07 May 2001
Compassionate Conservatism
An article on NRO today categorizes President Bush's recent radio address in Spanish as a "mistake" and goes on to suggest, in what I would call a xenophobic tone, that this is akin to abandoning any notion of assimilation for immigrants. The real target of the column seems to be a broad Clinton executive order mandating broader multilingualism, which should rightly be the subject of political debate (and which, I would argue, SHOULD be revoked -- but I don't want to address that right now). But to suggest that it is a mistake for Bush to speak to a large minority group that speaks only Spanish is a little haughty. Yes, by all means we should encourage assimilation. But given the large numbers of people in Houston I routinely run across (unlike Mr. Boulet or his pal Mr. Nordlinger, whom I'm sure mostly associate with English-speaking elites of the Ivy League variety within the confines of their sterile, secure offices) who speak only Spanish -- and who may or may not be working to learn English as best they can -- I don't really like the implication that these folks aren't worth a damn, and shouldn't even be spoken to. I say, good for President Bush, who understands this community better than any American president in history. And if he can convince these folks, by speaking in Spanish, of the virtues of the American republic (which speaks predominantly in English) all the better! Maybe this is part of what Bush means when he uses the term "compassionate conservative" to distinguish himself from conservatives like Boulet?
* * * *
On the same topic, I am reminded of a couple of trips to see Cathy at St Luke's Hospital (located within the Texas Medical Center, one of the nation's premier healthcare complexes) last week. It seems one of the main parking garages has replaced its parking attendants with automated machines. The machines take coins, bills, and credit cards, and are located on each floor of the garage. One simply pays one's ticket, then inserts the form in the reader at the exit gates, for a relatively efficient operation. For English speakers, that is. Unfortunately, not one of the machines had written or spoken instructions in Spanish. I know, you're thinking, "How complicated can it be to use?" I consider myself a reasonably intelligent person, and I think it's fair to say they are not intuitive. I suspect many people are confused by them, and resort to reading some portion of the instructions. If they can read English, that is. A very large part of Houston's population -- people who speak only Spanish -- are left to figure it out as best they can. I certainly don't want the government to mandate something as silly as multiple languages on parking machines, but I was actually offended by the thoughtlessness of the hospital in that regard (does this make me a compassionate conservative?). I guess people who speak only Spanish should never get sick!
* * * *
Last night, I actually felt sorry for Cro-Magnon. I had gone to bed about the time a massive thunderstorm rolled in, and I heard Cro-Magnon leave (the telltale slamming of the door). Unfortunately, the driver-side door of Cro-Magnon's truck is damaged, so he must roll down his window in order to shut it. So here is Cro-Magnon not only having to go out in a terrible storm late at night, but the poor guy has to get soaked even to close his truck door. Like I said, I felt sorry for him. I MUST be a compassionate conservative!
[Posted @ 09:44 AM CST]
COMMENTS
I'm going to miss Cro-Magnon, not the irritation this type person causes, but the funny tales he leaves in his wake.
[Posted by Tonto Jones on 10 May 2001, 10:45 AM CST]
