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you better. if not you, then your kids better.

Latest Projections by U.S. Census Bureau (rounded)

         today     2050

White      65%      45% 
Hispanic   15%      30%
Black      15%      15%       
Asian       5%      10%

8/14/2008 2:30:44 AM

Speaking Spanish won't be all that essential. As a person who spent a decade studying Spanish, I'm painfully well-aware of that fact. Fact is, a huge part of the growth in the Hispanic demographic comes from kids born in this country. Kids who will go to school and learn English like the rest of us.

For a long time (possibly still today), more Americans listed their heritage as "German" than any other. I'm sure that's why so many people in this country speak German today.

8/14/2008 3:21:30 AM

This is old news, which I have been saying in the Soap Box in various threads for a year. The initial projection was released more than a year ago, and it predicted 2050 when Whites would become a minority. Now the projection is 2042.

8/14/2008 3:37:16 AM

Big whoop, whites are already a minority. As the population edges up on 7 Billion, there's still only about a billion of us.

8/14/2008 3:45:06 AM

darn.

i wanted to start another epic TSB race war.

8/14/2008 3:58:36 AM

the whole "melting pot" idea was great idea until President Jamar, Vice President Hernandez, and Chief Justice Xiang threw me out into the cotton fields.

8/14/2008 4:27:31 AM

If it can work in the caucus mountains it can work here.

8/14/2008 7:15:22 AM

Quote :

"Fact is, a huge part of the growth in the Hispanic demographic comes from kids born in this country. Kids who will go to school and learn English like the rest of us."

This. I know a lot of Hispanic families. Of the families that I know where their kids were born and raised here, it's more often the case that the children don't even know Spanish. I'm sure it would be different if they grew up in a community where there were so many Spanish speakers that the kids could get away with not learning English, but school does a pretty good job of assimilating them into the culture/language.

8/14/2008 7:58:42 AM

So, are they going to be rich like our 4% of Asians, or be inner city like the blacks?

8/14/2008 9:56:40 AM

If I remember correctly, it depends on how white they look. But, overall, they do better than the blacks but not as well as the whites. No one is coming close to the asians.

8/14/2008 10:43:28 AM

education level maybe?

Ive said it before, my mexican patients are my best patients. The will actually get whatever medicine you tell them and use it. Its amazing.

8/14/2008 10:49:57 AM

I'll bet that 150 years ago some yokel made a thread on the internet saying that our kids better speak irish.

8/14/2008 12:29:31 PM

Albert "Paddy" O'Gore invented the internets to help relieve the potato famine of 1870.

8/14/2008 1:24:37 PM

Too bad the hope of the future Obama doesn't speak a foreign language--even "dummyhead Bush" has him beat on this. Obama's perfectly willing to lecture the rest of us that we should be learning to speak a foreign language, though.

BTW, what foreign language do you speak again, schmoe?

8/17/2008 12:54:10 AM

^ I'm not sure that speaking gibberish counts as a foreign language, hooksaw

8/17/2008 12:57:31 AM

^ The fact remains that Bush speaks Spanish fluently. Obama--by his own admission--speaks no foreign language, yet he lectures us all to learn one.

Perhaps Obama should lead by example. Talk is cheap.

[Edited on August 17, 2008 at 1:09 AM. Reason : .]

8/17/2008 1:08:59 AM

Well, Obama had HOPED to learn a new language, but he BELIEVES it is too late to CHANGE that now.

8/17/2008 1:17:47 AM

8/17/2008 1:19:53 AM

you are so full of shit. why don't you at least do some basic *research* before you pass on email lies from your retard conservative blog forums, you old cuntstain.

for one thing, Obama is moderately fluent in Bahasa, the language of Indonesia and Malaysia. Furthermore, he definitely studied Latin when he was getting his Juris Doctor at Harvard. to know Latin, is to be at least minimally fluent in French, Spanish and Italian.

Als für mich selbst, kenne ich Deutsch aber nur eine bisschen.









