Abolish bilingual education, Gingrich urges

TheVoiceInside

Abolish bilingual education, Gingrich urges

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich equated bilingual education Saturday with "the language of living in a ghetto" and mocked requirements that ballots be printed in multiple languages.

"The government should quit mandating that various documents be printed in any one of 700 languages depending on who randomly shows up" to vote, said Gingrich, who is considering seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. He made the comments in a speech to the National Federation of Republican Women.

"The American people believe English should be the official language of the government. ... We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto," Gingrich said to cheers from the crowd of more than 100.

"Citizenship requires passing a test on American history in English. If that's true, then we do not have to create ballots in any language except English," he said.

Peter Zamora, co-chair of the Washington-based Hispanic Education Coalition, which supports bilingual education, said, "The tone of his comments were very hateful. Spanish is spoken by many individuals who do not live in the ghetto."

He said research has shown "that bilingual education is the best method of teaching English to non-English speakers."

Spanish-speakers, Zamora said, know they need to learn English.

"There's no resistance to learning English, really, among immigrants, among native-born citizens," he said. "Everyone wants to learn English because it's what you need to thrive in this country."

In the past, Gingrich has supported making English the nation's official language. He's also said all American children should learn English and that other languages should be secondary in schools.

In 1995, for example, he said bilingualism poses "long-term dangers to the fabric of our nation" and that "allowing bilingualism to continue to grow is very dangerous."

Bilingual programs teach students reading, arithmetic and other basic skills in their native language so they do not fall behind while mastering English.

On voting, federal law requires districts with large populations of non-English speakers to print ballots in multiple languages.




I really dont care what language you teach kids in the US their education, any method is ok with me. But this is one of most racist and ignorant comments i have heard in a while.

"We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto," Gingrich


hey heres some ghetto talk for ya Newt:

Ojala te chingue un elefante so cabron

josevolution

NEWT is a jack ass ....

soulsinging

while i think it's a bit much to say bilingual education is very dangerous, i agree with the rest of his comments. where does it stop? you come to america, you learn to speak english. that's what immigrants used to do.

norm

soulsinging wrote:

while i think it's a bit much to say bilingual education is very dangerous, i agree with the rest of his comments. where does it stop? you come to america, you learn to speak english. that's what immigrants used to do.

I agree although not in Newt's hate-filled, racist way.

chopitdown

TheVoiceInside wrote:

"The government should quit mandating that various documents be printed in any one of 700 languages depending on who randomly shows up" to vote, said Gingrich,

agree b/c citizenship requires passing a test on American history in English.

TheVoiceInside wrote:

"The American people believe English should be the official language of the government. ... We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto," Gingrich said to cheers from the crowd of more than 100.

Bilingual education is a good thing. It helps people learn English, but I think if you're in America you should strive to use English the best you can as you're able. Just like if I move to France or Spain I would try to learn the language and assimilate to their culture.

TheVoiceInside

soulsinging wrote:

while i think it's a bit much to say bilingual education is very dangerous, i agree with the rest of his comments. where does it stop? you come to america, you learn to speak english. that's what immigrants used to do.

I agree that you have to learn language in order to assimilate in the states. I was raised within a bilingual system and I had no problems so I cant say that im against it. And I must say that knowing two languages is a very good asset.

soulsinging

cutback wrote:

I agree although not in Newt's hate-filled, racist way.

sometimes that's the only way to get people's attention.

soulsinging

TheVoiceInside wrote:

I agree that you have to learn language in order to assimilate in the states. I was raised within a bilingual system and I had no problems so I cant say that im against it. And I must say that knowing two languages is a very good asset.

sure it is. i wish i knew spanish... every legal aid job i apply for treats that as a huge bonus. but ballots shouldn't be printed in spanish. neither should official documents. it's a waste of government money.

TheVoiceInside

chopitdown wrote:

agree b/c citizenship requires passing a test on American history in English.



Bilingual education is a good thing. It helps people learn English, but I think if you're in America you should strive to use English the best you can as you're able. Just like if I move to France or Spain I would try to learn the language and assimilate to their culture.[/quote


My problem is the way this guy actually tries to make a link between poverty and spanish.

