Americans Don’t Agree With Obama About Bilingualism
Obama would like us all to learn foreign languages so that we dumb rubes stop embarrassing him in front of the Europeans, but it turns out that not many Americans are with him on that issue.
Barack Obama said yesterday that “instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English,” Americans “need to make sure your child can speak Spanish.” A national telephone survey conducted last month by Rasmussen Reports found that U.S. voters overwhelmingly disagree with the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. (see video)
Eighty-three percent (83%) place a higher priority on encouraging immigrants to speak English as their primary language. Just 13% take the opposite view and say it is more important for Americans to learn other languages.
In his comments, Obama emphasized the economic benefits of learning a second language: “If you have a foreign language, that is a powerful tool to get a job.” Data suggests that most voters see the issue in a broader context.
I think that Americans who need or want to learn a foreign language to get a job can do just that. The real worry is people coming into this country illegally, thumbing their noses at our immigration laws and then expecting us to accommodate them with translated government documents and the like.
Illegal immigration by itself is bad enough. The taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay to translate government documents so that the illegal immigrants don’t even have to learn English before they sign up for welfare.