[Edited on August 17, 2008 at 1:36 AM. Reason : ein/eine/einer/einen fucking gender :grr:]

8/17/2008 1:25:19 AM

ummm... i can't say that "knowing latin" makes you minimally fluent in any other language. Granted, if you are like fluent in Latin, maybe, but even still. At best you'll know some vocabulary, but that doesn't make you fluent at all.

and fluent in Indonesian language? what more proof do you need that he is a terrorist sympathizer?

8/17/2008 1:32:38 AM

yeah, well, to study ANY language for two years in a university doesnt make you fluent in that language. so piss off anyhow.

8/17/2008 1:38:01 AM

SUSPENDERS FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/hooksaw]

8/17/2008 1:39:46 AM

8/17/2008 1:47:50 AM

^x5 Um. . .is CBS News a "retard conservative blog" now--and quoting Obama's own words?

Obama: 'I don't speak a foreign language. It's embarrassing!'

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/07/11/politics/fromtheroad/entry4254480.shtml

Obama backtracked a few days later--of course:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdj7bmMsYdw

And the post above is from an absolute fucking fool like schmoe who doesn't even have the basic understanding to realize that knowledge can come from experience, among other sources. I swear, pwning the shit out of you isn't even fun anymore--it's too easy.

8/17/2008 2:04:13 AM

you're a fucking tool

obama of course is multilingual, although he will admit he's not terribly fluent.

his remark was self-effacing humor, after all the "Dey Tuk Ur Jobs" crowd went apeshit that he had the AUDACITY to suggest that Americans ought to learn a second language.

we'll listen up, you stupid fuckign liberal arts grad student, any educated person who has a bit of credibility knows learning a second or third language has numerous benefits.

but no, lets be like jackasses like yourself and go around saying shit like "If English was good enough for Jesus, it ought to be good enough for them gol-durned Mexicans"

8/17/2008 2:25:05 PM

This is ridiculous. The Mexican population is breeding out of control. Public policy will have to adapt in order to prevent any kind of negative social effect on our society. For one "birth control" needs to be "encouraged" on Mexican women as a smart financial/individual choice and to remove its stigma as "un-holy" since it is the lesser of two evils (abortion).

Also, education needs to be readily available and college assistance to those who are legal citizens or have kids born in America that are technically US citizens. This will help many of those to be productive in our society and to make a positive contribution in our society. Like an investment the money collected down the road when they get better jobs would offset the initial tax payer liability used. Thus all the "dey tukker jobs" types complaining would likely have Jose' paying into the system which provides them Social Security and other senior benefits upon retirement.

Lastly I think the automatic US citizenship for being born in America needs to be abolished. During the 1700's it existed for a reason but the modern era of high speed transportation it serves as a determent. If Jorge' wants to risk working here illegally I have no problem with him providing cheap labor to my entrepreneurial friends who then provide me with cheaper goods and services. However, they should not be rewarded by having their 10 children all get US citizenship.

8/17/2008 2:58:20 PM

*rabble rabble*

8/17/2008 5:20:35 PM

http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/messagetopic.asp?p=4790637

8/17/2008 5:32:45 PM

^Exactly what I thought of when ^^ posted that.

8/17/2008 6:07:08 PM

^^ that's a fascinating link.

^ i liked that one best


[Edited on August 17, 2008 at 6:38 PM. Reason : ]

8/17/2008 6:14:36 PM

if English was good enough for Jesus, it ought to be good enough for them gol-durned Mexicans

8/17/2008 6:34:50 PM

I think we have a responsibility to do something about the issue of immigration.

We can't protect floods of immigrants that are coming here illegally.

Crowded emergency rooms and lines at the DMV don't bother me.

But I am bothered by the idea that kids are working 12 hour days and women are getting raped in the fields like it's the 1800s.

I mean, that shit's a problem.

8/17/2008 7:35:38 PM

Quote :

"Crowded emergency rooms and lines at the DMV don't bother me. But I am bothered by the idea that kids are working 12 hour days and women are getting raped in the fields like it's the 1800s. I mean, that shit's a problem."

