'This is Alabama; we speak English,' governor candidate says

reply to post by OutKast Searcher

But I have to ask...is English as the offical language of Alabama the most pressing issue your state faces???

Does Alabama have the jobs situation, housing, education, banking, healthcare, state budget, roads, bridges, and environmental issues all worked out? And all that is left to worry about is what language should be the official one???

I think so...

According to this site, Alabama has 2.2 million unauthorized workers in the state. That's 2.2 million jobs that would be available for Alabamians should the illegals go home. Unemployment would drop like a rock. Employed legal workers pay taxes and spend money at local establishments, making for more jobs and more money for the state.

Most of those illegal immigrants are on some sort of government assistance program. There's a good chunk of change that would be available for schools and infrastructure should all the illegals go home.

The hospital ERs are pretty well packed with assumed illegals (i.e., they do not speak English, they have no insurance, they have no money, and they don't like giving out their address) according to the people I know here who work there. So if all the illegals went home, the hospitals would be less crowded and could afford to give more time to each patient.

So yes, I believe illegal immigration is the single biggest issue facing Alabama today. Because if it were solved, the other problems would pretty much fix themselves.

A little info on taxation/regulation in Alabama:

• State income taxes are high, but managable
  
• 9% Excise Tax, applies to all purchases
  
• Property taxes for 90 acres and several buildings scattered around is under $100/year
  
• Vehicle registration for a 1987 Chevy pickup is $25 a year.
  
• My son is attending a trade school in conjunction with his high school studies. The total cost to me? $93/year.
  
• No emissions test on vehicles
  
• Many people (including me) still get their water from a well.
  
• Building codes in my area: If the building is a dwelling (has restroom facilities) it is required to have a certified septic system or connection to a public sewer before the power can be connected. That's it.

You can also live just fine out here on $25K/year. During the summer, we are inundated with fresh garden produce, freely given to us by neighbors (and we do the same to other neighbors). during hunting season, it is common to have someone give us a deer (we pay the processing costs) because their freezer is full and they don;t want the meat to go to waste. There are so many charitable organizations (mainly churches) that it is extremely rare for anyone to go hungry, unless they simply refuse to do anything to help themselves.

To date I have never, ever, regardless of income or insurance situation, been turned away from a hospital. I just am expected to cover the bill when it comes.

Oh, and I like my environment just like it is, thank you very much. This is Alabama the Beautiful, after all.

TheRedneck
P.S.: In Alabama you are welcome if you want to come here and be a part of it. You are not welcome if you want to come here and turn it into wherever you came from.

We like it like it is. That's why we live here.

reply to post by Nemesis0123


as to "shouldn't have to live in fear of police"... If they are LEGAL, then SHOW THE CARD and go! What fear is there in that. Surely the LEGAL Mexicans realize the ILLEGAL mexicans are costing them money too. That is, if those here LEGALLY are in fact paying their bills, paying their taxes, not distributing drugs, following the laws of our Nation, then they have nothing to fear!

I just wish the immigration folks would do their job come MAY 1 when all of the illegals are protesting! Nice way to round up all the illegals at once as far as I'm concerned!!!!

If I go to France, common sense tells me it is a good idea to learn some French. If I choose not to learn French, I have no real right to complain when I can not communicate to others. If I can not order a cheeseburger, because I was too lazy to learn how to say it in French, does that mean that France should add an all English menu to accommodate my and my laziness?

NO!!!!!

The reason we do not have a national language in this country is because our politicians are too afraid of losing votes.

reply to post by centurion1211


I think you are accurate and absolutely correct, friend.

The key word in any discussion of this type is ASSIMILATION. Unfortunately, that concept is often neglected by all sides.

Assimilation is the key and most important part of any minority-cultural push into a long established region. The invading (for lack of a better term) demographic must adapt to the standard traditions, social mores and especially language of the larger and pre-established group eventually, and the sooner the better.

History teaches us that when this does NOT occur, bloodshed, strife and resentment are the result. (Europeans into native regions, south african whites over the black african majority, etc).

So to avoid that pitfall, learning the established customs/language(whether 'official' or not) SHOULD be encouraged from all sides as it would only benefit all sides.

THAT would, eventually, be a true multi-ethnic society with a standard culture and language. Unfortunately, too often the term 'multi-cultural' is tossed about. And 'multi-cultural' is factually just a code-word term meaning 'erase the dominant culture, replace it with a minority push and numbers and respect for established mores be damned'.

