Shoud we have Bilingual Ballots in this great nation?

Sure, why not?

Nno we should not. A common language is a unifying factor, one of those things that defines a people as being one. When countries do not have a unified language they are simply asking for trouble. Look at Canada and Belgium, two countries that have more than one official language. Neither is a fully unified and integrated country.

When you have road signs, government notices and ballots in foreign languages you are seperating the people rather than bringing them together. We should do away with any official, government business done in a language other than English. We should also do away with bilingual education programs in school. They should be replaced with total emersion classes so that the students are able to speak, write and read English as quickly as possible.

A common language is a unifying factor, one of those things that defines a people as being one. When countries do not have a unified language they are simply asking for trouble. Look at Canada and Belgium, two countries that have more than one official language. Neither is a fully unified and integrated country.

I wasn't aware of any massive problems faced by Canada or Belgium because they have more than one official language. Why not look at Switzerland instead. Typical Swiss citizens are fluent in French, German, and Italian, and they seem to be capable of maintaining a stable, free, and peaceful society.


When you have road signs, government notices and ballots in foreign languages you are seperating the people rather than bringing them together.

Not if people understand both languages.


We should do away with any official, government business done in a language other than English. We should also do away with bilingual education programs in school. They should be replaced with total emersion classes so that the students are able to speak, write and read English as quickly as possible.

I think it would be better for our citizens to learn other languages besides English.

I wasn't aware of any massive problems faced by Canada or Belgium because they have more than one official language.
Quebec wants to become it's own sovereign nation, there's a problem for you.

Why not look at Switzerland instead. Typical Swiss citizens are fluent in French, German, and Italian, and they seem to be capable of maintaining a stable, free, and peaceful society.
Switzerland is a different situation than America. The massive majority of that country speak German while very few know Italian or Romansch. Also, their nation is closely flanked by nations that is the birthplace of French, German, and Italian, and the population is only 7 million.

America is a nation far bigger, and more spread out. The majority of its citizens don't live next to Mexico or Quebec, and many do not know second languages. Expecting 300 million people to learn a language or deal with it on a daily basis wouldn't go over too well I'd imagine.

Every immigrant group coming to America integrated into society, even adjusting their names. With Latino immigrants we are not seeing a push to learn English, just making Americans adjust to Spanish. Putting ballots in another language will just be a further deterrant to becoming fluent in this nation's native language.

Vile,

We are not talking about learning other languages in addition to English, not besides English which conotes instead of English.

Americans, to their loss are mainly monolingual and you are right, they should learn other languages. That does not mean non-English speakers should not be taught the language as quickly as possible.

I can still remember a bilingual teacher in a school where I worked castigating her students for speaking English on the playground. She told them, in Spanish, that her class did not speak English.

Quebec wants to become it's own sovereign nation, there's a problem for you.

I hardly think you can blame this on the fact that they speak French and English in Quebec.


Switzerland is a different situation than America. The massive majority of that country speak German while very few know Italian or Romansch.

I agree on Romansch, and disagree on Italian.


Also, their nation is closely flanked by nations that is the birthplace of French, German, and Italian, and the population is only 7 million.

Interesting yet you don't say how this is a problem for the Swiss.


America is a nation far bigger, and more spread out. The majority of its citizens don't live next to Mexico or Quebec, and many do not know second languages.

All true. Why does this mean we shouldn't learn other languages?


Expecting 300 million people to learn a language or deal with it on a daily basis wouldn't go over too well I'd imagine.

Agreed, yet it still should be encouraged. Americans typically are less educated in foreign languages than people from other countries. This is not an advantage for our citizens in the world marketplace, yet the usual American attitude is "They should learn to speak English".


Every immigrant group coming to America integrated into society, even adjusting their names. With Latino immigrants we are not seeing a push to learn English, just making Americans adjust to Spanish.

I really don't buy this. Do we put road signs up in Spanish? Do you honestly think that most immigrants don't want to learn English? Do you not think immigrant children learn English in our schools? Hispanic immigrants are learning English. They have to in order to get by in this country.


Putting ballots in another language will just be a further deterrant to becoming fluent in this nation's native language.

How will printing up documents that are read at most once every two years, make people less likely to learn English?

I really don't buy this. Do we put road signs up in Spanish? Do you honestly think that most immigrants don't want to learn English? Do you not think immigrant children learn English in our schools? Hispanic immigrants are learning English. They have to in order to get by in this country.


Have you used a telephone lately, Vile? Press one for English.

Have you seen McDonald's coupons lately, Vile? Printed in both English and Spanish.