TheVoiceInside

soulsinging wrote:

sure it is. i wish i knew spanish... every legal aid job i apply for treats that as a huge bonus. but ballots shouldn't be printed in spanish. neither should official documents. it's a waste of government money.

I agree but there is no need to dump on a whole language.

chopitdown

TheVoiceInside wrote:

My problem is the way this guy actually tries to make a link between poverty and spanish.

that was problematic for me as well.

josevolution

the fact of the matter is when people migrate to the US specially older spanish speaking folks they feel no need to learn english, everybody around them and neighborhoods are all spanish they can live there and not speak any english for months at a time. and i should mention ORIENTAL communities as well ......by the way i immigrated here in 1971 and the first thing on my mind was to learn the language so as to be able to communicate ........

soulsinging

josevolution wrote:

the fact of the matter is when people migrate to the US specially older spanish speaking folks they feel no need to learn english, everybody around them and neighborhoods are all spanish they can live there and not speak any english for months at a time. and i should mention ORIENTAL communities as well ......by the way i immigrated here in 1971 and the first thing on my mind was to learn the language so as to be able to communicate ........

then they can sit in their enclave and speak spanish. but fuck them if they think they are entitled to make my government spend my tax dollars so that they dont have to even make an effort to learn the language.

chopitdown

soulsinging wrote:

then they can sit in their enclave and speak spanish. but fuck them if they think they are entitled to make my government spend my tax dollars so that they dont have to even make an effort to learn the language.

I must say I agree.

Collin

soulsinging wrote:

then they can sit in their enclave and speak spanish. but fuck them if they think they are entitled to make my government spend my tax dollars so that they dont have to even make an effort to learn the language.

Isn't it also their government and their money?

Anyway, I don't think abolishing bilingual education will help or motivate non-native speakers of English to learn English.

josevolution

soulsinging wrote:

then they can sit in their enclave and speak spanish. but fuck them if they think they are entitled to make my government spend my tax dollars so that they dont have to even make an effort to learn the language.

i totally agree i've asked a lot of them if they would vote and 7 out of 10 say why bother, really a disturbing trend amongs minorities but they will be the first to cry racial discrimination or put their hand out for social welfare ,it should be mandated that you have to learn english with in 4 months of being here that is plenty of time for anyone to learn a lot of the language ....

caifan82

Fun stuff... usually bilingual education is a good thing. I had a trilingual education in my school, and I can definitely say it greatly improved my knowledge and culture. But hey, if this guy wants to keep his mind closed and miss works from such authors like Miguel de Cervantes, Isabel Allende, Pablo Neruda, Gabriel García Márquez, Carlos Fuentes, Octavio Paz, and so many many others, because obviously they all live(d) in ghettos ... he can go right ahead. But I would feel bad for americans if this ever became law.

Collin

josevolution wrote:

it should be mandated that you have to learn english with in 4 months of being here that is plenty of time for anyone to learn a lot of the language ....

I disagree, I think four months isn't plenty of time at all.

soulsinging

Collin wrote:

Isn't it also their government and their money?

Anyway, I don't think abolishing bilingual education will help or motivate non-native speakers of English to learn English.

it is. but by whining really loudly we've managed to waste a shit ton of money that helps maybe 10% of the population who don't need the help.

im not opposed to bilingual education per se (though i have pretty radical education views in general), i am opposed to every government document having to be printed in 6 different languages becos immigrants would rather demand we change our printing presses rather than expend the effort to learn how to participate here.

soulsinging

caifan82 wrote:

Fun stuff... usually bilingual education is a good thing. I had a trilingual education in my school, and I can definitely say it greatly improved my knowledge and culture. But hey, if this guy wants to keep his mind closed and miss works from such authors like Miguel de Cervantes, Isabel Allende, Pablo Neruda, Gabriel García Márquez, Carlos Fuentes, Octavio Paz, and so many many others, because obviously they all live(d) in ghettos ... he can go right ahead. But I would feel bad for americans if this ever became law.

if what ever became law?

im reading marquez... in translation

Rushlimbo

I guess Newt and the GOP are giving up on the hispanic vote now.