DOES NOT COMPUTE

8/17/2008 9:57:37 PM

^I thought it was kind of clear.

Illegal immigrants are more susceptible to abuse--child labor, forced prostitution, rape on the job, slavery, etc...

We either need to get serious about stopping the abuse or the immigration. Tolerating both so we can have cheap goods and services is wrong.

8/17/2008 10:53:20 PM

Quote :

"lines at the DMV don't bother me."

Shit bothers me. Whats most ridiculous is how the directions at the DMV are given in Spanish and english. If you are going to be driving in traffic then you better know english and have an understanding of the "imperial" system of measurements. Last time I checked information contained in road signs are not posted in english and Spanish. On Avent Ferry last week I got stuck on the 2-lane part after Athens Dr splits behind some hispanic woman driving RIDICULOUSLY slow in the 35mph zone. Then I just happened to noticed the smaller kmh numbers on my speedometer. Sure enough she was driving exactly 35 KMH!!!!

Quote :

"Exactly what I thought of when ^^ posted that."

The difference is my "immigrant" ancestors and most others(who on my mom side got here 300 years ago)

- They came here legally
- They learned english and did not expect the local market to accommodate them with signs in german/italian/russian/dutch/chinese/whatever


[Edited on August 17, 2008 at 11:25 PM. Reason : ll]

8/17/2008 11:20:17 PM

lol the local markets TOTALLY did that

there are chinatowns all over the world

8/17/2008 11:37:01 PM

lol

[Edited on August 17, 2008 at 11:54 PM. Reason : /]

8/17/2008 11:53:39 PM

Quote :

"lol the local markets TOTALLY did that"

8/18/2008 12:30:56 AM

I love little italy.

8/18/2008 1:16:54 AM

^^ Those goddamn Italians need to learn English and stop breeding

8/18/2008 1:54:43 AM

Sweet Jesus, schmoe, could you miss the point by a wider margin? Find the post in which I indicated that there is no benefit to learning a foreign language.

Since you're obviously having trouble with basic comprehension, let me break my position down for you:

1. Obama shouldn't be lecturing the rest of us concerning learning a foreign language--he should be leading by example. And merci beaucoup? As I recall, when Obama traveled to France to meet with Sarkozy he used an interpreter.

2. I'm sorry that Obama's own words anger you so much:

Obama: 'I don't speak a foreign language. It's embarrassing!'

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/07/11/politics/fromtheroad/entry4254480.shtml

PS: Wollen Sie gefälligst den Mund halten!

8/18/2008 2:01:14 AM

(1) because if he's not completely fluent in French, then he must not know any language.

(2) and you dont understand humor. the man can speak the main language of Indonesia and Malaysia.

(3) "kindly STFU" ... clever

8/18/2008 3:39:17 AM

^ Concerning 3, yeah, I thought so, too.

8/18/2008 3:40:50 AM

Quote :

"The fact remains that Bush speaks Spanish fluently."

I've spent ten years studying Spanish. I also voted for Bush. I did that in spite of the fact that anybody with a passing familiarity with the Spanish language knows that George W. Bush does not speak it fluently. He probably has a moderate grasp of it. Someone on his speech writing team can translate it, at least, but his efforts to read it are abysmal.

Now, all of that said, one of the reasons I supported Bush all these years was that I thought his views on immigration -- which is, in effect, to say "Latinos" -- was quite progressive for a conservative. He's gone out of his way to reach out to the Hispanic community, as far as I've seen, and I like that. Still doesn't change the fact that his use of Spanish is elementary at best.

Quote :

"to know Latin, is to be at least minimally fluent in French, Spanish and Italian."

No, no, no, no, no. At least not by any accepted definition of "fluent." Knowing Spanish and a fair number of Latin words and expressions means I can recognize certain things in French, Italian, Portuguese, and even Romanian (among others), but that's an extraordinarily far cry from fluency. Especially in spoken rather than written word.

For all I know, Barack Obama doesn't know what "No hablo espanol" means (sorry, I don't know how to put tildes on here), but I don't really care, either. Once again, what I do know is that even an extensive knowledge of Latin does not translate into any degree of fluency in any other language.

