Let's heat it up.

We have a strict policy that just got passed also (Georgia).

I'm with you...learn English...

If people are in this country illegally, then they should be removed. If I enter another country illegally, I would certainly expect to be ejected.

Me too Ron....

Visiting a country is different than living in a country. If I moved to Germany, you bet I'd learn German (well, I do know some)

It's not just Mexicans Tina. My parents have neighbors from the Middle East who have been there for (hmm...I was 10...Im now...) well over 25 years that still don't speak any English. We asked their son one time (a year older than me) and his reply was that his parents didn't feel the need to learn a language. They just shop at stores that speak theirs.

Same here with the Russians, many have been here 25 or 30 years they won't speak English and want little Russia here in the USA. America is supposed to be a melting pot, they are not melting if they keep all thier own language, and ways and don't learn ours.

I think if your going to live in this country, you should speak this language. I think we do them a disservice by having everything in Spanish as well as English. I welcome them...but learn the language and pay your taxes!

As far as illegals...they are only looking for a better way of life the same as our ancestors were. The problem is that getting into this country legally is now a long drawn out process for which many of them just simply give up! Maybe the answer lies in making the legalization process more efficient.

To tell the truth, when other groups of people are speaking a foriegn language around me it makes me feel inadequate and insecure. First , I'm ashamed I've only learned one language .(Everything is Global now, internet ,economies) . Second they may be speaking badly about me and I'm too ignorant to know for sure! Other than that I'm not worried whether they know the language of not! I'm not hiring and they aren't working in places where not knowing English is a major inconvenience.

Bless her heart, but Tina is just one of the many ignorant Americans that we had to beat back with a (figurative) stick to keep this latest immigration bill from passing.

It's not a question of why an immigrant wants to come to the U.S. - heck, who wouldn't?

It's about how the immigrant gets to, and stays in, the U.S.

If a law is broken in the process, then that immigrant is now an illegal immigrant and needs to be treated accordingly. This logic applies to any law that is broken. You wouldn't expect amnesty for murdering your neighbor, would you? Well....

As for the language. English is the language of the U.S. Period. That is the way it should be, and the way other countries act. In Mexico, it's Spanish, in Germany, it's German, and so on.

Traveling is another story. A traveler is not expected to know the language where he/she is going. Hence, the multiple language signs, customer service people, law enforcement, etc. that you will find here and abroad. It's a courtesy extended, but to demand that a populace adapt to YOUR language, culture, etc. when you move to THEIR country will not be tolerated. Here, in the U.S., or anywhwere else.

Tina,
This is not about visitors or missionaries. Yes, they need the money, but as a visitor to Cancun I couldn't get so much as a penny returned to me. If they get hold of American money, they will only give you change in Mexican money. Therefore, I will never go there again. Our currency is what their after. Therefore, lets pay them in their currency when they visit. This is not about a few sweet Mexicans. This is about 25 percent of our population. They have become invaders. What do we do with invaders. I went to Texas. The southern half of Texas is Mexico. Walmart speaks first in Mexican and second in English. It's gone too far. I know you're a sweet well meaning person, but if they are illegal they need to go home and with their own currency. If they are legal, they need to learn the language of their host country. If they have their way, the host country will be speaking Spanish. By the way, I teach Spanish, but it's for our safety. WE should know what these people are saying. And it's not always nice. I've rattled them when I tell them I know what you said about my daughter, and I'll smash your face if you say it again. Learn Spanish and send the illegals home.

Bob,
It's always been that way. The newest group of immigrants get the most attention. My only point is if you're illegal, get legal. If you intend to live here, learn English. Just the effort of trying to learn the language is American to me. We don't even speak British English. I went on a cruise with Englishman, and I couldn't believe the differences. We made it all right but it is funny how the language changed. It changed because Americans wanted independence from Britain. Remember that? So, this is not a new issue. We want to speak American and not even English.

I have gone into this at least six different times at different locations. First an illegal alien is not an american, you must be a citizen to be American. Second, if an alien wants to come into the country they can do it legally, all they need is an offer of a job. Why is this the only country in the world that allows any person to tell us how to run the country. Try sneaking into Mexico illegally, see if you don't get shot at the border! Now, other than that it is a precedent, that would then allow anyone including terrorists to enter. Sad fact is we have no idea who is in this country now. I rest my case!!

Interesting dicussion. Unfortunately it does show the biases of some people. Or maybe not so unfortunate. Consider this: if there were no illegal immigrants, then all would be citizens, or here on a worker's visa, or some such thing. That would mean that all workers in this country would be eligible for a minimum wage. If that happened, many of the industries that, legally or illegally, rely on paying below minimum wage would lose their source of labor and ship all their work [I believe it's called 'outsourcing'] to a foreign country were the wages are infinitessimal. Of course, you wouldn't be able to find any workers on the street corners who want to make a buck working for the contractor who's fixing your house, and you'd probably have to go back to mowing your own lawn as well.

As far as Amaryah's comment about immigrants not wanting to learn English: that's OK; that means that the children of those people will have to keep up the language whle their parents are alive. This will give them an advantage over ordinary Americans who either don't want to, or cannot, learn another language. This is one of the few countries in the world where learning another language is abysmally ignored. Why should we have to learn another language? People speak English [American for those who object to naming the mother tongue and not the dialect we speak in this country] all over the world. Why should we bother learning theirs?

I was saddened by the ignorance of those who petitioned their legislators to vote down the legislation to legalize the illegal immigrants. Such shortsightedness is appalling, and will come back to bite them in their respective butts.

But, I guess that's another story.............

Hmmm...steering clear of this discussion...I am middle of the road on this one. I do think we are a little overrun (being from Florida) but I do think there should be some consessions made in select cases.

My wife are Certified to Teach English as a Second language. (ESL). We do volunteer work at a Family Developement Center. MY wife can speaks Spanish a little, I don't. You don't have speak a foreign language to teach English..

It is a fact that every American, less the First Nations peoples (Native Americans), originated from a foriegn country. Don't you think it a shame that so few of these people can now speak their original mother tongue. Researching my family bloodlines in genealogy my heritage is French on both sides of my family for the four hundred years that the founders of Acadia established themselves, without visas, in a new land. It has only been in my time that the children are losing their ability to converse in their native tongue. They now mostly speak English (Canadian English in this case). In an effort to regain the language I had my children taught in french emersion schools. Unfortunetly, French, like English, has become regionalized. The French in Atlantic Canada have difficulty speaking to the French in Quebec and a different dialect again in France. You have differing dialects of (American)English travelling through regions within the America borders. Even to travel within the small province of Nova Scotia you would find several dialects of the English language. This has never stopped these people from maintaining strong social connections. There is seldom bias placed on the way any one person pronounces his words. I do however take exception to telemarketers and info/tech persons serving English speaking customers and hardly able to speak the language.