Not the most politically correct phrasing, but nonetheless accurate in my opinion.

So yes, in Alabama we speak English. Learn it. It will only help us all in the long term.

I thought that was so tasteless. I agree with what he is saying to an extent, but I would have definelty worded it another way

Makes sense to me.

Were I to move to Russia or China or Zimbabwe, I would make every attempt to learn the language, if for no other reason than to fully integrate into society.

I'm not seeing a problem here.

Funny how the USofA politicians actually believe they're standing up for this country, when they're only in fact making it look more arrogant and anti-cultural.

Noooot to mention we are in FACT destroying multiple CULTURES on a horrendous scale in the name of...freedom? Freedom to profit? But at what costs.....

The more we hate, the more we will fear...

It's a lose lose situation every politician in America has been selling the masses, and win win for big business.

Any law that makes it more difficult for people from third world countries to come here and accept jobs at minimum wage (or below) with little or no benefits is a bad thing.... If you are the corporate lobby.

Politicians -

Bought and owned by special interest groups and corporate lobbies.

Votes! Get your red hot votes! Only half a million for a delicious, steamy hot Vote!

Public Representitives get theirs, corporations and special interest groups get theirs, we the people get S#!t.

Welcome to "democratic" "capitalism" run amok.

These ain't Free Markets, they are Purchased Markets.

Originally posted by downunderET


Because I live in Australia I don't fully understand whats going on in Alabama, however I get the drift.

Here we have some very "colorfull" expressions as well regarding the above comment.

One is "Australia love it or leave it", this being directly pointed at certain middle eastern immigrants from a country who are trouble makers world wide.

The second one is a bumper style sticker which says "Australia were full, F**K OFF". This one is directly pointed at the onging barrage of "boat people" coming from Indonesia. The people IN the boats are NOT from Indonesia, BUT Afganistan and Iraq.

Now these people claim to be poorles refugees, however it is claimed that thay have to pay the smugglers $5,000 US, to get a "lift".

Something wrong here fellas, the problem some people forget IS, that all these infiltraters are costing YOU and I some serious tax dollars and I don't like it.

I'm not a racist, just a patriot who wants whats right and just, and paying $5,000 US to get a free inbound ticket pi**es me off BIG TIME.

I see you bought into Shrub's children overboard scam, then. Do they still sell you that anti-illegal immigrant propaganda?

Think about it for a moment, why would these people risk everything, including their lives, to try and get into Australia, or any other country, because, I'm sure you've seen the appalling conditions of these boats and heard of those that sunk, right? Think about it, why?

Well, seeing as you are referring to Iraqis and Afghans, look at the state of their countries! Illegally invaded by the US and supported by you Aussies amongst others, women and children being murdered by the invaders, why the hell wouldn't they want to try and move somewhere safer? It's just a shame they were unfamiliar with rampant racism in your country.

And before you try and argue the point, I lived there for 25 years and left because, amongst other reasons, it is full of racist individuals like yourself and the racism comes from the top down. Just look at grubby little Johnny Howard and the children overboard scam to see the truth of what I am saying. And also check out the conditions in the detention centre in Western Australia!

And just because you say you are not racist doesn't make it so, your other words show it to be a lie.

Originally posted by OutKast Searcher
reply to post by Raverous

 

You have obviously never been to a tourist area of Mexico.

I wonder if the local Mexicans complain about the resorts speaking English.

It's probably required by the Mexican government that the employees at tourist attractions learn English for the sake of the "dólar estadounidense." (American dollar)

Besides, this debate has been going on for years and years without any compromise in Congress. We can all thank the party that got "shellacked" this Tuesday past for this.

Whatever the reason for America not to allow English to be an official language, we can best be assured that America will be left behind if it doesn't.



The Importance of English in the Modern Business World

Hi fellow Alabamians!

Now I almost (almost) regret voting straight ticket Republican in honor of our "friend" Nancy!
OF COURSE English should be the only language on drivers tests!!! Duh! Road signs are in English only and don't always have pretty pictures on them. As for it being the only spoken language... I'm not learning Spanish so if you want to talk to ME learn the language of my country! Were I to come to your country to live, I would try to learn yours. Show a little respect please.

reply to post by RulerOfAll


ummm.. acutally english is the primary language... remember years ago when we had the whole puerto rico becoming a state thing? the only way they would consider making pr an official state was if they made english the primary language and spanish a secondary.. soo.. enlgish is the official language.

