Is this fair?

A health insurance provider in our state just granted children up to the age of 19 a totally free health insurance plan for two years....if they are undocumented.

A majority of people here have NO health insurance for their kids...citizens who were born here. They cannot afford it.

Wow.

Original Post by kathygator:

What resources are you concerned about Sim?

edit to add: few hundred years ago 100% of the state was Mexican...just sayin'...

 

Healthcare is the first to come to mind

Original Post by floggingsully:

 Where as previous generations just sent the money home instead of actually going back to spend it.  I still don't see how the current wave of immigrants is any different than past waves.

People come here from Mexico, they don't want to assimilate to 'US culture', and either they leave or they stay and have kids who end up more open to assimilation and they have kids who don't act any differant than kids who's families have been in the US for 400 years.

You would be surprised how many teachers I know who have to teach one of their classes in English and one in Spanish. California has become very lax in making immigrant children learn english.

Floggin' is correct Sim. I have seen it in Mexican and Asian immigrants, having worked closely both. The folks who stay and make the US their home tend to be pretty hard-working folks. Their kids assimilate very quickly and their grandkids - even quicker.

Original Post by simwaves1:

Original Post by kathygator:

What resources are you concerned about Sim?

edit to add: few hundred years ago 100% of the state was Mexican...just sayin'...

 

Healthcare is the first to come to mind

 Healthcare isn't a limited resource. It's a commodity.

Original Post by simwaves1:

You would be surprised how many teachers I know who have to teach one of their classes in English and one in Spanish. California has become very lax in making immigrant children learn english.

 Why would California make immigrant children learn english?

Original Post by kathygator:

Floggin' is correct Sim. I have seen it in Mexican and Asian immigrants, having worked closely both. The folks who stay and make the US their home tend to be pretty hard-working folks. Their kids assimilate very quickly and their grandkids - even quicker.

Strong mexican cultures teach their kids that assimilation is wrong. They teach that it is giving up their heritage. They even teach this up through the college level.

I have no problem with mexicans who immigrate and assimilate, but that seems to becoming much more rare with the recent influx of immigrants. 

Original Post by simwaves1:

Original Post by floggingsully:

 Where as previous generations just sent the money home instead of actually going back to spend it.  I still don't see how the current wave of immigrants is any different than past waves.

People come here from Mexico, they don't want to assimilate to 'US culture', and either they leave or they stay and have kids who end up more open to assimilation and they have kids who don't act any differant than kids who's families have been in the US for 400 years.

You would be surprised how many teachers I know who have to teach one of their classes in English and one in Spanish. California has become very lax in making immigrant children learn english.

Lax in many other areas of enforcement as well, because a large cheap labor force suits the conservative corporate agenda.

I have no doubt that the reason we've seen an increase of illegals in the last 10 years is because of the complicity between corporate America and the federal government.

Original Post by kathygator:

 Healthcare isn't a limited resource. It's a commodity.

I disagree

Original Post by floggingsully:

 Why would California make immigrant children learn english?

Speaking English is necessary for assimilation.

Define assimilation.

There's nothing wrong with law-abiding tax paying citizens wishing to preserve their culture.

Now gangs that use culture as permission to commit crime - that's a different story.

Original Post by simwaves1:

Original Post by kathygator:

Floggin' is correct Sim. I have seen it in Mexican and Asian immigrants, having worked closely both. The folks who stay and make the US their home tend to be pretty hard-working folks. Their kids assimilate very quickly and their grandkids - even quicker.

Strong mexican cultures teach their kids that assimilation is wrong. They teach that it is giving up their heritage. They even teach this up through the college level.

I have no problem with mexicans who immigrate and assimilate, but that seems to becoming much more rare with the recent influx of immigrants. 

 I don't understand why someone should be expected to give up their heritage just because they've left their home country. 

Tell you what- my husband is from England.  What parts of his English heritage do you think he should give up while he's living here in the States?  Or is he off the hook because he can speak English (although some people do have trouble with his accent)?  In what way should immigrants "assimilate" aside from the aformentioned "learn English"?

*Edit- or what kathygator said before I got done typing

Original Post by simwaves1:

Strong mexican cultures teach their kids that assimilation is wrong. They teach that it is giving up their heritage. They even teach this up through the college level.

They can teach their kids whatever they want, the kids are still going to adopt more and more american culture with every generation.  This still isn't different than any other wave of immigrants, the first to come to the US resist assimilation and within a few generations they fit right in.

Original Post by simwaves1:

I have no problem with mexicans who immigrate and assimilate, but that seems to becoming much more rare with the recent influx of immigrants. 

Because the recent influx is just getting here, assimilation takes time, it has with every prior wave of immigrants and it will with every wave in the future.  And what's your problem with these people maintaining parts of their heritage? if they all started eating at McDonalds and watching american football instead of soccer would it make you happy?

Original Post by simwaves1:

Original Post by kathygator:

 Healthcare isn't a limited resource. It's a commodity.

I disagree

 For it to be a limited resource, there would have to be empty medical schools - there aren't.

Free healthcare - yes that is limited.

Original Post by simwaves1:

Original Post by floggingsully:

 Why would California make immigrant children learn english?

Speaking English is necessary for assimilation.

But why should the state force it when it's going to happen naturally anyway? 

Why must immigrants assimilate?

I live in South Korea. Does this mean I must stop speaking English, eat Korean food only, wear hanboks on holidays, etc? No.

Perhaps you should stop being so close-minded, sim.

Original Post by brtaylor:

Tell you what- my husband is from England.  What parts of his English heritage do you think he should give up while he's living here in the States? 

 He has to start calling soccer soccer instead of football, he has to switch from tea to coffee and he has to stop making bland crappy food switch from making bland crappy english food to making bland crappy american food.

Granted being able to speak English is a requirement for naturalization. We've seen examples all through our history of folks coming here, learning the language getting their papers.

Doesn't mean they didn't create little Italys and Chinatowns all over the country.

Original Post by floggingsully:

Original Post by brtaylor:

Tell you what- my husband is from England.  What parts of his English heritage do you think he should give up while he's living here in the States? 

 He has to start calling soccer soccer instead of football, he has to switch from tea to coffee and he has to stop making bland crappy food switch from making bland crappy english food to making bland crappy american food.

 HA HA!  Nice one

Original Post by kathygator:

Granted being able to speak English is a requirement for naturalization. We've seen examples all through our history of folks coming here, learning the language getting their papers.

Doesn't mean they didn't create little Italys and Chinatowns all over the country.

Doesn't mean the country isn't a better place for having little Italys and Chinatowns. 

Precisely. There's room for diverse cultures, with some commonality - we all pay tax. :)

'Assimilation' needs to be thought of as an antiquated notion, not a goal.