I agree, it should be the official language, but it isn't, so it isn't right to go around saying that.

the native language of most of New Jersey is Leni Lenape; haven't heard that spoken in a long while; English is an import.

John Lee, Leni Lenape came much later. The native language of this region is some sort of caveman gibberish via Asia continent migration language. Or going back further there was no language until humans arrived 15 - 20k years ago. Do you propose we eliminate all speech or adopt gibberish?

Matt, what about the many more billions that your illegals send out of this state and country and back into ole Mexico and other third world disasters? What about the many millions of American citizens, especially African Americans, who do not have jobs because illegals have them?
I recently had a repair service out to my house. The guys did not speak English and could not understand the problem. I had to call the company back again. I will never use that company again. If the workers spoke English I would have been able to communicate with them.
If the illegals are not bright enough or lack the motivation to learn English then they should stay back on their side of the border. You know that the illegals are not the best citizens of their homelands. These are the dredges no one would trust to hire back there.

Matt, you are the undisputed champion for illegals on Patch.
It was you and not me that said “doing jobs that even blacks wouldn't do.” I said the opposite: jobs were stolen by illegals from African Americans. Illegals are poorly educated and bring their home economies down. Since they cannot succeed in their own country, I would think they are the dredges. There are not any rocket scientists among them. You are welcome to think they are high society - maybe they are by their societies’ standards. How does moneys spent by corporations on out sourcing, which is wrong, and American foreign aid erase the fact that illegals send a significant amount of money out of America? Plain and simple our economy is in the toilet and we could use that money here.

They can't succeed in their own countries because of a lack of jobs. Here they do jobs that no one wants to do anyway.

Matt,
Please stop with the "undocumented" bullcrap. An illegal alien is an illegal alien - period. If that term offends you, too bad.

It's no fun, being an illegal alien

And GOD made Man in his image and likeness. So...what some here are saying is that GOD is illegal then? Do I have that correctly?

And God made YOU in his image.... Does that make God a fool also?

This is all assuming that God exists.

Billy Mays that is pure bunk: "Here they do jobs that no one wants to do anyway." Some apologist for illegals created that myth. It should be "Here they take jobs millions of unemployed Americans want." Americans just do not want to be paid under the table - that would be wrong.
. .

Umm, so you want to go work on a farm?

And while you're at it, here's a little light reading from the US Federal Reserve: http://1.usa.gov/du3QOv

Labor-based immigration is rising worldwide, not just in the United States. In 2008, the report says, $336 billion was sent to the developing world from global remittances: "equivalent to 48% of the total private net capital flows to developing economies (including FDI, portfolio equity and private debt)."

The report says that 70% of undocumented Mexican workers who come to the U.S. and remit their earnings back home return to their native countries within ten years anyway. The report basically argues that the immigration law cannot keep up with labor demands, and that a more fluid cycle is needed that benefits both countries.

When the borders are enforced more stringently in times of economic expansion, "the stock of immigrant labor fails to keep pace with labor demand; during recessions...established immigrants are deterred from returning to their country of origin, placing additional downward pressure on the wage of the native unskilled workers."

The funny part is that NONE OF THIS has to do with the topic at hand in the Lt. Gov's post. She's talking about resources that have been put in place to make sure a bigger part of established businesses already in NJ are keeping the money here. Where does immigration have anything to do with this?

B.S. Matt , they send most of their money back to Mexico. And DON"T pay any Income tax nor Social Security on their earnings.. I blame our Liberals for this, Take away the Landscapers contracting liicense when caught notpaying into the system!! The problem NO ONE checks on the contractors!!! So he gets away with not paying matching social security..

If the landscaper has to pay more for his workers, you have to pay more for his landscaping.

she's a hypocrite: she campaigned with CC as a small government supporter while growing her own Monmouth County Sheriff's Dept the most in NJ. her staff nearly doubled while she was sheriff.

All states have Lieutenant Governors. Comments like this just make you look reactionary and uninformed.

New Jerseyians voted for the Lt. Governor position. While I voted against it - the people of NJ wanted it. I agree that it was not a necessary position, but if we had to have it and she holds the position, she isn't stealing from the pension system. She is getting benefits that being an employee provide her.

She is the elected Lt. Governor. This change was made by the voting citizens.

This change was made after the McGreevy mess. It was done to separate the executive and legislative processes if a governor resigned. The voters passed this constitutional amendment in 2005. Before becoming the state's first LG, she was the Sheriff of Monmouth County. The voters elected her IG when they brought in Christie.