( i'm assuming of course, you're an american. if not.. sorry for the assumption)

i've tried to argue the illegal v. unemployment point over and over.. the people who don't see it are people who've never lost a job because of it... well, i have.. i got laid off, had more experience, and seniority, he had almost no experience, and had only been on the job two months... couldn't read, write or speak english, had already been fired from the company once for not coming to work. but, i got laid off and he smiled and laughed at me all the way to the parking lot.. i promise you.. he wasn't laughing on the way home... spent the next year on unemployment.. finally had enough.. moved back to mississippi..

only to find out from a friend at the court house, illegal population had DOUBLED in the three years i was in louisiana. then found out, an illegal had become a serial rapist.. breaking into the homes of elderly women, ranging from 60-89. he just ran back home... right now (last i heard) he was in a mexican jail.. they're refusing to extradite him, since he was here illegally he wasn't sworn to abide by our laws....

had two woking for me, had to fire one, for not coming to work.. but not before he worked long enough to apply.. AND RECIEVE $400 dollars a month in food stamps.. (my money.. your money) he stopped coming to work 3 days after they verified his employment... the other quit.. but not after HE worked long enough to recieve medicaid for his "baby".

the medicaid one, use to laugh and brag about how he paid off a $14,000 truck in 4 months.. when i can barely pay my rent.. and that's the worst part...

they wanna walk around and whine about how they get treated... really? how americans don't like them.. well i wonder why.. you guys know that mma guy?? the one with the "brown pride" tattoo? and the lugz endorsement? what would happen if i had a "white pride" tatoo? think they even let me fight in the ufc? think lugz would give me an endorsement deal? not in a million years...i'd be branded a racist, him? nehhh.. it's just pride in his race... what?!?!?! really?? and i can't have pride in mine? and just for the record.. i don NOT have a white pride tattoo... nor do i want one.. just making a point..

have you ever been rear ended by a drunk guatemalan with no insurance.. no license?? my niece was.. totalled her car... sure her insurance took care of it.. but.. that was her money...when it should have been his...


any idea of how many crimes are committed by illegals?

california ranks #1 in sex crimes committed by illegals

in 2006.. 53% of burglaries in border states were committed by illegals

one study found an average of 240,000 illegal sex offenders in th u.s

so, remember that next time ya wanna scream illegals have every right to be here.. no they don't.. that's why they're illegal...

that being said.. i have absolutely NO PROBLEM with people who come to the united stated LEGALLY. in no way shape or form... one of my favorite things during the height of the arizona "fiasco" was a woman.. i believe she was korean, (i could be wrong), who supported arizona's immigration reform.. basically she said, if she had to spend the time and money to wait to be an AMERICAN.. then they should too, i believe she said it took her 13 years.. once again, i could be mistaken, but she wanted to do it right... so, is an illegal hispanic more important than this woman who did everything by the book? a woman who did everything she was told? who learned english, pays taxes, has auto insurance, health insurance? i don't think so...

in fact.. i don't see any of these people who support amnesty for illegals clamoring to cross the border and live in juarez..

hmmm.. geee.. i wonder why?

Listen up. I have a little personal and professional understanding of all of this matter. Immigrants DO NOT maintain their original languages past the 3rd generation, which is usually the generation that has a passive knowlegde of the language, but does not speak it (well) themselves.

"Oh, but the Mexicans are different..." you might be saying, "Back when my [insert relative] came from [insert European country] s/he learned English and started his own business."

Yes, that's right! Back when immigrants were accepted to sustain an expanding territory and fill the sea to shining sea with population - especially the white faces (see Chinese Exclusion Act).

Now, keep in mind that as the population and territory both stabilized, the myriad European immigrants eventually started intermarrying (Irish with Italians, Hungarians with English, Polish with Germans and so forth). Of course, in bigger cities, ethnic enclaves naturally developed, such as Little Italy, Irish part of Boston, Chinatown(s), Japantown(s) - the Asian enclaves being more prevalent due to ethnic and cultural differences from the Europeans, which were more uniform in their cultures, religions and even languages. As a result, our ancestors learned to speak English roughly from their youthful arrival, though adults may have struggled more, if not never learned the language.

If you learn a language before puberty - the so called "critical period" - you can learn to speak without an accent. If you learn it in your teens, you can become fluent, but with some trace issues from your original language; fluency level depends totally on each person's individual circumstances (educational background, literacy, parents, and so on).