Have you visited an elementary school or high school lately, Vile? Classes taught entirely in Spanish.

Have you been to Miami lately, Vile? Municipal workers were told they had to be fluent in Spanish in order to work for the Miami government.

There is nothing wrong with learning a second or even a third language. It is a shame that Americans are so deficient in this area. That does not mean that the government should take actions that limit the ability of people to learn English. When you print ballots or other official government documents in a language other than English, ie Spanish, Manderin Chinese, Polish, Hatian Creole, Russian, Hebrew, all languages that documents are printed in in New York you lessen the need for people to learn English and become part of American culture. The things that define a people are their language, style of dress, art, food and history. When there is no longer any unity in these areas, language being the most important of them, you begin to fall apart as a nation. Canada is experiencing this. Belgium has experienced it. Nations in Africa and the Middle East are experiencing it. Switzerland seems to be the one example and Evakian gave reasons for that.

Shoud we have Bilingual Ballots in this great nation?It's unnecessary. Anyone who can pass a US citizenship test can probably read a ballot in English.

It is not only unecessary, it is counterproductive.

Thank you!! Those who come here need to assimilate our culture. There are in the US now. It's that simple.
(It doesn't mean they have to get rid of their own culture.)

It is not only unecessary, it is counterproductive.

[When there is no longer any unity in these areas, language being the most important of them, you begin to fall apart as a nation. Canada is experiencing this. Belgium has experienced it. Nations in Africa and the Middle East are experiencing it. Switzerland seems to be the one example and Evakian gave reasons for that.Switzerland isn't the only example. India has 22 official languages and hundreds of more unofficial languages. I imagine that would make it the most linguistically diverse country in the world. Yet it has stayed united without much threat to that unity. There have been separatist movements in India, but they were not based on linguistic differences.

India is a country that has constant tension caused at least by cultural differences, one of the main of which is language.

The tension in India is mostly caused by the religious differences. Cultural differences between the various groups of people has rarely been the source of major tension. The different ethnic groups are actually quite content to live amongst one another, and many people in India are bilingual and trilingual. Even English is widespread, the language of the people who screwed them over for two hundred years.

If they can accept the language of the people who oppressed them, then we can be more accepting of the language of those who peacefully immigrate to our country.

English only, please.

I hardly think you can blame this on the fact that they speak French and English in Quebec. It could be considered a rather large factor.
I agree on Romansch, and disagree on Italian. Italian is not spoken regularly by Swiss. Less than 7% use that tongue.
Interesting yet you don't say how this is a problem for the Swiss. Who said it was?
All true. Why does this mean we shouldn't learn other languages? There is nothing wrong with learning other languages (something all Americans should work for), but it seems rather odd that we must have Spanish available despite the fact that Spanish-speaking migrants are coming to an English-speaking country.
I really don't buy this. Do we put road signs up in Spanish?
One-word signs are not a good indicator of that, official documents of the government are.
Do you not think immigrant children learn English in our schools?
The citizen's children have a hard enough time. :D

How will printing up documents that are read at most once every two years, make people less likely to learn English? Elections from offices of county officials to the president can be held more often than 2 years. But that isn't the point, what I tried to say was that accomodating the Spanish speakers in an English-speaking society through ways such as government forms and so on would not provide motivation to learn English.

While I see nothing wrong with having ballots in multiple languages (since it assists our Latino community with a comfortable language), what I see as the problem is a disagreement of cultures. My ancestors came to America and assimilated, throwing their old ways and language away to make a good life in America, that was the case for a great deal of people back then and not soon after America rose up as one of the two world powers. Latinos are becoming an increasingly large segment of America where the past supremacy of this nation may soon be a myth realized in the present. I live in a state that borders Mexico, and so I interact with both legal and illegal migrants, even Latino citizens, daily. I see school districts that are teaching in Spanish, I see signs in Spanish, and I also see a city with rising poverty and so, crime as well.

I don't want to see barrios spring up in America, I want a Latino community that is just as willing to be American as their European or African or Asian counterparts.

language being the most important of them
Why is language the most important part of a culture?

While we're on the subject...
The DC brain trust all rubbed their heads together & dreamed up yet another way to piss away our $$$. The Senate just passed a bi-partisan resolution: The National Anthem must be sung in English ,not any other language.
I see. And when can we expect an English translation of this song?
If that's supposed to be English, maybe they can explain just what the hell it means!
"O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave..."
Who talks like this?
"...O'er the land of the free..." Who says "o'er?"
"...just as long as with Bush you agree!"
No, wait. That's what he'd like it to say.
Shouldn't there be an English requirement for becoming a US President?