And you could have found this out in about a minute on Google. But better to whine, right?

They say that the Lt Governor position was created to run things if the Gov was out of the state. The best thing is that when the state was crippled by a snow storm a couple years ago they were both out of state on vacation. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/12/nj_senator_criticizes_gov_chri_1.html

The only reason this legislation was signed was so the sitting State Senator wouldn't have the authorite to be Governor when CC is out of State- And he surely has been out of State alot lately.

I agree you you Dan. The only thing that may have caused some angst is when the Governor and State Senate President were from two different parties.

We voted it in because Democrats hated the fact that Codey was both head of the Senate and governor at the same time, giving one man too much power in the legislative process.

OMG, English and...Latin! I struggled enough with Latin in junior high school. Please don't tell me you want Latin to become the official language??

Looks like English isn't quite your language, either.

It's "English, thank you." And the possessive of country (as in "our country") is "country's," not "countries."

You tell me what my point is BIll, stercus caput.

Stercus caput ... ipsa ridiculam, Aqualung!

Thanks, Mattie. Every time one of my relatives visits from the UK they are amazed at how far behind our kids are in languages. Most of the visitors speak two-to-four languages...fluently!

Without having you refer to me as a bigot or a racist, allow me to make one point about language. The language of world business and American higher education is English, ipso facto! (Okay, so I used a little Latin, but I digress.) So, if you want to take advantage of the biggest economy and business pool in the world you better learn English. Additionally, if you want to avail yourself of the best education possibilities in the world, all found here in America, you better learn the English language and learn it well. Given that the average American will never leave the country there is not any really compelling need to learn other languages. All the immigrants who came here either learned English themselves or made sure their children did and not vice-versa (ouch, more Latin). In fact, what allowed this country to grow as it did and become so successful was the fact that you could pick up the phone in New Jersey and do business with a company in California and not have to worry about a language barrier. It's not racism or bigotry, it's just business. BTW, Americans didn't make it up...the English did;-)

If America isnt the best, why is everyone coming over here? The reason the American school students are lagging behind is the liberal democrats run the education system. Anyone with an ounce of honesty and integrity knows that is the truth. No discipline, no punishment, no personal accountability or responsibilty. American students in public schools are being short changed because of the liberal democrat system. Students in American private schools, secular and non-secular, are thriving. These schools have been immune to the dumbing down of American public education. But dont worry, Obama and the rest of the democrats are desperate to bring them down also.
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Mattie, check your data and be careful how you use the word "official". English for now is the language for international business and many educated people around hte world have been better educated and know two or more languages, but I do not believe most countries have more than one "official" language.

Being bi-lingual is something we should all be taught and strive to. Maybe it won't happen in my lifetime, but there is nothing in the Constitution that states English must be the official language of the US. If the majority of th epopulation one day is Spanish speaking (or any other language), we should be prepared to switch.

South Westfielder-

The reason I put official in quotes ("official") was to separate it from the usual technical term of official - such as government sanctioned, etc.
But I see where that might be confusing, especially for the less educated knee-jerks around here, so I'll clarify: Most countries around the world "officially accept" two or more languages being spoken in day-to-day transactions, in their government, and in the work place. This is not a big deal to them, because it was ENGLISH that was originally the intruding language into their culture... so yes, the world of international business and finance, the world of higher education (in AMERICA) have accepted English as the official, standard language.
However, that doesn't mean that they have rejected all other culturally ORIGINAL languages and stopped speaking and/or teaching them in day to day life. The last few generations since WWII in Europe and Asia have become bi, tri, or quad lingual. Yes, English is usually one of their languages they are fluent in.
But why does that mean Americans should ONLY know English and not allow any other cultural language to survive here? Arrogance. Pure, ignorant arrogance with a touch of xenophobia thrown in for good measure, that's why.

BTW, if you want to talk education, talk math and science not language. That's the difference between a real, usable degree and a soft degree.
And additionally, while all S.G.'s foreign relatives were learning to speak two to four languages fluently, we were bailing them out financially and fighting their wars. Again, it's nothing personal it's just the facts.