Also, with intermarrying, any single language of the family becomes less common. For example, a second generation bilingual German-American father and a second generation bilingual Sicilian-American mother, in the 1920s (probably when many of your grandparents were born), there would have been no common language other than English, and of course, if all the little 3rd-gen (my grandparents) spoke English, wouldn't it make sense that they would all go out in the street and play baseball, or tag, or run around and muck things up in English, as opposed to random foreign languages?

But America is unique with this "immigrant" issue, so other people don't know how this happens.
Wrong...Every nation in the Americas has experienced immigration during their post-colonial period, from Japanese Brazilians in the early 1900s to Eastern Europeans in Mexico in the late 1800s, not to mention Chinese Cubans, German Argentinians, Japanese Peruvians, Lebanese Venezuelans and Indian Trinidadians. If you go to any of these countries, you will find that the children of these turn-of-the-century immigrants have not only assimilated into the population, but often know little more than a few catch phrases of their grandparents' languages - otherwise speaking the national languages of where they come from.

You will also notice that these countries are not Industrial and Financial Empires. As such, the current immigrant populations that come are few and only in extreme circumstances, such as current influxes of Koreans and Bolivians to Brazil working in sweat shops. Why would it be that there is no current large scale immigration to American nations? Why, because the population already there does the menial labor. So, for example, while your house keeper, gardener, bean-pickers speak Spanish, taxi drivers speak Hindi/Urdu and your dishwashers speak Haitian Creole, in, say Mexico or Brazil, all your menial labor speaks YOUR language.

As a result, the large immigrant waves we've had of Mexicans and El Salvadorans and Guatemalans who, having fled the American Semi-Mechanized, Industrially- and Mass-produced Agricultural products as exports to their countries - which, incidentally helped to destroy anything but subsistance farming in Central America - now do the work that we no longer due with our shrinking native population. Of course, it need not shrink or grow, but should just be stable for sustainability, but that would be heading too far off topic.

Since these new-comers are not coming during a boon time for population expansion, but rather as low-wage slaves in grueling industries and jobs that require back-breaking activity by companies and employers that domand a no-whining, no-organizing, brass tax below minimum wage employee, is it any wonder they don't assimilate?

The government tries to provide for bilingual education (providing for them to go home once the jobs have dried up if need be), but this has been an epic fail and waste of tax payer money. If they're gonna bother to do it, do it right! Instead, we half-ass it, giving the Mexican and other HIspanic children of low-income, immigrant families, with parents of little to no educational background very inadequate English instruction, mostly forcing them into complex subjects in a language they don't understand. Many are stigmatized, many teachers assume they can't learn (which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy as the teacher spends less time helping them with such an assumption). Some Spanish speaking children end up in ESE (Special Ed for those of you not in the know) which of course does nothing to help a non-English speaking child of average IQ). As a result, 2/3rds of Hispanics do not graduate from High School, feeding a vicious cycle that will not fix itself and won't go away on its own.

Supreme Court Decision Lau vs. Nichols (1974) provides for quality education to be provided, piggy-backing on the Civil Rights Act, that no discrimination based on national origin shall be tolerated. However, years of funding cuts has destroyed both ESL, bilingual education and general education for the English speaking students (but again, off topic).

So, you have low-income, uneducated immigrants with little knowledge of the national language, who all speak a similar dialect of the same language. They are marginalized, work basal jobs with most likely illegal conditions and for below-minimum wage, realizing that if the major factory they work at is caught in a sting, or if their construction employer no longer needs them, they can just be deported back.

SO NOW ASK YOURSELF, WHY DO THEY COME HERE AND NOT LEARN ENGLISH?

I think you'll find that your (not necessarily directed at any one person) own lazy, American, credit-based false sense of First World Security is to blame. Everytime you shop at Walmart or buy a Monsanto Product or elect politicians that believe in "Free Trade" or supporting the "Drug War" you'll find that what you are really doing is making it worse for the majority of those in the lowest rungs of Latin American countries, only for them to seek the new low-wage jobs Americans don't take (not just because they're hard jobs, but also the below-minimum wage...hello?!?!?!). America, as a whole, has fully accepted the consequences of this situation by initiating it in the first place.

So, attacking the Mexican immigrant laborer does nothing to fix the problem...what y'all on here call the Powers that be have created the framework, and you continue on with your non-protesting American lives, just buying the products and contributing to the system and so on, cyclically.



reply to post by buni11687


That's a private company. Surely you don't suggest the government to tell a private company what clientele it wishes to serve?

