Oregon seeks an end to “no habla”
This may be a presidential election year, but if you think that all of the drama is limited to who you’re going to vote into office, you’re sorely mistaken. There are lots of fascinating issues on ballots across the country that will have a huge impact on the direction our country will take. And one of them is happening in Oregon.
This November, Oregonians will go to the polls to cast their vote on an initiative that would limit the amount of time students can spend in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes. And if you ask me, it could be the first step to reconciling the red-hot political potato of the illegal immigration debate.
As you know, I’m whole-heartedly against illegal immigration. This stance is often painted as racist, bigoted, or xenophobic (often all three) by Hispanic organizations and liberal lefties who believe the whole world is sunshine and lollipops and that the United States is just one big party where everyone is invited. But remember, I said I’m against ILLEGAL immigration; I’ve got no problem at all with legal immigration.
But one of my biggest problems with legal and illegal immigration is that, unlike the massive waves of European immigrants who came to the U.S. at the turn of the 19th century, it seems that many of our new immigrants have zero desire to be Americans – they just want to be expatriots of their own countries. And so far, we’ve mollycoddled people who come into this country by making it “easier” for them by literally speaking their language.
This latest measure would help put a stop to this. It’s similar to other laws in California, Arizona and Massachusetts, and the goal is to help immigrant assimilate more quickly into American culture and society. The Oregon proposal would limit high school students to just two years of ESL classes, and even less for grammar schools. There are 64,000 non-English speakers in Oregon’s public schools, most of whom speak – of course – Spanish.
I like this sink-or-swim method. By wiping out verbal crutches like ESL classes, it’s taking a first swipe at doing away with loony ideas like bi-lingual driver’s tests. Call me crazy, but you shouldn’t be able to pass a driver’s test without being able to read a street sign in English.
Naturally, academics argue that this is wrong – if not necessarily because of politics, then from an educational standpoint. Dr. Jim Cummins from the University of Toronto says English takes at least seven years to master, and non-English speakers are always fighting a losing battle to keep up.
(Personally, I’d discount anything a Canadian has to say on the topic of bilingualism – this is a country that has both French and English as its “official” languages, even though less than a quarter of the population has French as their mother tongue. And even though most of these folks are all gathered in one city, the whole country has signs in two languages. It’s a silly waste of time and money.)
The sponsor of the Oregon bill is Bill Sizemore, and he contends that if it’s passed, the new measure will go farther to help immigrants than hurt them – and he’s right. Remember that schools get additional federal and state funds for running ESL programs, and so to keep the government spigots open and the cash flowing, Sizemore says schools keep student penned up in ESL classes longer than necessary (follow the money, remember?). The hope is that, by forcing non-English speakers to immerse themselves in the new language, they learn it more quickly.
Putting limits on ESL programs will speed the assimilation of new immigrants, and just might help the U.S.’s downward spiral into becoming a Third World nation. Let’s hope the voters in Oregon get it right.
How to protect yourself against colorectal cancer
More good news from the folate front! I was ahead of the curve (as usual) telling you that folic acid (folate) is a boon to bone strength and heart health; the rest of the medical establishment eventually caught up with me. Now new research has unearthed yet another important new benefit of keeping your folate up: it may protect the colon from the kind of DNA damage that leads to colon cancer.
The study discovered that patients with low levels of folate were at an increased risk of colon cancer. Proteins known to affect the development of cancers could thrive in a low- folate environment.
The best sources of folate are animal protein, animal fat, and dairy products. But even if you get plenty of these foods every day, you should still take a supplement just to be absolutely certain you’re getting enough of this nutrient. Take two over-the-counter, 800- microgram capsules per day.
Your colon will thank you. Which sounds odd, but trust me: it’s a good thing.
