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| Topic: "This is Alabama; we speak English here" - WTF! | |
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its hard to communicate without agreeing what language to use,, this doesnt stop people from being multilingual, it just establishes a COMMON language to use when dealing with each other,,
i dont see the big deal,,, if you go to another country,, learn the language, learn the culture, seek out resources to help you learn,,,with the advent of internet its not really that impossible. |
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manifest destiny...... we came we saw we conquered..... yes it is a bloody part of americas past but every country has a bloody past... its time to get over it ENGLISH is americas language.... russian ,french, irish, german immigrants etc etc... all learn it, why is there such a stink about making it a requirement??? no one is saying they cant speak their own language...just learn our if they want to be here so bad.. Because Native American is the native language of this land. Not any other has the right to claim that title. Who shall that be? The Navajo, Cherokee, Apache, Pueblo, Ute, Arapahoe, Seminole, Blackfoot, Iriquois, Mohawk, Seneca, etc. Lot of tribes to choose from, which one will it be for that NA language you are proposing? |
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its hard to communicate without agreeing what language to use,, this doesnt stop people from being multilingual, it just establishes a COMMON language to use when dealing with each other,, i dont see the big deal,,, if you go to another country,, learn the language, learn the culture, seek out resources to help you learn,,,with the advent of internet its not really that impossible. Ya know what strikes me?? In business..when the Japanese come to America to do business, they speak ( even though not very fluently in a lot of cases ) English. Even when our businessmen and women go there, English is still the language used in most business dealings. But yet, it's too much to ask for a bunch of law breaking illegal immigrants to leanr some basic English. What a joke this country has become. |
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I see you have bought into the ignorant bantor of the racists and hatemongers of this country. First off, to get foodstamps you have be low income, second they cannot own expensive cars and get foodstamps, etc.. Ya know what makes your arguments so utterly pathetic?? The fact that you COMPLETELY buy into them. There is no logical thinking on your part at all. How many illegals do you think actually collect a damn PAYCHECK as opposed to how many work for cash?? OF COURSE they are " low incomce " when they don't have to SHOW what they actually make. Christ. Get a CLUE. Christ you get a clue. Illegals can't get foodstamps so we weren't even discussing that. Suuuuurrrrreeee they can't. A fake ID ( easily bought off the street for a few hundred dollars IF THAT MUCH ) and a fake SS Card ( ALSO available on the street ) is easy to obtain. Show ID ( fake ) and SS card ( fake ) and voila!!! Foodstamps and government benefits...all while working for cash money that doesn't get reported to the Social Services. Again...get a clue. You do realize that I worked for the welfare office and handed out foodstamps, right? I know how many had fake IDs and they were far and few between. We verified all ID provided. It was our job. Illegals were and are not eligible for benefits from the welfare office. People really need to stop listening to the garbage they hear. You can look up the eligibility for foodstamps and it tells you this. Frauders are not that common. The garbage brokers would have you believe they are but they are not. In the State of Michigan, picture ID, social security card, and birth certificate are all verififed before TANF assistance is given out. And believe me right now in the State of Michigan, even those individuals that do qualify for assistance aren't getting it because of the massive flood of applications. |
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Italy – a country of many dialects which may as well be completely different languages. Many were adaptations like from the Ottoman Empire. Some have their basis in Greek, some are Croatian and there are several others. Switzerland has four official languages – German, French, Italian (not sure which one), and Rumantsch. http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/languages-of-europe/index_en.htm WEB SITE QUOTED BELOW Europe is a continent of many languages. The European Union has 23 official languages, and as the EU enlarges, the number will increase further. Multilingual cities The process of language evolution in Europe still continues, with many other languages brought to the continent by immigrant communities. In multicultural cities like London, Paris, Brussels and Berlin, hundreds of languages are now spoken. The European Union recognises that language and identity are closely intertwined, and that language is the most direct expression of culture. Language policies have therefore been developed so that language diversity is respected, multilingualism is promoted and, if necessary, threatened languages are protected. The European Union has 23 official and working languages. They are: Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish and Swedish. Then we have NAFTA Yep – let me spell it out (in English) North American Free Trade Agreement. Interesting..A much smaller version of the European Union, just the U.S.A, Canada, and Mexico but “union” non-the-less. So let us venture into unchartered territory – you know, AWAY from the uneducated stereotypes we have come to assign to FOREIGNERS.. http://canadaonline.about.com/cs/statistics/a/statslang.htm Canada is increasingly becoming a multilingual society according to language statistics from the 2001 Census of Canada. Statistics Canada says that while most people in Canada speak English or French at home, one out of every six reported having a mother tongue other than English or French. Statistics Canada says that more than 100 languages were reported in the 2001 Census question on mother tongue. Mother tongue is defined by Statistics Canada as the first language learned at home in childhood and still understood. The fastest growth comes in Asian and Middle East language groups. According to the 2001 Census, nine out of 10 people in Canada still speak either the English or French languages at home. All the other languages reported as mother tongue are not spoken at home as frequently. Only 10 percent spoke a language other than English or French at home, compared to 18 percent who reported another language as their mother tongue. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/analytic/companion/lang/contents.cfm • A more multilingual society • Nine out of 10 people speak English or French most often at home • Chinese position reaffirmed as Canada's third most common mother tongue • Aboriginal languages: Cree the largest language group http://www.aboutmexico.net/mexico/languages.asp The Mexican people can speak a variety of languages. There are over 60 indigenous languages in Mexico, although only 6% can speak any of it. This percentage approximately corresponds to about 6 million people in Mexico. The official language in Mexico is Spanish, simply because this is the language that most Mexicans communicate with. Just to equalize the research, I followed up with a review of the languages spoken in the United States. http://www.usefoundation.org/foundation/research/lia/ Languages in America Over time, many languages in America have risen to the rank of "most important foreign language to know." A century ago, this title was bestowed on German. In subsequent years, the spotlight moved to French, then Japanese, and today is cast on Spanish. Tomorrow, Arabic or Chinese might be the language in America to know. America has never been a land of just two languages. Speakers of non-English languages, 321 at last count, are not evenly distributed within the United States, leaving each state, county, and metropolitan area with its own unique linguistic composition. The scope of these differences illustrate the perilous nature of concentrating on a second or third language when creating language policy. Linguistic diversity in America encompasses far more than even the most ambitious efforts could meet. The true degree is brought to light by this report. CONCLUSION: How much of YOUR heritage, your culture, who you are, is inextricably tied to your mother tongue? Of course YOU will defend it, of course YOU will think it is the best and only, but those thoughts are held together by that part of our heritage which says –WE ARE AMERICAN – WE ARE THE STRONGEST – WE ARE RICHEST, SMARTEST… BEST. BUT WE ARE NOT. As a whole, this nation is lazy, self-absorbed, and somehow feels so much more deserving of what we THINK we’ve “earned” than any other nation in the world. Illegal aliens were not the point of this discussion – people living in this country legally who are not English “literate” are the point and I tell you true – there are more American citizens functionally illiterate in English than there are – foreign born citizens. But then I’m totally against denying a drivers license to any illiterate person. There may be enough poeple that need transportation 'provided' that JUST MAYBE we can get some mass transit going though out the country, stop using so much oil and so many resources for all those individual vehicles. What do ya think? Thank you! |
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Edited by
bedlum1
on
Sat 05/01/10 11:16 AM
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 and? again if they want to move here...LEARN passable ENGLISH... if rolls were reversed i would... |
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its hard to communicate without agreeing what language to use,, this doesnt stop people from being multilingual, it just establishes a COMMON language to use when dealing with each other,, i dont see the big deal,,, if you go to another country,, learn the language, learn the culture, seek out resources to help you learn,,,with the advent of internet its not really that impossible. Try reading what I wrote - WHAT LANGUAGE? Italy does not speak one language, India does speak one language, Canada, Mexico, Egypt, almost any country in the world EVEN AMERICA does not speak only one language. Now France is pretty persnickety and they even have language department in their government - let me tell you about it. In France you can be fined for using words which the French language bureau has not sanctions. Imagine that - a new think is created "memory chip", "iPod" a thousand other words - "hotdog".... When new words are created to define a new 'thing' the French find unique ways of using their current native tongue to call the hotdog something in French. Know why Latin died out? Because it was like French - no new words to keep up with the changes in the world. You know why American language survives in the WORLD? Because out there, people are flexible, because people out there, have learned how to get along, how to communicate with a huge diversity or culture, custom and diversity. How sad to read all the beligerant postings here like and wonder, where is the flexibility? Where is the desire to learn to communicate instead of just demanding that others make the effort? What happened to mutual recognition of humanity, for automatic respect for no other reason than affirming a human right? We may have to go more than half-way sometimes and it's sad to realize how few consider it worth the effort. We are not any more deserving of the free opportunites we have had or have prospered from unknowingly, until we can offer the exact same opportunities to others, even it means we must 'share' the excess we have or decline extravagance or expend some time and energy in order to make such an offer. We forget how easily we accept our good fortune and expect it to continue. |
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Edited by
msharmony
on
Sat 05/01/10 12:17 PM
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I think English or AMerican language surviving is alot more about economics than flexibility. AMerican english survives because of the MONEY involved in doing business with those who speak English.
The same reason far more people come from other countries to the US than go from the US to other countries...money and opportunity(or at least the idea of it),,,,little to do with flexibility Trust me, If the United States or United Kingdom became dirt poor,, we would see much less 'flexibility' in the rest of the world. What language? That which is most commonly used in that culture to do business and educate(or that in which their LAWS are written)....in america , that would easily be english. IN Wales, it has become english(although the Welsh werent happy about it), and perhaps one day the Welsh will take their land back and make the common language welsh again,,but Im doubtful In France, that would be french In Spain, that would be spanish and IF one choses to be bi-lingual or even multi-lingual , it only gets them MORE opportunities and money,,,, but the BASIC language for which to SURVIVE is usually the most predominately used in that cultures education and business... perhaps IM jaded but Im not bigoted, I just believe in logic and it seems logical to me that when you go someplace else you learn the language that those running that place are speaking. If I chose to live in my spanish neighbors house, no matter how multilingual they may have chosen to be,, I should and would learn to speak spanish,,, |
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Edited by
Redykeulous
on
Sat 05/01/10 12:18 PM
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Hey ArmyDoc - nice to see ya again - hope you are whole and well.
Let me ask a question of you and EVERYONE posting here: What is so threatening about accepting non-english speaking foreign applications and the language of those who have applied? Seriously think about it - ok, reading signs on the roads - I've lived in four states and every drivers license test I have to learn how to read all the road signs without english language on them. In Missouri there were signs I had never even seen before (rural country you know)but I learned what they were for. Road signs were made to be understood without the alphebet or knowing our American language so it's a load of crap to suggest that a non-english speaking OR EVEN a non-literate American can not drive safely. We allow the Deaf to drive - we allow old people who can't see over stearing wheel to drive - old people who can not turn their head more than two inches. So WHAT IS THE THEAT? What is the real gripe? I don't get it? REMEMBER we are NOT taking about "illegals" we are taking about people who are seeking or are already U.S. citizens. |
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Edited by
msharmony
on
Sat 05/01/10 12:34 PM
