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| Blending In, Moving Up |
| 2006-06-13 |
| By Tyler Cowen and Daniel M. Rothschild Beneath the surface of the immigration debate is a debate about shared values. If we look at just three of those values -- the English language, family and hard work -- we see a higher level of Latino assimilation than is often presumed. Despite claims to the contrary, census data show that most Latino immigrants learn and speak English quite well. Only about 2.5 percent of American residents speak Spanish but not English. The majority of residents of Spanish-speaking households speak English "very well." Only 7 percent of the children of Latino immigrants speak Spanish as a primary language, and virtually none of their children do. Just as they did a century ago, immigrants largely come knowing little English. But they learn, and their children use it as a primary language. The United States is not becoming a bilingual nation. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #9 Everyone likes hardworking Mexican immigrants who live the American dream. Pointing that out is a red herring for the issue that is infuriating Americans today - but it's not working. If the GOP can't grasp that, and certainly the Dems have gone off the looney deep end - then we will find candidates and representatives who can. The issue won't go away with puff pieces about the nice Mexicans who live next door. They aren't the problem. Our law makers selling us out for votes from illegals is the problem. There will be payback. |
| Posted by: 2b 2006-06-13 20:49 |
| #8 The problem is not immigrants, it's ILLEGAL immigrants. Not once, do I see the word ILLEGAL mentioned in this puff piece. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2006-06-13 15:12 |
| #7 LOL! These guys' arguments are all debunked there in the second paragraph. All of this is based upon Census data, which, in turn, is only filled out by LEGAL immigrants. My personal experience too says that the legals for the most part will whole-heartedly assimilate....it's the illegals, who have taken over entire cities and counties in Georgia (poultry farms are huge here) to the point that cities that were "redneck" just ten years ago now have main streets with all commercial signs in Spanish. Now, I almost think that even 2nd & 3rd generations of ILLEGALS will somewhat assimilate (almost have to, at least related to English to get by in school, work, etc.), but to see entire Spanish-only, run down areas doesn't give me much hope (not to mention increased gang activity, etc.). |
| Posted by: BA 2006-06-13 14:55 |
| #6 Now a word from our sponsor, Page Fence. A page fence will keep the animals out of your yard and keep your children and celery safe. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2006-06-13 14:19 |
| #5 Ok. So what does this have to do with |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2006-06-13 11:45 |
| #4 Experience and reality are superior to opinionating and speculation. I live in San Antonio, and am only speaking from personal experience and first-hand knowledge. This city is racially diverse, but does of course have a predominantly hispanic population. The vast majority of hispanic citizens here speak english. However, there is a vast population of illegals, mostly on the south side, that do not. Nor do they have any interest in doing so. An entire sub-culture exists so that they don't have to. They take cash for work, pay no taxes, speak spanish only, and of course, lay low when it comes to citizenship issues because they don't want to be discovered. I agree that this story misses the point. Confusing illegals with legal immigration only clouds the issue. As far as the US becoming a bi-lingual nation, I'd say that depends on where you are. San Antonio is very bilingual on the north side, but almost exclusively spanish speaking on the south side. Virtually every LEGAL immigrant I've spoken to despises the illegals, and feels that they are not interested in the American dream, but only in exploiting America for personal gain. |
| Posted by: mcsegeek1 2006-06-13 11:42 |
| #3 The question is not "can they speak English?"; the question is "are they willing to speak English?" Some are, some aren't-but ability and willingness are quite different things. |
| Posted by: Jules 2006-06-13 11:26 |
| #2 For the most part, the Latinos are taking the path of the Irish and Italians. They are working blue collar jobs for two or three generations before joining the white collar work force. Yeah, they are turning some cities to crap with gangs and crime, but so did the Irish and Italians before 1923. I agree that this wave of immigration needs to come to an end. But I have no doubt that they will for the most part be assimilated by 2060. The Chinese and Koreans are following the Jewish path of assimilation, with the bulk of their kids going on to college and becoming fully asimilated by the end of the second generation. And believe me, there are plenty of poor Asian neighborhoods. They're just better at hiding it. Immigration is a double edged sword. On the one hand it brings new life and ideas to a society. On the other hand it brings a lot of friction and strife. I can tell you one thing, without immigration, big chunks of the US would look like Europe. I'm sure that some of you have gotten off the interstates and drove around the rural Northeast and Midwest. Big swaths are depopulated, full of abandoned properties. As painful as Latino immigration has been in the LA basin, the alternative would have been much worse. We were starting to shut down schools here in the mid-70's. A generation later, we would have been looking at whole neighborhoods abandoned and awaiting the bulldozer as caucasian urban TFR dropped from near 4 to about 1.7. |
| Posted by: 11A5S 2006-06-13 09:40 |
| #1 Once again trying to mask illegal immigration issue with legal immigration. Most of what is written here is about those who came here legally. They don't want to write about these illegals. |
| Posted by: Spomose Angick9582 2006-06-13 09:24 |