Posted by Wayne Parham [ 66.139.39.38 ] on January 20, 2004 at 03:51:25:

What do you think about our immigration laws, and the proposed changes?

I'm of two minds on this deal. I have many friends that are immigrants, mostly H1-B visa holders in the IT field. I'm extremely glad they came for many reasons. They've enriched me personally, being really great people that I've enjoyed being around. I hope that I've been as interesting for them as they've been for me.

I've learned a lot about my immigrant friends, and find the differences in our cultures to be interesting. As foreign as some of their cultures are, I look at the advantages gained by their customs and I combine them with the advantages gained by our culture. It would be great to take into ones life the best of both worlds. The other side is that American workers are displaced. So I understand the people that want to limit immigration and protect the border.

Personally, the biggest thing I don't like is the proliferation of Spanish. Some of you up North and East don't see much Spanish, I suspect, but in the West and the South, you'll see almost as many signs in Spanish as you will in English. To me, that's a big mistake. I speak Russian so I'm comfortable in multi-lingual environments, but I still prefer a single language culture. What is spoken in the home or personally between two people is one thing, but what is posted in public and taught in public schools is another. And when we start paying tax dollars to incorporate Spanish, I think we've gone entirely too far.

I would welcome tourists of any language, but once you're here for permanent or semi-permanent residence, learn English. That's just how I feel about it.

What do you think?

Replies: