ?[Obama] was known to play in regular games when he served in State Legislature in Illinois. From my understanding, he still plays and still enjoys the challenge of the game. There?s an opportunity to have him understand the difference between poker and gaming against the house. The latter seems to be where his concerns with gambling have been.?

But on the other hand, a Las Vegas newspaper reported that Obama has expressed concerns about the illegal activity that can flourish in the online casinos gambling industry ? and that that issue is a specific concern about reintroducing internet gambling into the U.S.