Actually English is not the language of world business, thats French.

south-westfielder

Before you ask someone to check the facts, you might want to do the same. Here is a short list of countries that have more than one official language. 
Aruba: Dutch and Papiamento
Belgium: Dutch, French, German
Botswana: English and Setswana
Cameroon: French and English 
Canada: English and French 
Curaçao: Papiamentu and Dutch
Eritrea: Tigrinya, Arabic, and English
India: Hindi, English
Hindi in the Devanagari script is the official language of the Union and English an additional language for official work.
Recognised regional languages (each state has an official language): Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu
Ireland: English and Irish 
Luxembourg: Luxembourgish, French, and German
Switzerland: German, French, Italian, and Romansh

Do want me to go on. 

@ Journey, no you do not need to go on, because the list of countries you listed are mostly, not all, countries with any significant role in the financial, political or other fabric of international players. There are some key players in your list, but my statement is still not incorrect - most countries do not have more than one formally official language.

@ Billy Mays, French is the official language for international diplomacy, like the UN. English is the international language for doing business.

I've done business with a lot of people who don't speak English.

America has every right to be elitist. We are the last, best hope of freedom in the world. It is a fantasy to not recognise that. It seems that the fellow travelers of the 40s and 50s only went into seclusion for the last half century and have now come out of their hiding places. Included in this radical, leftist belief system is a conception that the United States is no better than any other country, that the great American experiment in freedom is a falacy, built on the suffering of other socities and cultures, and that we need to share our ill-gotten gains with everyone we have stolen them from, e.g., redistribution of wealth not only within the US but throughout the world. Of course these views have no basis in history and are directly from the self-avowed communist Howard Zinn's, a People's History of the United States, a book that corrupted the minds of far too many chindren in public schools. Fortunately, there are still millions of patriotic Americans who have not succumbed to these extremist anti-American views and who hold our country in the respect it deserves.

Amen Mattie, I am from direct European dissent, first generation and I find the arrogance of the Americans repulsive. My parents knew 4 languages, sadly I only know three. My children, one. Ignorance of language is only the tip of the iceberg, Americans are so politically stupid it's appalling. Most Americans vote for candidates on personal and social issues instead of what they should be voting for and that is proper representation for their economic status.

Thats the problem, this is not your country, this is everyone's country, spanish speaking people included. There is no such thing as an American citizen, we don't have citizenships based on country of origin in America. If someone is a citizen here, they are American.

God Bless America!!!!!! Raise the American flag first then you have the right to fly any flag you want.

Echo all of your thoughts Just Saying

Billy - you're right and wrong simultaneously. Not an easy task but you're managed to do it. Why? Well, this is everyone's country, Spanish speaking people included, but only for those who are citizens. Get it? The is not the country of prople who are here illegally and who have broken our laws to get here. Neither is it the country of people here legally until they become citizens. On the issue of learning English, we have made it too easy not to. Puishing buttons on phones, having documents in foreign languages, etc., is a disservice to immigrants who will never assimilate until they do so. My Italisn grandmother never learned English. She didn't need to in her neighborhood but she would have had a difficult time outside of it. My father, born here, didn't speak English until he went to school at 5, because he didn't have to either. But he couldn't have become a doctor unless he had learned to speak English, albeit without an English as a Second Language curriculum. My father-in-law only spoke Spanish when he came here. He had to learn English and he did. English was spoken in his house. If he hadn't, I doubt my wife would have been able to obtain a masters degree in English. My point: government needs to provide the opportunity for legal immigrants to attend school to learn English and simultaneously needs to stop every program that makes it easy for immigrants not to learn the language.

Not all Spanish speaking people are illegal here.

Let's not get it confussed. They do NOT post signs in English for OUR benefit. They do it to make their country more tourist friendly so we can visit and spend our money their. They do it for their own benefit.

Just Saying-
There are LOTS of English speaking ex-pats living all over the world. As a matter of fact, the number of ex-pats living and retiring all over the world has risen a great deal in the last decade or two. They are not tourists spending two weeks there and throwing around American money.... they are people relocating PERMANENTLY in other countries, and being accepted and accommodated with open arms. Why are they being accepted and 'catered to'? For the money? Maybe. Or maybe because it's just the 'right thing to do'....

Don't kid yourself, Mattie, they don't do it because it's the right thing to do, they do it for all the money the retirees are bringing in. The last time any country did anything because it was "the right thing to do" was...well, I really don't know if that ever happened.

And you'd be a bigger fool if you passed up Pat's to eat at Geno's.