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Hey ArmyDoc - nice to see ya again - hope you are whole and well. Let me ask a question of you and EVERYONE posting here: What is so threatening about accepting non-english speaking foreign applications and the language of those who have applied? Seriously think about it - ok, reading signs on the roads - I've lived in four states and every drivers license test I have to learn how to read all the road signs without english language on them. In Missouri there were signs I had never even seen before (rural country you know)but I learned what they were for. Road signs were made to be understood without the alphebet or knowing our American language so it's a load of crap to suggest that a non-english speaking OR EVEN a non-literate American can not drive safely. We allow the Deaf to drive - we allow old people who can't see over stearing wheel to drive - old people who can not turn their head more than two inches. So WHAT IS THE THEAT? What is the real gripe? I don't get it? REMEMBER we are taking about "illegals" we are taking about people who are seeking or are already U.S. citizens. there is no threat to me, I accept all languages that wish to come here, I just support having ONE language we can all agree to communicate with. In smaller circles, people can speak whatever language and use whatever terminology is comfortable for them. BUt in a NATION, there needs to be communication which can really happen best when the nation agrees what language they will speak amongst each other. It is much more feasible and logical,, when visitors are coming to someones home , for those visitors to adapt to the language there than it is for the person whose home they are visiting to adapt to ALL the languages their visitors might speak. |
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I think English or AMerican language surviving is alot more about economics than flexibility. AMerican english survives because of the MONEY involved in doing business with those who speak English. The same reason far more people come from other countries to the US than go from the US to other countries...money and opportunity(or at least the idea of it),,,,little to do with flexibility Trust me, If the United States or United Kingdom became dirt poor,, we would see much less 'flexibility' in the rest of the world. What language? That which is most commonly used in that culture to do business and educate(or that in which their LAWS are written)....in america , that would easily be english. IN Wales, it has become english(although the Welsh werent happy about it), and perhaps one day the Welsh will take their land back and make the common language welsh again,,but Im doubtful In France, that would be french In Spain, that would be spanish and IF one choses to be bi-lingual or even multi-lingual , it only gets them MORE opportunities and money,,,, but the BASIC language for which to SURVIVE is usually the most predominately used in that cultures education and business... perhaps IM jaded but Im not bigoted, I just believe in logic and it seems logical to me that when you go someplace else you learn the language that those running that place are speaking. If I chose to live in my spanish neighbors house, no matter how multilingual they may have chosen to be,, I should and would learn to speak spanish,,, You are talking about economics, about business, about politics. For those with whom we DO BUSINESS we are much more flexible than you are admitting. For example, any major international business will have a cultural liaison to avoid those types of cultural offenses that may not even come from language. The English language has a great deal of acceptance in much of the developed world and in many parts of the developing world in which colonialism spread a form of the English language. That has lulled the American people into believing OUR language should be a world language and that we never need to learn any other language however, that is not so. In any international setting, interpreters are the norm and no one is ever expected to know English – those who do communicate in English have put great effort to extend that kind of respect with recognition of the benefits of a mutual language. And now you and others are suggesting we should expect no less effort from anyone who would do business with or choose to live in the U.S.A. No major businesses expect that, no political associations expect that, why should the American people? Now speaking logically – it makes sense that people would want to learn whatever language is most prevalent around them. It also makes sense that people with children would want those kids to have every opportunity – that’s why they are here, but very often they NEED to have time to acclimate. YES, in some places there is a huge influx of a particular group of people and interpreters are a necessary part of that environment. YES, it is ongoing, YES it is a growing need, YES, it has infiltrated some of the schools and some of our signs, and some of the menu driven phone systems. If all of that had been available in the past, we may have had a lot more people fluent in more languages today. |
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As I stated before, I have no problem with other languages spoken in the US. Or private business conducted in other languages.
