[OnyxCougar]

[quote=warch]

Who are these hoards of slackers you have a problem with? I see tons of English language learners each week of all levels. Might there be other reasons besides time that their fluency is lacking?

Yes, I'm sure there are, and they include laziness. Why learn English when you don't have to? And you DON'T have to, in places like California, Arizona, and Texas (all places I have lived, by the way).

Does that matter to you? Should we just leave them ill informed?

Should we leave them ill-informed? HUH? THEY came HERE VOLUNTARILY. Why do we have to educate them to speak our language?? Why is that my responsibility??

Would that impact us negatively? Should we help them at all?

If they are citizens, and therefore can hold a job, then they can afford a class to further their english instruction. But, as it has been pointed out, to become a citizen requires at least a working knowledge of English. I'm speaking primarily of the hordes of illegals that can't or won't learn English.

What about helping fund English classes? Is that out, too?

Why should I pay for that??? THEY came HERE VOLUNTARILY. Now, if a philanthropic group of private individuals wants to fund classes, more power to them. But the government doing so is wrong, IMO.

I think translational, educational help is a courtesy and in all of our best interests. If you want participatory goverment you need to facilitate participation. You need to share information and communicate clearly.

If they can't communicate in our language, they aren't going to be participating in our language. That's the whole point. Again, I'm saying ESL classes should not be government funded. Private funding is a whole nother issue.

Remind me: What public education services do your children, those with special needs receive?

This school year: none. He was tested and confirmed to have problems, but they didn't have a special needs program that was appropriate. So he was placed in a regular setting, and disrupted the class all year. Your tax dollars at work.

Are they tax funded by the likes of me- someone with no children at all? I assume that your kids need government funded services and arent just slackers.

Neither child recieves anything other than regular public school education.

I dont view those expenses as a courtesy. I actually believe that investing in the access to and education of your kids is a good, financial and ethical investment on my part. I think it will make them productive and better citizens. And if your kids need communication assistance to participate as better citizens, I would think that a good investment , too.

That's great, and I appreciate your view on that, however, my children getting a public school education has nothing to do with the governemnt spending untold millions of dollars on printing forms in multiple languages and interpreters and higher salaries for bilingual employees.

There are so many other legitimate areas of waste in government spending of my money. What about the 72 milllion dollar pay bonus we just gave Brown and Root, inc. AKA Halliburton the non bid contractor who is still under investigation for shady accounting, overcharging? Where is that outrage?

I'm EQUALLY outraged at that waste. The difference here is that you justify the waste of funds on voluntary immigrants (and voluntary illegals) but not corporate politics. I don't believe either are justifiable.