I would pass up both to eat at Chinks

You obviously need to look around you for the answer! Maybe you don't read or watch the news enough to know that on the flip side of what your praising is that this country is is giving away what it has taken most of the people that are citizens, a life time to earn! Did most of our parents have to work 20, 25, or 30 yeras to get the tiny amounts they get every month? I'd like to think that 95% of the people that will read this will say yes that is true. Enter the ones that sneak in and have the expectations that they should be taken care of. This isn't just about the hispanic community, it's about any one that comes here and has expectations of being taken care of. What affords them that expectation, tell me? what do you have to do as a citizen of this country to have those expectations? You have to work and pay into the system. It's bad enough our political buffoons don't pay their fair share! And you want to give it all away!!!

Will, the businesses will stay because there are customers not because a Spanish speaking line was put in by the State. The State wants to make sure the language barrier does not prevent those owners from properly registering and understanding their tax obligations. The State loses out on business tax revenue if owners aren't made aware of their tax obligations. Ignorance can't be claimed as an excuse not to pay sales tax, payroll, etc. It's about getting the tax revenue but not because the owners will flee the State without a Spanish speaking line.

Nobody that is going to call this number is lazy. Lazy people don't start their own businesses.

And you see nothing wrong with "forcing" people to do things ONE way, and only one way, or else be punished? Really? Well one of my grandmothers came here from Italy (circa 1920) and she NEVER learned to speak English. She got along just fine. Of course she lived in an Italian neighborhood (in NJ) where everyone else understood her just fine, and all her kids spoke Italian until they started school and still spoke Italian at home well into their adulthood. They are/were all productive, respectable, law-abiding citizens. Bi-lingual citizens. No one "forced" her to learn English. She chose to learn or not learn for herself. That choice should still stand today. Accommodating other languages is the smart, sensible and economically advantageous thing to do. Making laws against other languages is bigotry and ignorance.

It is not so much the language as it is the obtaining an actual, legal, citizenship part of it. If they want to make it tougher on themselves, then that is their choice. If they truly love this country and want to be a positive, productive, part of it. And of their community. Then they should do just that. But that is not their true intentions. Instead they pack 30 people into a single home. Do not pay taxes. Make money and send it back to their country for their family. Then after working here for so many years they return home to their country. Doing nothing for this country. Do you not see the problem with this?

Not every Spanish-American packs 30 people into their houses and doesn't have a job. Thats a very stupid assumption.

When my ancestors came to America they did not learn the local language. Over time this country has killed or indangered more than one indigious language.

Forcing a conquered people to learn the language of their conqueror is part of imperialism 101.

Language control is often a tool of political control. Now ask yourself who is afraid and why?

Mattie,

Accommodating other languages and catering to people who don't speak the language are two different things.

I'm first generation on my father's side. And, as he spoke German (Austria), there was absolutely zero catering to him and others who spoke German (or Russian, or French, or Italian or any number of other languages). If you wanted to speak the native language in your neighborhood, fine. That's the "accommodation" part. But, when it came time to deal with others from outside the 'hood, there was no such thing as there is now: Por espanol, marque numero dos.

There are probably close to two billion Chinese in the world. And, at no time have I ever heard (not that I could understand it): For Chinese (pick your dialect), press 3.

We made life to damn easy for those Spanish-speaking people who were too lazy to learn English. Hell, the NJ driver's test is given in Spanish even though all the road signs are in English.

I don't mind accommodating people. But I damn well won't cater to them.

A beautiful poem, but by no means law.

Just like people who always bring up 'separation of church and state' without understanding the genuine Constitutional principle, or who throw out 'what would Jesus do' without understanding the Bible, someone always throws out these last lines from socialist poet Emma Lazarus' sonnet as some sort of foundational principle.
Its not the law of the land, it's not founded in the Constitution, its only a pretty good sonnet written for a competition to put on the plaque of a statue donated to us from France. So, for the record, here is the whole text of The New Colossus:
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Neither could 30 year old Mexicans.The problem is Republicans & Democrats really don't want to enforce the Federal immigration law they pander to the Latino voters.Mean while illegals pour over the border on a daily basis then push out a bunch of babies which when born here are considered American citizens.Break the law and be rewarded go figure?

Perhaps, but they're not holding themselves out as being capable of writing the Great American Novel, nor are them expecting immigrants to be able to do so. They just want immigrants to be able to get by in conversational English.

A fair amount of Patch posters aren't real bright i.e. not well-educated......