As I have seen it, Spanish is the language most being catered to. Schools here offer ESL up to the 8th grade. Even with that, you still see kids in Jr. High who still can't or won't speak English. A coach in Fort Stockton was the ESL teacher. He couldn't speak Spanish. We are wasting a lot of money. I do believe we need to have a primary, official language for our country. I also feel we taxpayers shouldn't have to pick up the tab for all the translations provided by our Gov. The only spoken or printed material that belongs in Gov. is English. Private translator services, at the individuals expense, would open up jobs. There's a lot that can be done to take the load off us taxpayers. It's about saving the Taxpayers money and helping shrink Gov. some. |
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Edited by
Winx
on
Sat 05/01/10 03:17 PM
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Schools here offer ESL up to the 8th grade. The public schools in my city are doing that for the Bosnian refugees. The kids need help learning English. There's 50,000 to 60,000 Bosnians in the St. Louis Metro area. Then add the families from all of the other countries - Somalia, Mexico, etc. |
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Schools here offer ESL up to the 8th grade. The public schools in my city are doing that for the Bosnian refugees. The kids need help learning English. There's 50,000 to 60,000 Bosnians in the St. Louis Metro area. Then add the families from all of the other countries - Somalia, Mexico, etc. Wouldn't it be easier for St Louis to learn other languages instead of forcing the foreigners to learn English? 
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I absolutely agree with Alabama. If you want the rights of American citizens (driving, working, etc) learn the MAIN language, which is english! For one thing, if you can't read english, how the heck are you going to read the signs we have. I do not/nor will not go to another country and tell them that they must provide everything in MY language. They would laugh me, as the escort me back to the airport!
If they would like to preserve their language. Great! Speak it at home. |
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Ya know what strikes me?? In business..when the Japanese come to America to do business, they speak ( even though not very fluently in a lot of cases ) English. Even when our businessmen and women go there, English is still the language used in most business dealings. But yet, it's too much to ask for a bunch of law breaking illegal immigrants to learn some basic English. What a joke this country has become. best comment so far. and.. those arent lawbreaking illegals...they are simply innocent people who stumbled across the border and fell into the Welfare system. they didnt know any better..they couldnt read the signs.... 
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Edited by
Winx
on
Mon 05/03/10 01:31 PM
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Schools here offer ESL up to the 8th grade. The public schools in my city are doing that for the Bosnian refugees. The kids need help learning English. There's 50,000 to 60,000 Bosnians in the St. Louis Metro area. Then add the families from all of the other countries - Somalia, Mexico, etc. Wouldn't it be easier for St Louis to learn other languages instead of forcing the foreigners to learn English? Weren't we talking about ESL for children in grade school? How will that help the grade school children do well in high school and college? |
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its hard to communicate without agreeing what language to use,, this doesnt stop people from being multilingual, it just establishes a COMMON language to use when dealing with each other,, i dont see the big deal,,, if you go to another country,, learn the language, learn the culture, seek out resources to help you learn,,,with the advent of internet its not really that impossible. Ya know what strikes me?? In business..when the Japanese come to America to do business, they speak ( even though not very fluently in a lot of cases ) English. Even when our businessmen and women go there, English is still the language used in most business dealings. Doesn't that mean that they took English as a foreign language in elementary and/or high school? In college I had a suite mate from Hong Kong. She talked very proper English. She learned it as a foreign language in school. |
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I was just wondering,,, would it be an issue if .. a mexican official said ( in spanish of course) "This is mexico , we speak spanish here" or a french official said ( in french) "This is France, we speak French here" or an Italian official said "This is Italy, we speak Italian here" ..???? just wondering , because I kind of would EXPECT those languages in those parts of the worlds,,, is it unreasonable to expect a specific language in the USA(not to limit to one language, as most european countries have many languages spoken, but to EXPECT at least the one be spoken) Spanish is an official language in Mexico and French is an official language in France. The United States as a whole does not have English as the official language. But yet... you cannot deny that just because "English" has not been properly stated as the "OFFICIAL LANGUAGE" in the USA... that it is not the language that our forefathers used when setting up the 13 colonies and the exact same language when drawing up the constitution of the UNITED STATES???? This country was billed from the beginning as a melting pot of all cultures. Send us your poor etc... We are still no better than that and we shouldn't try to pretend we are. We are