Besides, when was the last time you pressed 1 for English. Last time I remember doing it recently was for a phonecard that was specifically geared toward Latin America.

Every other company/credit card/bank/government office I've dealt with in the last few years either has a separate 1-800 number for Spanish (or other language) or a voice quickly says "Oprima uno para espanyol" as you wait to talk to a nice man or woman in Mumbai who will help you understand your new interest rate. (by the way, where to the Spanish call centers outsource to????? India also???)

At any rate, you are not pressing 1 for English anymore. Don't like having to hear Spanish momentarily...boohoo. You know how much English foreigners are subjected to in their national advertising? Not just the American music they use in the ads, but also the English words used to enhance the "International" or "technological" flare of a product.

Originally posted by TheRedneck
According to this site, Alabama has 2.2 million unauthorized workers in the state. That's 2.2 million jobs that would be available for Alabamians should the illegals go home. Unemployment would drop like a rock. Employed legal workers pay taxes and spend money at local establishments, making for more jobs and more money for the state.

Um...According to this website:

The United States Census Bureau, as of July 1, 2008, estimated Alabama's population at 4,661,900

which they say includes immigrans (and illegals), so either half the population of Alabama is illegal slave labor (takes ya back, eh?) and one should hope that Sparticus Rodriguez does not rise in the ranks, or maybe you misinterpreted the map on the link you've given, because near as I can tell the shade of salmon Alabama is in on that map means there are between 100,000 and 200,000.

Actually, forget the map, the first sentence under the map on your link says:

Alabama is home to between 85,000 and 120,000 illegal immigrants, a report released Tuesday by a national nonpartisan research organization found.

Originally posted by TheRedneck
P.S.: In Alabama you are welcome if you want to come here and be a part of it. You are not welcome if you want to come here and turn it into wherever you came from.

We like it like it is. That's why we live here.

As I'm sure Mexicans and other Latin Americans had no problem when they could survive in their small towns without American imports flooding their nation and putting them out of business. I'm also sure they would accept you as contributors to their community, but would not want you to come into town and set up a maquiladora (US-multinational sweatshops south of the border), destroying their local economies. I'm also sure they don't really want to leave home and flood your precious hospitals. I'm also sure that when they get to Alabama, they will not possess any land on which to grow fruits and vegetables and can or pickle them and give them to their neighbors. Though I'm sure that's exactly what they used to do in Mexico. While I'm sure people from Honduras used to hunt local animals in their environment, I seriously doubt they have either the equipment (illegals can't have guns, right?) or the know-how of dear tracking is lost on them so as to be able to provide venisen for themselves. Speaking of Honduras, I'm sure most Latin Americans would have also appreciated it if the US would have not disrupted their social movements under the guise of protecting us from the spector of communism in the 60s, 70s and 80s (and as far as Honduras, a couple of months ago - and possibly Ecuador a couple of weeks ago).

So please, do some research and stop blaming the victim. The illegal immigrant is as much a victim in this process as the poor Alabaman. Stop playing into the game that has been set up by the people that profit the most. Follow the money, clearly it's not the illegals pulling the strings here.

Originally posted by notsofast

any idea of how many crimes are committed by illegals?

california ranks #1 in sex crimes committed by illegals

in 2006.. 53% of burglaries in border states were committed by illegals

one study found an average of 240,000 illegal sex offenders in th u.s

so, remember that next time ya wanna scream illegals have every right to be here.. no they don't.. that's why they're illegal...

Um, sources please? Whose studies are these? Peer reviewed?

Stats I've seen on illegal immigration showed that the majority of illegal first generation immigrants from Mexico were less likely to commit crimes than native born White, Black or Hispanic people.

Are you really naive enough to think that illegal immigration has anything to do with theft, pedophilia, rape?

"But, illegal is illegal!"

Ok, when's the last time you ran a stop sign? Sped? Littered? When's the last time you underestimated your earnings on taxes? Illegal is illegal after all! Does that mean that speeding on the freeway, not wearing your seatbelt or embellishing your tax return or playing for skins on a golf game is a slippery slope and before you know it you're raping children and killing old ladies???? Give me a break with this stuff, there's morally wrong, and then there's regulatorily wrong. I think as rational human beings we can make the distinction.