The fact of the matter is the undocumented are here because it benefits American business, which by the way is the same reason for the great immigrations of the past. America needed cheap labor and we had a "no wait policy". The Irish spoke the language but many others settle in communities of people from their homelands and intregrated slowly and generationly. The issue here is not to rant on undocumented people who benefit your small business neighbor but to help Spanish speaking local business develope and help everyone's ecconomy in the NJ. How could that be wrong.

Dan Grant - you must be a leftist since you hum the mantra that is is always business' fault and preach the undocumented v. illegal gospel. But you are correct that it is about business needing cheap labor. So how do we solve the problem? Reforms are needed that will create a guest worker program so illegal aliens can become documented, so they can help support their families in other countries and so that they can go home after a set period of time. Everyone wins. But we also need to make sure that these newly documented workers do not bring their families, that if they do, their families do not receive education or health benefits, that they pay into social security and that employers who use illegal, undocumented aliens are severely fined. Those who qualify for permanent resident status can follow the same path you mentioned on slowly assimilating into the American culture. Meanwhile, the best way to help legal Spanish speaking small businesses and all other small businesses is to reduce government red tape, interference and bureaucracy so all business can thrive.

I am not a leftist, I am a reaonable person who knows what I am talking about. I can see where conservatives don't understand the concept. Facing facts business is almost never fined for hiring the undocumented. Obviously if they were they wouldn't hire all these people who successfully find work here. This red tape you talk of, are you talking about running a safe work place? Are you talking about regulations that keep toxins from out food or food that is served in a sanitary mannor? Are you talking about zoning regulations that keep neighborhoods safe and quiet? I always hear about these Infamous regulations but never hear about which regulations should be eliminated.

Dan - While someone who walks like a leftist, swims like a leftist, quacks like a leftist and talks like a leftist may not be a leftist, it is highly unlikely that he is not a leftist, especially when he criticises conservatives. Regulations: Let's start with lightbulbs, greenhouse gas rules, the boiler rule fiasco, pharmaceutical regulations which stifle new drug development, cement industry regulations, farm dust regulations, prohibitions against oil and natural gas exploration, and on and on and on. You, being a leftist, may not have ever met a paternalistic rule you didn't like but the reality is that they hurt everyone. Glad we can agree that businesses that hire illegal aliens should be fined.

Anyone employing an illegal should be prosecuted. Simple as that. What is also interesting is that the leftists who are so vocal for rights for illegals refuse to go after employers who hire them. But that's typical liberal hypocracy.

Sorry about the errors the iPad is not the best tool for posting.

Although I can barely get by in Italian and can only say thank you in Irish and although my wife can only get by in Spanish if spoken slowly, we have maintained the traditions and a good part of the cultures. You do not lose the culture and the traditions just because you are not fluent in the language. But you do have to work at it.

See how much of the culture your 2nd great grand children have.

My 2nd great grandparents were Polish and I inherented none of the culture. The same for the Irish (which I only know was Irish because I found the cenus records) or my 3rd great grand parents from Prusia.

I think I'm doing pretty good. My youngest son speaks Italian well and Spanish fluently. I'll be thinking of you when I stuff 12 grapes in my mouth on New Year's Eve and bit into them all at once.

And also at Easter when I make my Aunt Carmela's recipe for Crispelle.

My mom never learned how to make her great grandma's plum perogies, and now that is lost.

It is not if you can make crispelle, it is if your great grand children can make it.

I'm mostly 10th-12th generation. I have a massive family tree with branches from all over. No songs, except those that everyone else knows. No recipes. No traditions. I grew up with neighbors that had inherited their culture, and I'm not ashamed to say I was jealous.

So I have researched my family tree and have choosen a branch to focus on. So I'm learning the language, teaching it to my daughter. I'm learning how to cook traditional dishes. Reverse engineering my culture perhaps, but it is the only option I have.

So everyone should learn a Native American language? Absurd! There are not enough Native Americans left for that, something you can thank the English for. English, although it is the language of England, the most heinous oppressors of native peoples throughout the world, should be not only the de facto language but the de jure language for simple, practical reasons. That is no insult to anyone.

No, but the reasons for imagrants to learn English can be framed so that it doesn't sound like hypocrital malarkey.

It it would not hurt anyone to learn a second or third language.

I agree that it would not hurt to learn another language but for practical reasons. Learning Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Arabic or Spanish would be a boon to anyone seeking a career in business or international relations. But learning Sioux would only help the small percentage of people involved in anthropological studies of a small segment of the native American population.

