JS>A. It is a LEGAL requirement as in STATUTORY. See Title 8 USC. 
 
     Yes, currently that is the case, but merely because a law is on
the books does not mean that it is a consitutional law.  I personally
believe that legally requiring any individual, for any purpose, to
speak any language against their will in order to obtain any government
service is consitutionally unsupportable.
JS>B. Assuming arguendo that your jailhouse legal opinion (this is not to 
JS>suggest to anyone that you spent any time behind bars [the iron type 
JS>and not one that serves alcohol] ) is correct (which it isn't), then 
JS>couldn't other nationalities speaking other languages other than 
JS>English and Spanish bring forth an action claiming that they were being
JS>denied equal protection under the law since the only two languages in 
JS>this country that would be officially recognized would be English and
JS>Spanish?
JS>The answer is: You betcha. 
 
     You betcha is correct.  No matter what language an individual may
speak, the onus is upon government to communicate with the individual,
not the other way around.
JS>C. Taking the argument to "B." to it's ultimate ridiculous conclusion, 
JS>we would need to print election ballots, and all government forms in 
JS>EVERY language known to man since we have virtually EVERY nationality 
JS>here in America. And THAT would result in a disentegration of society 
JS>and the forming of various factions based on nationality.
 
     Actually you have a valid point, though I don't envisiont he
difficulties you may.  If, in order to grant access to all citizens to
their government, it were necessary to make specialized ballots
available by mail, or even to have a 1-800 translator available to deal
with language problems, I would consider the price to be a small one.
     In Texas we have used bi-lingual ballots since the days of the
Republic which addresses 99.999% of our needs, but for the reamining
few special cases where Ethopian or Viet-nameese are spoken
exclusively, rather that prohibiting these citizens full access totheir
government, in the very least, telephone translators, or, for ballots,
a flyer with a word translation guide could be obtained by request.
      Your envisionment of a ballot being produced in several hundred
languages in order to grant all citizens full access to their
government is a bit inflamatory and overly grandoise.
 
JS>I think they call these groups GANGS?
  
      Why?
JS>THAT's why there is a requirement that English be learned prior to one 
JS>becoming a naturalized citizen.
 
      The "test" for English as a part of obtaining citizenship does
not effectively test for fluency in English.  I have personally had
many family members take this test who sdpeak little or no English, but
have learned, essentially by rote, what is necessary to meet INS
requirements.  What we have, in reality, is a dysfunctional
governmental "makework" program that neither serves a useful function
nor accomplishes the desired end.   It's simply an unnecessary and
pointless waste of tax dollars like most governmental functions are.
JS>Now, on the flip side, I have encountered individuals who were born in 
JS>the United States and who didn't speak a WORD of English because they 
JS>were educated in Mexico. 
JS>This gives rise to a novel idea. Since so many of the Mexican 
JS>population resides in the United States, and a certain percentage of 
JS>the Mexican population was BORN in the United States, then we should 
JS>demand Mexico have bilingual education as well so we wouldn't HAVE this
JS>problem. What do you think?
 
      I personally believe the affairs of other nations are their own
and how they choose to govern themselves or institute their own
domestic policies should be of no concern to us.  Mexico, quite
frankly, is a centralized, corrupt, and class conscious society that
basically defies every social, political, and ecconomic principle that
the United States is founded upon.  Once wealthier, larger, and more
powerful than the United States, Mexico is a land that has wasted away
it's great promise.  I believe we should take great pride, not in what
we have done to emulate Mexico, but in what distinguishes ourselves as
a unique nation.
  
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