pirana 0 #26 March 10, 2010 QuoteSimpler? Maybe. A symptom, and contributing cause to a problem? Yep. There are shrinking numbers of people that consider themselves "Americans" and that loss of national pride will be one of the contributing factors to the downfall of this country. My Grandparents on my father's side emigrated to this country. Both of them became Americans. The retained customs, and memories of the cultures they came from, but they actively participated in becoming members of an American society. My mother emigrated to this country, and has done the same. It's happening that way much less frequently now. Emigrants are setting up mirrors of their existing cultures and not even attempting to assimilate. Rapidly there is the "melting pot" is disappearing. The melting pot is a myth. Groups have never assimilated quickly. Quite the opposite, each wave of immigrants has set up their own enclaves, usually in large cities - witness the Little Italy, Greektown, Chinatown, etc in nearly every large city in our country. The initial assimilation happens only to the degree necessary to function, and has rarely included language unless English is already spoken. Assimilation increases only with the passing of generations. It is why language services are in most demand for recently immigrated populations. Today, most in demand are Spanish, Somali, Hmong, Russian, etc. In past eras it was German, Italian, Dutch - with almost no demand for those languages today. Nothing has really changed, other than the places the immigrants come from. I do agree that a mailing telling people to watch for a mailing is a supreme waste. I'm sure it increases the percent of returns, but at what price?" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pirana 0 #27 March 10, 2010 QuoteQuoteQuote Speakie de English You talk as if English is the official language here. gotta ask... are you being serious with that? just wondering. So much for give me your poor, your tired, your downtrodden . . ." . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 2 #28 March 10, 2010 QuoteI do agree that a mailing telling people to watch for a mailing is a supreme waste. You should send them a letter telling them that. Help keep the Postal Service solvent. Quote I'm sure it increases the percent of returns, but at what price? Kidding aside? Assessment of tax rates and allocation of resources paid for with tax dollars. (Think: pork; and I don't mean "the other white meat".) The cost of all that postage pales by comparison. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfriverjoe 1,523 #29 March 10, 2010 Quote Quote It's happening that way much less frequently now. Emigrants are setting up mirrors of their existing cultures and not even attempting to assimilate. Rapidly there is the "melting pot" is disappearing. You do realize that people have been complaining about "the new folks" for at least the last 200 years; no? Well, back in the mid-1800's, there were a lot of German immigrants in southern/southwest Wisconsin. By a lot, I mean to the point that German language newspapers outnumbered English language ones. Many (most) business contracts were in German. Most court procedings were held in German, and the court documents were written in German too. This went on until WWI when the anti-German sentiments put a stop to it. The more things change, the more they stay the sameNPR"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,151 #30 March 10, 2010 Quote Quote Quote Did anybody else get one? It basically said that you would be getting a census form in the mail within a week, and to please fill it out and send it off. How many of these stupid fucking letters were sent out? Millions I'm sure. They could have saved all that fucking postage and just sent the fucking census form. Your tax dollars at work. Did you notice the part on the bottom.. One each "Go to 2010census.gov for help completing your 2010 Census form when it arrives" in: English Spanish Chinese Korean Vietnamese Russian Didn't see that part, it went straight to the shredder once I finished reading the main body of text, but there's another argument.... I am getting sick of seeing governments bend over backwards to accommodate fucking immigrants illegal or not by having information available in their languages.... This is the fucking U.S. of America! Speakie de English, como estes my ass! Has it occurred to you that the census is for the benefit of the country as a whole, not for the benefit of the immigrants. Making it easy for everyone to complete makes it more likely to be accurate, which is to YOUR benefit too.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #31 March 10, 2010 Those racist jerks! They didn't have it printed in Klingon. Why would they discriminate against such a noble and hansom race? --"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #32 March 10, 2010 Separately, this was put up on the tubes recently: http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NDAzNTgyZTM4NGRiMzUxNDk2MzljMDBlMDdlYTQxMzU QuoteMonday, March 08, 2010 Sending a Message with the Census [Mark Krikorian] John: I haven't gotten my letter from the Census Bureau yet asking me to make sure I fill out the questionnaire. But when I do fill it out, I'll use it to send a message. Fully one-quarter of the space on this year's form is taken up with questions of race and ethnicity, which are clearly illegitimate and none of the government's business (despite the New York Times' assurances to the contrary on today's editorial page). So until we succeed in building the needed wall of separation between race and state, I have a proposal. Question 9 on the census form asks "What is Person 1's race?" (and so on, for other members of the household). My initial impulse was simply to misidentify my race so as to throw a monkey wrench into the statistics; I had fun doing this on the personal-information form my college required every semester, where I was a Puerto Rican Muslim one semester, and a Samoan Buddhist the next. But lying in this constitutionally mandated process is wrong. Really — don't do it. Instead, we should answer Question 9 by checking the last option — "Some other race" — and writing in "American." It's a truthful answer but at the same time is a way for ordinary citizens to express their rejection of unconstitutional racial classification schemes. In fact, "American" was the plurality ancestry selection for respondents to the 2000 census in four states and several hundred counties. So remember: Question 9 — "Some other race" — "American". Pass it on.