An informed electorate

[Will Brown]

Our mail ballots for the upcoming election came, and I looked them over.

They are not easy to read because they are in English and Spanish, interspersed. But I question why, in a nation where we are all descended from immigrants, if not immigrants ourselves, the bulk of which did not have English as their primary language, but who learned English, we make an exception for one group. I was going to list the types of immigrants who came and learned English, but it is a very extensive list, and it grows even today. Even the Native Americans learned English. Why do we treat Hispanics differently. Are we trying to set them aside as differently enabled? Or has one party concluded that they can take power by maintaining a Hispanic bloc?

What really set mo off is that we apparently are held in such contempt by the politicians that they no longer present the amendments themselves, but instead give us a summary of the amendments, much as the mass media now no longer presents facts for our evaluation, but rather gives us sound bites and explanations of what we should think. It is especially unnerving because the bilateral ballot is inherently inaccurate, as a translation is always subject to error and interpretation. So if an amendment apparently passes, did we pass the English or the Spanish version. There is no way to answer that accurately, as they don't know which of us read the English version, and which of us read the Spanish version.

I know they held a meeting to discuss the proposed Charter amendments, but few voters attend such meetings, so I don't see how they can say that an amendment was passed by the voters, when they have done all they can to prevent the voters from seeing the actual amendment. Even the LWV gives only the summary information (in English and in Spanish) and I haven't found an online source that contains the actual language of what we are voting for or against.

An example is Referendum 2. A well informed citizen will know what this is about; but in all honesty most of us are not well informed citizens. The very brief summary, which is all that is on the ballot, merely talks about "a new law relative to government union contracts and other government employment contracts and policies." It strikes me that that is so vague that the normal voter will either guess, or vote based on what other people and ads have told him, and there is no legal requirement that what other people have told him and ads have to be accurate.

I don't mean this to sound anti-Hispanic. I favor immigration from anywhere, as those with the gumption to immigrate are likely to be good workers. But I am strongly against policies and practices that have the effect of keeping us separate, and favor one group over another. We have an unfortunate history of not welcoming immigrants from other than our own group, but we somehow have gotten past that with each group.

[Roy Pitchford]

I recently heard it explained that we are no longer a melting pot, but a salad bowl. This seems a pretty accurate description. We can be thrown all together, mixed up a bit, but a crouton is still a crouton and a piece of lettuce is still a piece of lettuce.

There is something to be said for "appealing" to the Hispanic voting population. Why do you think so many presidents have had trouble pass immigration reform? They are afraid of offending and alienating the Hispanic population.

As for the subject...an informed electorate...Thomas Jefferson believed strongly that an educated public was crucial to our society.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."

". . . whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government; that, whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them right."

And, let's be honest, would Dennis Kucinich have been elected as many times as he has if the people of this district knew how much of a communist he was?

[ryan costa]

Modern housing, industrial, cable and internet channels, and retail economic and geographic fragmentation make the integration process slower.

The free market prints spanish below the english on most packages. sometimes even French.

[Jim DeVito]

The free market prints spanish below the english on most packages. sometimes even French.

It's ok if you are trying to sell them something, but not if you are asking them to vote?

[ryan costa]

In my lifetime I have encountered only one Quebeci who sounded as though he spoke English as a second language. He was an engineer or businessman of somekind, stopping at my motel. aside from the accent, he was more well spoken in english than most of the Clevelanders under 30 I run into. And also the cast of Jersey Shore.

Most of the hispanic immigrants I run into in Cleveland...
also tend to be more well spoken in english than most of the native born clevelanders I run into who appear to be under 30. Of course, if they assimilate too well, their kids will be mush mouthed terminal jackasses of the American variety. flashin' gang signs. blastin hip hop from a trunk full of car stereo speakers.