Now, I will admit, for reasons I mentioned in a previous post, that the children of immigrants - especially Hispanic immigrants - legal or illegal, have a higher propensity toward crime, but now your talking mostly American born citizens. Ignored by the school system, high drop out rate, no home support, one or two full-time working parents, working for below-minimum wage in many cases. The kids don't always learn Spanish well, and often struggle with academic English, opting instead for the street language of most poor youths in this country, white black or hispanic.

Ni de alli, ni de alla

Originally posted by notsofast
reply to post by RulerOfAll

 

ummm.. acutally english is the primary language... remember years ago when we had the whole puerto rico becoming a state thing? the only way they would consider making pr an official state was if they made english the primary language and spanish a secondary.. soo.. enlgish is the official language.

( i'm assuming of course, you're an american. if not.. sorry for the assumption)

Actually, he's quite correct, the US does not have an official language - some states, on the other hand do. English is the de facto language, not de juris.

I would like to see some facts on this PR comment you've made. If I'm not mistaken, many Puerto Ricans do not want to become a state. Also, I don't see why Puerto Rico could not become a state purely on linguistic issues...that makes no sense. Quebec speaks French and is still part of Canada with no overall, problematic issues for governance or sovereignty. Likewise, Belgium has several official languages, Singapor has three or four (Chinese, English, Hindi and Tamil, if I'm not mistaken), Spain has regional languages like Basque and Catalan.

In fact, being Bilingual is more common in the world than being monolingual (only speaking one language). Even the UK is not English-only (Welsh, for example).

Here's a link to Wikipedia that discusses the issues with official language switches in Puerto Rico, but even the pro-statehood party made English co-official.

reply to post by hotbakedtater


Scenario: The Rodriguez Family is educated. The dad speaks English, the mom is alright and the kids are still learning. But dear ol' Gramma, she's not fluent in English and she's 60 years old, but she's the assistant caretaker of the kids, as is common in Latin American families, where three generations live under one roof. There is no one to care for her - what shall she do?

Scenario 2: There is a serious event in Haiti and the elderly parents of a Haitian-American citizen have now become destitute. They do not speak English, but he can sponsor them and care for them here.

Scenario 3: The US bombs the crap out of Afghanistan and minority tribes who support the US, such as Christian or Jewish Afghans, seek asylum in the US, but they do not know English yet.

These are but a few possible scenarios of the wild range of human existance that could lead to citizenship without the language.

reply to post by centurion1211


Yeah, the illegals bankrupted the country. Enron and AIG are just poor victims who went home to their mansions to smoke their cubans and drink some scotch and cry themselves to sleep.

Illegals are scapegoats... Weimar much?

But keep playing that line for a few more years, you and the rest of them, and we'll see what really comes of all this. I wonder if we'll have our own Noche de Cristal - where all the angry partisans go around breaking the shop windows of Taqueria stands and start checking men to see if they are uncircumcized (cause real Americans are circumcized) and then maybe a Virgen Mary sticker on businesses run by Mexicans, so all will know...

Oooh, this may be the historical "road most traveled," but it sure is exciting; why avoid repeating history's mistakes, right?

I'm thinking austerity measures - which they were talking about in the news today in coded ways - will be a heck of a lot of fun when they're finally enacted here and people end up getting even more angry at illegals for destroying our economy. I can hear the pitter-patter of goosesteps now.

reply to post by jjkenobi


Just go to AAA and you can get the "equivalent" for almost any nation on earth.

What is really written out in English other than street names?

Stop sign is nearly universal (certainly so in Spanish-speaking countries), same with yeild, same with green-yellow-red lights, and dividing lines - none of which use language. (STOP is not language, it's just a one-word symbol that is even used in Spain on their stop signs).

Some signs use simple short sentences, whereas the driver's license test uses complex statements and sentences with multiple clauses, so I could clearly see someone having the English profficiency for point-to-point navigation, but not for doing a test. This is certainly true of some naturalized citizens out there.

Bottom line, Supreme Court Civil Rights Act (no discrimination based on national origin)...hence, why Feds would take money from Alabama - over a piece of paper in Spanish? Over a website in Spanish? Heck, they created a job for a translator, at least.

Now that I think about it, all the newer writing on the side of the freeway has become over done...flashing signs above you telling you there's a silver alert or amber alert (by the way, there sure are a lot of galavanting old people with alzheimers...based on the sign here and how frequently they tell you the make/model and plate number, it must be an epidemic). Then there's the paragraph on the side of the road letting you know about the new law that you will get a fine if you don't move over a lane, then there's the flashing sign to tune to an AM station for warning messages.