a country of vagabonds from all over the world who came here hoping to make a better life for themselves. None of them better than that others and none less important. So all the white faces I see who want to claim this country and pretend they were here all along need to step off of the false bravado. The natives of this country were not white. The natives of this country did not speak English. If you want to get down to it, the natives of this country aren't human. "American Indians" immigrated to this country somewhere between 12 and 20 thousand years ago. So, just animals are the natives. And we have good evidence that really pale skinned Vikings made their way to this country perhaps as early as 8000 years or so. The only place where humans would be native to would be Africa. If people want to use the "We were here first" argument, for anything, it could be used for virutally every place on Earth that humans now occupy. Because virtually every place on Earth that humans now occupy has been colonized and later conquered over and over again throughout human history. |
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Report & Deport ALL illegal immigrants --- National I.C.E Number: (866) 347-2423 PASS THIS INFO ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW Use the number below to get your local Detention and Removal Immigration office number. National Federal information #: (800) 333-4636 REPORT AND DEPORT, it's time to take our country back. If it were so easy... unfortunately I would be accused of being discriminating... Or having the race card thrown in my face, or better yet... "profiling"? I work hard for the little bit of income I make in retail, yet I am constantly being taxed for more and more services for peoples that cannot even try and become "legal us citizens" when offered the chance. I am in the poverty level of income, yet I do not partake of welfare, or any government handouts. I do my best to live within my means... and do not expect any special treatment because of my circumstance. If I do not have the money for something... I don't get it. Period. I do not consider anything a right besides human decency... This country cannot continue to be expecting everybody to take care of everyone ... and that goes for foreign aid as well. Yes, it is sad, that some peoples's lives in other countries are so bad... but the USA cannot expect everyone here to keep footing the bill. It is so out of hand now. If I work and cannot afford a luxury (not a necessity) why should people who come here illegally be able to acquire such on my tax dollars? There are people who are driving vehicles, eating and living better than I... and not working for it...they are given special preferential treatment, to me that is just wrong... Considering that most of the negative information in this post is not correct but stereotyped misinformation, you are not paying that many taxes at all if you are poor, so how many can you be supporting? Ok.. so you are saying my life as I live it... is stereotyped misinformation? I am still taxed... regardless...of how much or how inconsequential you think my amount of contribution may be... and those tax dollars are being misused. I don't really care what you say however... I know what I see in my day to day existence, and I am sure I am not the only one who witnesses this... standing in line behind someone at the store who is using their food stamps for stuff that I cannot afford... so I am being forced as are others to support someone's else's lifestyle because for some reason our government has decided it is a right for these people to have? Why? Because they have procreated more than they can afford? So now I must afford it for them? Come on... give me a break? What happened to responsibility for one's self? It would be one thing if the people came here and legally became a citizen. Tell me... what is so god awful terrible about that? I have witnessed several of my friends who have gone through the process of legal citizenship. It is possible... and not the horrible, terrible, catastrophe it is made out to be in these discussions. I see you have bought into the ignorant bantor of the racists and hatemongers of this country. First off, to get foodstamps you have be low income, second they cannot own expensive cars and get foodstamps, etc.. BUT MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL you can't even know another person's life AT ALL!! So you assume .....which makes what???? an a s s out of those who do it and you also sit around talking about your 3 dollars of taxes paid out since you are poor that probably went for the damn roads you drive on or the police force or fire department or defense of this country before it ever hit a foodstamp payroll. Stop buying into the garbage you have been fed and stop assuming you know how others live and you will live a happier less self depreciating life. Just a little advice. Actually, some of what you wrote I know isn't true. There have been numerous cases where someone getting food stamps drove a $40k (or more) car. I have personally witnessed people getting a cartload of chips, beer, and soda, with food stamps, then going out to their really nice expensive Caddilac. SIDE NOTE---Never ever go shopping at WallyWorld on the first of the month. I knew a guy who lost his job, got on welfare and food stamps, and never ate better before in his life. They gave him an amazing amount of food money. I'm thinking if you want to solve this particular problem, and yes, I think someone who isn't working shouldn't be eating ribeye steaks every night, just make it so people on food stamps can only buy staple foods, and absolutely nothing else. |
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