We could solve this problem by giving California, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico back to the Mexicans who the Anglos stole those states from in the Mexican-American War of 1848, long before any of my ancestors came to these shores. The question is: Would Mexico want those areas back? California is broke thanks to decades of left wing policies.

I cut out all your needless drama; you do like to go on and on.

Who are you kidding “Jobs nobody wants" is a myth put up by the apologist for the illegals. There are millions of unemployed Americans willing to take those jobs at minimum wages. You want proof - just visit Wal-Mart. And by hiring Americans you keep the money in America and not in a corrupt and broken down country known as Mexico.

A professor wrote a book that debunks, so what? Anyone, including professors can write a book that supports their view. How about concrete facts?

John Anthony: Lawns were cut long before this plague of illegals decended upon us.. greedy lawn contractors get away with paying them less and rolling up great profits form them selfs. Why is the IRS Not checking on their books??

NBew Jersey, and then Mexico can give back all its land to the Indians from which they stole from. And the Indians can give the land back to the original tribes that they stole from. Oops, America won that land from a war. I guess we will keep those states.
Besides if Mexico ran those states within five years those states would be as messed up as Mexico. Mexicans do not know how to govern.

Ric - methinks you are a bit over the top on your racial views and also misinformed on your history. The Spanish conquered Mexico from the Indians, Aztecs, Maya, etc. Unlike the English, they did not exterminate the indiginous poppulation but intermarried with them. The fight for Mexican intependence from Spain was led by Criollos, full blooded Spaniards born in Mexico. However, power soon passed to Mestizos, persons of mixed Spanish and Indian heritage, i.e., Benito Juarez. Mexico today is a very mixed society with the majority being Mestizos. So if we were to give the states I mentioned back to Mexico, we would be giving it back to the Indians.

NBew Jersey, what the heck? You are sadly misinformed if you thought the Spanish were nice guys. LOL! Starting from day 1, Columbus kidnapped a group of Indians just to bring them back with him to Spain. The next year ole Chris enslaved a group of Indians. I won’t bring up ole Cortez and how he exterminated the Aztecs or other horrid conquistadors. The Spanish were skilled at raping and slaughtering Indians women, children and men. But I will remind how brutally treated were many Indians by the Spanish Catholic priests and monks.
And we would not be giving those states back to the Indians. Mexicans are not the Aztecs; Mexicans are Mexicans. But using your reasoning America is the successor to the Indian tribes that were here. So the land belongs to us.
By the way, many Americans, including me, claim a percentage of Indian ancestry. And there are still a good number of tribes still in existence in America. But to make you feel better, let’s give your property to the Mexicans.
The last good government Mexico had was under Emperor Maximilian I. The country has not recovered from his overthrow. He left a Mexico a country that ruins anything it controls

Ric -

1) I did not say the Spanish were nice guys. What I did say was that in comparison to the English, the Spaniards were saints. Of approximately 114 million in Mexico, about 7 million are indiginous. However Mestizos constitute the largest population group and are the basis of Mexican national identity. That group is 36% Amerindian. In the US, native americans constitute 1% of the population vs. 6% in Mexico. There is no such thing as a mestizo population of any consequence in the US. Therefore, the effect of the Spanish conquest in Mexico was far less disasterous than that of the English in the United States.

2) Catholic priests were the primary defenders of the Amerindian population in Mexico. Please do some research on Bartoleme de las Casas, Bishop of Chiapas, who labored his entire life to protect the native population.

3) Maximillian was overthrown by Benito Juarez, a Zapotec indian. I cannot understand how you purport to be supportive of indians and yet think it was a good idea for Mexico to be ruled by the brother of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary.

4) You seem to think that Mexicans are not Indians. I don't understand why you hate them so much, being part Indian yourself. I don't know what you think Mexicans are genetically but you seem very confused.

Glad to hear that. My Italian grandfather didn't come here, legally, 106 years ago, leave his family, wait seven years before he could afford to send for them, work himself to death as a bricklayer, and die before he could see my father graduate from medical school, so that the wealth his descendants worked so hard to accumulate could be taken from them by a leftist government and used to buy votes so they could remain in power. Free medical services, free education, free everything for illegals? Never! My grandfather, whose picture hangs proudly in my foyer, didn't come here for that.

