Well, you could start by ending government provisions for Spanish language documents, spanish driver’s license tests, spanish tax return forms etc.

If they want to deal with the government (including “entitlement programs”, they had better learn English. That would go a long way toward assimilation.

After they can communicate in the common language, assimilation into our society will be much easier.

I lived in Spain for three years while in the military. When I had to deal with the Spanish government for any reason, I had better either be functionally literate in Spanish or provide my own interpreter because they sure as heck weren’t going to have English language documents for me or provide me with an interpreter. Heck, half the time the officials DID speak passable English but wouldn’t admit to it. How well would that go over here?

The most recent bill in the Senate allows for immigrants to send for extended families. The pressure on social services will be enormous, to the breaking point. Hillary – forget your national health care plans. It will be impossible. Can you imagine the burden when the boomers get old and sickly and nursing home candidates. Hell, there won’t be any space, not to mention medicaid resources.

Employer accountability. HaaaaHaaaaHaaaa. I don’t believe for one minute that whoever is in charge will enforce or harshly penalize employers who hire the cheapest labor they can find, legal or not.

The only real good thing about Bush’s speech last night was that he and his beltway boys are getting the message that we, the citizens of this country, are damn serious about this problem and we will show our displeasure with our vote and our money. Now, I hope the Senate and the House get the same message, but I’d bet my last dollar they won’t.

I support Bush’s support of a path to citizenship and assimilation (duh).

I oppose the guest worker program unless it can be shown not to be exploitative and creating a non-assimilating underclass.

Points 1 and 3 are B.S. He could have been doing these things for 5 years!!! Congress and the President have repeatedly underfunded sufficient numbers of border patrols and detention centers. (I understand that tax cuts for billionaires are important but maybe you want to leave a little money in the budget to protect our borders, no?)

Similarly, Clinton-era levels of document enforcement plummeted despite the attacks of September 11.