And lo on Tue, 01 Jan 2008 04:23:11 -0000, Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom>  
did spake, saying:

> Warp wrote:
>> Tim Cook <z99### [at] bellsouthnet> wrote:
>>> "ho hum, I don't really like these immigrants, they're taking our jobs  
>>> and diluting our culture the way cultures have been being diluted and  
>>> turned into what are really other cultures since forever"
>>    Btw, I find this cliche quite curious, given that the real problem is
>> more or less the exact opposite.
>
> I expect immigration in earlier decades in the USA differ from modern  
> immigration in Europe (and possibly the USA).
>
> Earlier generations in the USA wanted to be Americans, not Irish or  
> Germans or whatever living in America. Both my sets of grandparents  
> refused to teach their children (my parents) their native languages, as  
> they wanted the kids to learn English well so as to better integrate,  
> for example.
>
> Nowadays, the Mexican immigrants around here (20 miles north of Mexico)  
>   want their kids to learn English, and the prejudiced fools who think  
> Mexicans can't learn try to pass laws making it required to teach school  
> classes in spanish.

Here in the UK we provide free language lessons for immigrants and then  
make sure that all government information is available in English, Polish,  
Urdu,...

Trouble is the cost of providing said pamphlets is quite high prompting a  
lot of tabloids to complain about this waste of taxpayers money (ignoring  
the fact that a lot of these immigrants are themselves taxpayers too); if  
they come over here, they write, they should learn the language.

Then the cost of these free English lessons are released and the very same  
tabloids then complain about this waste of money.

Then people are turned away from the lessons because the staff can't cope  
with the numbers coming in (unless they get more funding) and the tabloids  
then complain about immigrants who are 'trying to do the right thing'  
being let down.

It'd all be hilarious if it wasn't so sad.

-- 
Phil Cook

--
I once tried to be apathetic, but I just couldn't be bothered
http://flipc.blogspot.com

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