Quote :

"The Mexican population is breeding out of control. Public policy will have to adapt in order to prevent any kind of negative social effect on our society. For one "birth control" needs to be "encouraged" on Mexican women"

Oh, thank God. For a while I was worried that you might actually be serious when you posted in this forum. I had a litany of responses to other things you'd posted -- especially about traffic laws -- and then I actually read through that bit. You saved me a lot of time.

Quote :

"Obama shouldn't be lecturing the rest of us concerning learning a foreign language--he should be leading by example. And merci beaucoup? As I recall, when Obama traveled to France to meet with Sarkozy he used an interpreter."

Using an interpreter would probably be the safest bet anyway -- real fluency, complete to the point that it includes all the nuances of international politics, is hard to come by. Hell, plenty of people can't be said to have that in their native tongue. As to the the "lead by example" argument, I'm not sure I buy that either. What I haven't noticed you mentioning is whether or not McCain speaks a foreign language, although he may well. Regardless, public figures are almost inevitably going to have to encourage people to do shit that they haven't done themselves, for a variety of reasons. Plenty of US presidents have been born into great wealth, but they go out and encourage people to work hard to overcome disadvantages that they themselves never faced, never could face.

8/18/2008 5:07:50 AM

^ Concerning your first point, the meaning of "fluently" can be debated. I simply meant that Bush speaks Spanish readily. In any event, there are many people here who no doubt speak English fluently--but that doesn't mean they speak it (or write it, for that matter) well.

Concerning your former point, I disagree with much of it. The issue is definitely not whether McCain speaks a foreign language; he's not the one running around (and later "clarifying"--as Obama's usual) saying he's embarrassed that Americans go overseas and can only say merci beaucoup--Obama's the one who's been doing that. And not only is Obama--once again--embarrassed by Americans, he went to France and apparently was able to say not much more than (you guessed it) merci beaucoup in French.

8/18/2008 6:07:37 AM

jesus dude.

he said people should study a second language.

he didnt say people need to study FRENCH.


go masturbate or something already, willya?

8/18/2008 11:03:12 AM

Quote :

"At town hall meeting in Powder Spring, Georgia on Tuesday, Obama said, “It’s embarrassing when Europeans come over here, they all speak English, they speak French, they speak German. And then we go over to Europe and all we can say is merci beaucoup, right?”"

Embarrassing for who? This type of statement is why I would never vote for Obama.

I dunno, but there are plenty of Europeans that only speak their native tongue. And while more Europeans know more than just their native tongue than do Americans, that is more by force of necessity than anything else, since many languages have a, relatively, small population and small region in which they are spoken.

And last time I checked, most college educated Americans have know a least a minimum of one foreign language.

8/18/2008 12:57:31 PM

Quote :

"most college educated Americans have know a least a minimum of one foreign language"

two reasons you're a dumbshit:

(1) one year of required foreign language requirement in college doesn't mean you know the language. most degree programs don't even require that.

(2) you don't even have know your own damn language.


now run along kid, grownups are talking.

8/18/2008 1:51:01 PM

Oh shit, I quickly typed out a message on a forum and I didn't the type the word to like I meant. Fuck, that makes everything you say right!

Maybe that sentence wasn't clear. Most college educated Americans have a minimum knowledge of one foreign language.


Oh, and pot meet kettle:

Quote :

"one year of required foreign language requirement in college "

Yes, your master of the English written word is astounding, maybe you'll give a class.


And you didn't even touch on the point that Europeans have much more need to be fluent in another language than Americans. I'm not even argueing that foreign language education isn't important, but it surely isn't an embarrassment.

8/18/2008 3:56:43 PM

Quote :

"Embarrassing for who? "

It's embarrassing to Americans who give half a damn. I want to cringe whenever I go to a restaurant and I see the "typical" American who is being loud and obnoxious about the fact they don't even want to attempt to speak a language other than English.

8/18/2008 11:19:58 PM