Comments on: Immigration http://fixinsupper.com/2006/09/20/immigration/ Sometimes about food. Always random. Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:26:40 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: lcreekmo http://fixinsupper.com/2006/09/20/immigration/comment-page-1/#comment-99 lcreekmo Fri, 22 Sep 2006 12:34:20 +0000 http://fixinsupper.wordpress.com/2006/09/20/immigration/#comment-99 Cole, I had a feeling you might comment on this post!! You have such a different perspective on the situation than I do and thank you for sharing that. I will add one thing: in Tennessee, schools are funded almost exclusively via property and sales taxes. Probably a wheel tax thrown in here and there. So, if you rent or own a home [that covers almost 100% of illegal immigrants since they aren't eligible for subsidized housing] and if you buy stuff [well that covers everyone], in Tennessee, you're paying for the schools. I don't know how they're funded in Texas. What we don't have enough of here are English classes. I suspect that's an issue in many areas. You don't hear about English classes closing due to lack of interest around here. :) Cole, I had a feeling you might comment on this post!! You have such a different perspective on the situation than I do and thank you for sharing that. I will add one thing: in Tennessee, schools are funded almost exclusively via property and sales taxes. Probably a wheel tax thrown in here and there. So, if you rent or own a home [that covers almost 100% of illegal immigrants since they aren't eligible for subsidized housing] and if you buy stuff [well that covers everyone], in Tennessee, you’re paying for the schools. I don’t know how they’re funded in Texas.

What we don’t have enough of here are English classes. I suspect that’s an issue in many areas. You don’t hear about English classes closing due to lack of interest around here. :)

]]> By: Tiny Tom http://fixinsupper.com/2006/09/20/immigration/comment-page-1/#comment-98 Tiny Tom Fri, 22 Sep 2006 00:13:51 +0000 http://fixinsupper.wordpress.com/2006/09/20/immigration/#comment-98 Out in Arizona where I'm from, especially around Phoenix, any business owner who signs onto the "English-only" bandwagon is just about guaranteed to go broke in, oh, 2 weeks-- tops. Out there in the SW, the Hispanics were the founders of the towns and cities, and framed the legal and administrative landscape in its earliest form, prior to the incredibly bloody Mexican-American War of the middle of the 19th century through which the US got control of the Mexican territory (including Arizona of course, also California, NM, and a few other states). A bunch of treaties and statutes and accumulated common law practices evolved in a Spanish-English dual tradition in these regions. So out there, Spanish really *is* a common language side-by-side and right up there with English, to be used in offices, schools, voting booths, any other public place. It's a good idea to know Spanish in just about any big American urban center these days, but in the SW portion of the country (not to mention in Miami) it's just about mandatory for anyone who wants to do business. Out in Arizona where I’m from, especially around Phoenix, any business owner who signs onto the “English-only” bandwagon is just about guaranteed to go broke in, oh, 2 weeks– tops. Out there in the SW, the Hispanics were the founders of the towns and cities, and framed the legal and administrative landscape in its earliest form, prior to the incredibly bloody Mexican-American War of the middle of the 19th century through which the US got control of the Mexican territory (including Arizona of course, also California, NM, and a few other states).

A bunch of treaties and statutes and accumulated common law practices evolved in a Spanish-English dual tradition in these regions. So out there, Spanish really *is* a common language side-by-side and right up there with English, to be used in offices, schools, voting booths, any other public place. It’s a good idea to know Spanish in just about any big American urban center these days, but in the SW portion of the country (not to mention in Miami) it’s just about mandatory for anyone who wants to do business.

]]> By: Cole http://fixinsupper.com/2006/09/20/immigration/comment-page-1/#comment-97 Cole Thu, 21 Sep 2006 18:42:29 +0000 http://fixinsupper.wordpress.com/2006/09/20/immigration/#comment-97 Laura... Obviously, I'm not up on Nashville politics but I can tell you that illegal immigration is a problem whether you want to admit it or not. I think it's too easy for people that don't live on the border and aren't directly affected by illegal immigration to say that it's not a problem. I was born and raised in a border town (El Paso) and I know first hand what it's like. You say, "Show me the immigrant who does not wish to learn English." I can't produce one right this minute, but my experience was that most of them don't give a crap if they learn English or not. They expect YOU to learn to communicate with them. And when YOU don't speak THEIR language, all hell breaks loose. Never mind that we were in the United States of America. My parents also didn't care for their property taxes going up every year because they had to help make up for all the illegals that were being educated for free. Not only do they get free education, but they get free meals at school. I'm not opposed to feeding lower income children at school, but some kind of contribution from their folks would be nice. Even if it was a dollar. At least, they'd be pitching in to help that way. I could rant for days on end about this topic. The above are just a couple of quick examples of how illegal immigration has personally affected me. It may sound really racist, but the illegal immigration problem is part of the reason I got the hell away from El Paso and don't wish to ever go back. (Of course, coming to a beautiful city like Austin made it really hard to go back to the ugly, old desert! Ha!) And yes, I have Hispanic friends that feel the same way I do. I do agree with you that we shouldn't close our doors and turn all immigrants away. That's just un-American. But we need to find some kind of solution to the problem of illegal immigration. I wish I had one. I'd probably be a pretty popular guy if I had one. With all that being said, good for you for voicing your opinion and taking an interest in local issues. That's more than can be said for most people. Laura…

Obviously, I’m not up on Nashville politics but I can tell you that illegal immigration is a problem whether you want to admit it or not. I think it’s too easy for people that don’t live on the border and aren’t directly affected by illegal immigration to say that it’s not a problem.

I was born and raised in a border town (El Paso) and I know first hand what it’s like. You say, “Show me the immigrant who does not wish to learn English.” I can’t produce one right this minute, but my experience was that most of them don’t give a crap if they learn English or not. They expect YOU to learn to communicate with them. And when YOU don’t speak THEIR language, all hell breaks loose. Never mind that we were in the United States of America.

My parents also didn’t care for their property taxes going up every year because they had to help make up for all the illegals that were being educated for free. Not only do they get free education, but they get free meals at school. I’m not opposed to feeding lower income children at school, but some kind of contribution from their folks would be nice. Even if it was a dollar. At least, they’d be pitching in to help that way.

I could rant for days on end about this topic. The above are just a couple of quick examples of how illegal immigration has personally affected me.

It may sound really racist, but the illegal immigration problem is part of the reason I got the hell away from El Paso and don’t wish to ever go back. (Of course, coming to a beautiful city like Austin made it really hard to go back to the ugly, old desert! Ha!) And yes, I have Hispanic friends that feel the same way I do.

I do agree with you that we shouldn’t close our doors and turn all immigrants away. That’s just un-American. But we need to find some kind of solution to the problem of illegal immigration. I wish I had one. I’d probably be a pretty popular guy if I had one.

With all that being said, good for you for voicing your opinion and taking an interest in local issues. That’s more than can be said for most people.

]]> By: BB Logan http://fixinsupper.com/2006/09/20/immigration/comment-page-1/#comment-96 BB Logan Thu, 21 Sep 2006 09:33:16 +0000 http://fixinsupper.wordpress.com/2006/09/20/immigration/#comment-96 Nice. Thank you. Nice.
Thank you.

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