| An article in yesterdays Los Angeles Times | | | | the hospital she was unable to communicate her |
| describes three instances in which immigrants, | | | | problem. She was later diagnosed with ovarian |
| each from different countries were unable to | | | | cancer. |
| communicate with medical staff at local hospitals | | | | This problem is self inflicted and deeply systemic. |
| because they did not know how to speak, write | | | | We have laws that offer no incentive for |
| or understand English. | | | | immigrants or illegal aliens to learn English. We |
| Federal law requires that healthcare providers who | | | | advertise free medical, free education, free |
| receive federal funding offer language assistance | | | | welfare, free food stamps, free language |
| to patients if needed. Because federal law also | | | | translation services, free housing assistance, jobs |
| requires that emergency services be available to | | | | and the promises of freedom and liberty. |
| patients regardless of immigration status or ability | | | | I can't imagine moving to a foreign country |
| to pay, most hospitals and healthcare providers | | | | without learning to speak the native tongue well |
| depend on the federal subsidies to offset a | | | | enough to live safely and comfortably. It is |
| portion of the loss. Consequently they are forced | | | | disappointing to me that our national immigration |
| to provide a language translator. Government | | | | policy doesn't require minimum English skills and |
| mandated programs and services are passing | | | | that our laws are setup to protect and serve |
| these costs on to tax payers. | | | | those who won't take the time or make the |
| According to a recent study by the Asian Pacific | | | | effort to learn our national language. The promises |
| American Legal Center, one in three Los Angeles | | | | of freedom and liberty are available to all that |
| County residents do not speak English. The most | | | | come here, it seems to me requiring English |
| common languages spoken are Spanish, Chinese, | | | | language skills of those that do come here, is |
| Tagalof, Korean, Armenian, Vietnamese, Persian, | | | | reasonable. |
| Japanese and Russian. In a recent study by the | | | | Theodore Roosevelt is rolling in his grave and |
| Journal of Internal Medicine, 1 in 15 or about 20 | | | | grinding his teeth at what we have become. |
| million people nationwide have no or limited English | | | | We should insist that the immigrant who comes |
| speaking and writing skills. | | | | here in good faith becomes an American and |
| In order to comply with federal laws, healthcare | | | | assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an |
| providers and legal service agencies rely on | | | | exact equality with everyone else, for it is an |
| dozens of non-profit organizations, funded by the | | | | outrage to discriminate against any such man |
| federal government, who offer language | | | | because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this |
| translation services contracts. According to the | | | | is predicated upon the man's becoming in very |
| National Language Services Network the number | | | | fact an American, and nothing but an |
| of those who speak a language other than English | | | | American...There can be no divided allegiance here. |
| in their home is staggering. 46 million people or | | | | Any man who says he is an American, but |
| 17% of the entire US population are either non | | | | something else also, isn't an American at all. We |
| English speaking or have limited English skills. | | | | have room for but one flag, the American flag, |
| Lian Zhen Li, one of the patients unable to | | | | which symbolizes all wars against liberty and |
| communicate with doctors interviewed for the | | | | civilization, We have room for but one language |
| Los Angeles Times story said (presumably | | | | here, and that is the English language...and we |
| through an interpreter) that she never needed to | | | | have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a |
| learn English because she lived in an ethnic enclave | | | | loyalty to the American people. |
| in the Alhambra community. When she arrived at | | | | |