What makes you think the "illegals" who are here will work themselves to death any less sending for their families, or sending them the money to support them? You know that the overall health of immigrants declines the longer they're here, right?

http://lat.ms/MHB1tf

And they don't get free anything, either:

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/09/immigration_health.html

He WAS an immigrant

Honey your grandfather overran this country with his Italian self along with hundreds of thousands of others....the Italians were the Mexicans at that time...get it???

Selene - Check this out - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellis_Island and take special note of this paragraph:
"Generally, those immigrants who were approved spent from two to five hours at Ellis Island. Arrivals were asked 29 questions including name, occupation, and the amount of money carried. It was important to the American government that the new arrivals could support themselves and have money to get started. The average the government wanted the immigrants to have was between 18 and 25 dollars. Those with visible health problems or diseases were sent home or held in the island's hospital facilities for long periods of time. More than three thousand would-be immigrants died on Ellis Island while being held in the hospital facilities. Some unskilled workers were rejected because they were considered "likely to become a public charge". About 2 percent were denied admission to the U.S. and sent back to their countries of origin for reasons such as having a chronic contagious disease, criminal background, or insanity."

Selene - I'd really appreciate it if you could point out where those dollars you ignorantly think my grandfather came here with were located. And I also wonder why they caught birds on the window sills and picked greens off the hill by Dickinson High School so they could eat. And finally, if you could explain how you ignore the difference between the German, Irish, Polish, Italian, Greek, etc. immigrants who came here legally and the illegal aliens of today. I guess you don't see any, sweetie.

Amen. Gracias.

You don't seem to understand... when our grandparents or great grandparents came over from Europe (or wherever) they walked onto Ellis Island, answered some questions, showed some sort of ID/paperwork from their homeland, accounted for the kids they were bringing in (if any), submitted to a VERY basic physical examination, and then -within mere hours- had their papers stamped and were shown through the gates into [play angelic chorus here] America.
That was the process by which one became a "legal" immigrant. Not difficult at all.
Now a days, even a law abiding, educated, hard working immigrant needs to spend literally YEARS waiting to turn a work visa or temporary visa into legal immigrant status. YEARS. There is no comparison between how our grandparents became legal immigrants and what goes on today with immigrants. The only thing that is the same, is the reason they came here then AND now... for a 'better life'.
But apparently, bigots in America no longer believe that door should be open for anyone - well, except light skinned Europeans already educated, already wealthy and already having "stolen" an American job or seat in a university classroom.

Yes indeed, Kim Guadagno is in charge of our State when Governor Christie is out of our State. Of course, I would assume that they remain in fairly regular contact, but------------. And based on the past 6 months, Governor Christie is outside of the borders of our state, more than he is here in our State. He appears to be on the road at least 10 days or more per month.

Governor Christie claims that he is focused on the "NJ Comeback" but in all honesty in my view, he seems more concerned about the Presidential Election and supporting Mitt Romney. Of course, our Governor is in very high demand as a PUB Speaker, and gets the cash flow coming in for Romney's Campaign. If Romney is elected President get ready to refer to Chris Christie as Attorney General Christie, instead of Governor Christie. In my humble opinion, that is what remains the focus of his current radar.

I am neither a Republican or Democrat, and actually voted for Christie (I really hate to admit that). With that said, Governor Christie remains one of the all-time favorites of the rich in our Nation. The very wealthy of our Nation and State will continue to pour money his way. He will do absolutely nothing to tax them like they were taxed during the Clinton Era.

Along with the highway system, Government Contracts, education of workers, transportation systems.

Obviously you do not believe in American exceptionalism, do not know that our country in two world wars preserved the very concept of freedom, and do not understand that we are the last, best hope of freedom on the earth. When the other 7,999,999,999 other humans come looking to take whatever you have left after people who think like you have ruined America, perhaps you will understand. History teaches us that chauvinism and xenophobia are what make countries great. When those virtues are lost, countries cease to exist. The problem this time around is that the planet has grown so small in terms of communication, travel distances and resources that the world might never again see a great country and defender of freedom such as the United States if one-worlders take over.

Of course it is ignorant of us to demand that these poor uneducated illegal foreigners learn English before they illegally cross our border - let alone afterwards. But on the other hand, I am sure other non-English speaking countries would demand Americans learn to speak their language before crossing their border. But again, our illegals are “special”.

I do think it is wrong of America to try to keep these exceptional (albeit uneducated masses) when obviously their home countries desperately need the services that the illegals provide Americas. The honorable thing for us to do is deport them back to their homes so they can improve their homelands.

