Gingrich Decries Bilingual Ballots

[BettorsChat]

By KASIE HUNT
AP
WASHINGTON (March 31) - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich equated bilingual education Saturday with "the language of living in a ghetto" and mocked requirements that ballots be printed in multiple languages.

"The government should quit mandating that various documents be printed in any one of 700 languages depending on who randomly shows up" to vote, said Gingrich, who is considering seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. He made the comments in a speech to the National Federation of Republican Women.

"The American people believe English should be the official language of the government. ... We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto," Gingrich said to cheers from the crowd of more than 100.

"Citizenship requires passing a test on American history in English. If that's true, then we do not have to create ballots in any language except English," he said.

In the past, Gingrich has supported making English the nation's official language. He's also said all American children should learn English and that other languages should be secondary in schools.

In 1995, for example, he said bilingualism poses "long term dangers to the fabric of our nation" and that "allowing bilingualism to continue to grow is very dangerous."

Bilingual programs teach students reading, arithmetic and other basic skills in their native language so they do not fall behind while mastering English.

On voting, federal law requires districts with large populations of non-English speakers to print ballots in multiple languages.

[zittiboy]

another fascist has his day

[gbell]

Learn the language, embrace the land and laws, or get the fuck out. Piece of shit illegals should all be sent home. Business owners fined, and education systems should have money cut off if they continue to allow the illegal sponges to syphon off legal, taxpayer monies. Go to another country and see if you get the same "rights".

[kbsooner21]

If you can't read or understand English, you shouldn't be allowed to vote!

[TwoTonTony]

i would agree with that and the #1 for english and #2 for spanish should not happen either. In florida many classrooms are overrun with spanish speaking children who are from illegal families and the class has to be given to them in their native tongue as well. this costs alot of $$ and holds them back ultimately. Also roughly 90% get FREE lunch from our gov't and last year 60 Billion was sent back Home to mexico from their families wages....So they had enough to send back but knew they can pilfer Uncle Sam. Our same laws that were designed to help have become a joke and we can't even turn out good students anymore. America is being dumbed down and passing these things through. I was in Miami the other day and could not find a English speaking person until my 6th try at Home Depot. The illegal problem could be solved with a prevailing wage bill and stiff penalties for employers. Funny how an illegal can get a SS# in 48 hours here. It is BS. It is a political football since the REpublicans want them here for cheap wages and the Democrats think they will eventually vote for them when they are illegal. howev it will blow up in both their faces....#1 they eventually will not want to be cheap labor.....and will be a bigger drag on the economy #2 they do not want to assimilate....they will continue to speak spanish produce mass amounts of welfare babies and never vote........

It is amazing that it is happening......People come here and use the freedom they got to circumvent the system....

[jordanrules23]

we can thank our Democrackic buudys for this

[BettorsChat]

The term he used ghetto is why this received so much publicity as he's trying to round up some financial backers so the whore mongural can try a run for President

[TwoTonTony]

The term he used ghetto is why this received so much publicity as he's trying to round up some financial backers so the whore mongural can try a run for President

Monte-

i agree the term ghetto is bad....what does it accomplish except to inflame. However,i agree with the spirit of it. I think he is an intelligent and good politician, but i do not hold him in high esteem and i think he has a snowball chance in hell to be president

[celtics72]

The reason the term ghetto gets so much attention is that modern America associates the term with African Americans, and all the negative racial conatations that go with that. The term is, and has long been, a term to describe poor neighborhoods, especially those consisting of single ethnic groups. His point is absolutely correct, in order to become a citizen you are supposed to swear that you can understand English. If you can't read a ballot in English, then you obviously don't have that great of grasp on the language. Considering the time period ittakes to get citizenship it would seem you are not trying too hard tounderstand English either

[BearDown]

I agree in what Newt is saying. I would have found a better word to use other than ghetto, but when you are around a bunch of Re-pubs these kind of things get said without much thought. Like the Trent Lott and Strom Thruman thing. I know someone might want to come back with an imus thing and that's ok. It's not right no matter who is saying it. There is no doubt that when these things get said there is more of a spotlight on it when it comes from the right. Might be because they are saying those kind of things so much.