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bolas 5 #33 March 10, 2010 Quote Quote Quote Quote Speakie de English You talk as if English is the official language here. gotta ask... are you being serious with that? just wondering. So much for give me your poor, your tired, your downtrodden . . . We didn't say that. It was on that thing the French gave us... Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pirana 0 #34 March 10, 2010 Quote Quote Quote Quote Quote Speakie de English You talk as if English is the official language here. gotta ask... are you being serious with that? just wondering. So much for give me your poor, your tired, your downtrodden . . . We didn't say that. It was on that thing the French gave us... Ah yes, the French. Thanks for reminding me. Figures they would trick us into that, and coming from a people that don't like anything, including themselves." . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,120 #35 March 10, 2010 >It's happening that way much less frequently now. Emigrants are setting up >mirrors of their existing cultures and not even attempting to assimilate. >Rapidly there is the "melting pot" is disappearing. Every generation thinks that. Ben Franklin thought the same thing about the German Dutch in Pennsylvania. He claimed that they: -made no effort to learn the language -made no effort to "melt in" -printed street signs in Dutch and English in their communities -printed German newspapers and thus eroded support for English He predicted that in a few years, the Assembly would need interpreters so that the English speaking half could understand what the German-Dutch half were saying. He even predicted that the French would ally themselves with the Germans and thus be able to invade America. "IN short, unless the stream of their importation could be turned from this and other colonies, as you very judiciously propose, they will soon so outnumber us, that all the advantages we have, will not, in my opinion, be able to preserve our Language and even our Government will become precarious." This was in 1750. We seemed to do OK. The same thing happened with the Irish during the potato famine; lots of people lamented the loss of America to all these non-melting-in Irish Catholic drunks. We seemed to do OK with them as well, and I think we'll do OK with the latest immigrants. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,151 #36 March 10, 2010 Quote Those racist jerks! They didn't have it printed in Klingon. Why would they discriminate against such a noble and hansom race? SoH jatlhta' vlt!... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,120 #37 March 11, 2010 >How many of these stupid fucking letters were sent out? Millions I'm sure. Yep. And some aren't even census letters: =========== House bans misleading census mailings AP March 10, 2010 WASHINGTON—The House passed legislation Wednesday that would ban misleading mailings designed to appear they're from the Census Bureau, following criticism that Republican groups were sending fundraising letters using the census name. Under the bill, mailings marked "census" will be required to state the name and address of the sender, along with an unambiguous disclaimer that the survey was not affiliated with the federal government. . . . Earlier this year, the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOP campaign arm, put out letters that were labeled "census document." The mailings made a plea for money along with a form asking voters to identify their political leanings and top issues. The RNC appeal came in the name of GOP Chairman Michael Steele while the NRCC letter was from House GOP leader John Boehner of Ohio. =========== Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
futuredivot 0 #38 March 11, 2010 QuoteYep. And some aren't even census letters: What was the cost to taxpayers for that?You are only as strong as the prey you devour Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #39 March 11, 2010 QuoteQuoteYep. And some aren't even census letters: What was the cost to taxpayers for that? Zero, yet it's action that should not have been done. I wonder if they'll fillibuster the ban on it in the Senate. Edit: Actually, it may not be zero. By leading people to think that mail marked "census" is actually political junk mail, some real census mail (not the notice we got this past week) may be discarded, which will mean paying people to do more in person follow up interviews. Those are quite costly in comparison to first class postage. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #40 March 11, 2010 Quote>How many of these stupid fucking letters were sent out? Millions I'm sure. Yep. And some aren't even census letters: =========== House bans misleading census mailings AP March 10, 2010 WASHINGTON—The House passed legislation Wednesday that would ban misleading mailings designed to appear they're from the Census Bureau, following criticism that Republican groups were sending fundraising letters using the census name. Under the bill, mailings marked "census" will be required to state the name and address of the sender, along with an unambiguous disclaimer that the survey was not affiliated with the federal government. . . . Earlier this year, the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOP campaign arm, put out letters that were labeled "census document." The mailings made a plea for money along with a form asking voters to identify their political leanings and top issues. The RNC appeal came in the name of GOP Chairman Michael Steele while the NRCC letter was from House GOP leader John Boehner of Ohio. =========== I got one of those... basically its to solicit funds to elect republican govenors to ensure Karl Roves dream of redistricting more repubiclowns into congress by way of more nice secure GOP districts. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