But if you want to keep them here, maybe we should offer to settle these uneducated illegals in a camp somewhere in Arizona and ask Sheriff Joe to teach them English and how to legally enter this country. I mean we won't allow citizens from Germany, France, Japan or other nations due east or west of us to crash our border. But again, our illegals are “special”.

If I knew what you were talking about, Ric, I might know how to respond. For now, the best I can do is "No, you're cakey face!"

And to NBew, obviously you have no understanding of the history of the term American exceptionalism, or the writing from which it stems. Google "Democracy in America" by Alexis de Tocqueville and come back when you have a clue.

It's nice top know that you've heard of de Tocqueville, a 19th century liberal before the term liberal was corrupted by leftists in the 20th century. Aside from your knowledge of his name however, I doubt you have ever read any of his works while, I, with my undergraduate degree in History, have read him extensively. If you had in fact read him, you would know that in his view America has a mission to spread liberty and democracy throughout the world and that American ideology is based on liberty, egalitarianism, individualism, populism and laissez-faire. That is what he meant by American exceptionalism. There is nothing in his works that supports your one-world philosophy. So please go to the library, take out a book and have a good read.

Whoa, hey, easy there. No need to parade your achievements in academia for a lowly troll like me. If I had known I was dealing with an enlightened individual such as yourself, I would have taken my inanity to a different news story. But since we're here, you know what my favorite passage from the de Tocqueville wiki entry is? "'Democracy in America' predicted the violence of party spirit and the judgment of the wise subordinated to the prejudices of the ignorant." Take from that what you will.

And, I will take you up on your advice to borrow a book from the library. Could you tell me exactly which title I should peruse to learn more about de Tocqueville's view that America has a mission to spread liberty and democracy throughout the world? I mean, I found your exact passage on Wikipedia, but I can't seem to find any scholarly writings attributing that view to him. Mkaythxgbye.

He didn't parade any achievements... he said he had a degree in HISTORY

You are a gentleman and a scholar. And, to be totally honest, this was the most fun I've had on the interwebs all day. Let's do it again sometime.

Despots, nice. I am a self-avowed Marxian, so the shoe does fit! Touche, my good man.

Marxism - the opiate of the ignorant.

Sorry - I couldn't resist.

Almost forgot. Bwahahahahaha to the haters.

What happened to all the comments? Now I look like I was having a very disjointed conversation with myself.

Funky, it does not look LIKE you were having a very disjointed conversation with yourself because you WERE having a very disjointed conversation with yourself.

A "study" done by an anti-immigrant right-wing organization, written about by a right-wing newspaper, but I'm sure you knew that.

the Washington Times / the National Inquirer, equally silly nonsense

43 percent of immigrants, yes. Where in that story does it state those 43 percent are illegal?

Jesse - I think you are confusing the Washington Times with the Washington Post. The Times is a respected newspaper. The Post is a left-wing rag, not worthy of wrapping fish up in. The Center for Immigration Studies is a non-profit, 501 (c)(3), non-partisan research organization. Yes it does advocate strict enforcement of immigration laws but surely you do not consider that radical. Please visit their website so you can see what it is all about and how it's board is a model of diversity.

Funky - I thought you were thrown off the Patch. Nice to see you back. No the article doesn't state that the 43% are illegal aliens. The article specifically says legal and illegal. The purpose of the article is to demonstrate how immigrants lag behind native born. And that is how one would expect it to be. Historically, newcomers always lagged behind. It takes time to assimilate. And that of course is one of the principal reasons legal immigrants need programs to help them learn English, albeit to force them to learn English.

I brought up the Washington Post, because like the NY Times, it has no credibility, unlike the Washington Times which you characterized as right-wing. The Times is in fact centrist and represents reasonable and moderate points of view unlike the Post which is radically extreme. That's why I was giving you credit for mixing up the newspapers. No reasonable person would believe that the Washington Post served any purpose other than as a flyswatter or the lining of a birdcage. Like the NY Times, no one takes it seriously as a newspaper. Also bear in mind that any paper that a well respected jurist and constitutional scholar like Judge Napolitano writes for clearly has real journalists on staff and not shills for the radical left. I would hope to see Judge Napolitano on the Supreme Court some day. He would fit in nicely with Justices Alito, Scalia and Thomas, constitutionalists and centrists all and even Chief Justice Roberts who generally follows the constitution even though he made an eggregious error in the Obamacare case.

So NBew...would you say they are "fair and balanced"?

Depends on who they is.