[Tink]

Angie, I read the story and think how different it would be had that Spanish speaking person NOT been there. Sadly, that's how it is here. And we don't only have Mexicans... we have a large population of Hmong as well. Are we all supposed to learn their language as well? Isn't it discriminatory for us to cater to the one group and not the other?

Ashley furniture is our largest local employer. They just got an award from the federal government for having hired so many Hmong and Mexican workers. No one is complaining... the company continues to grow and I know many locals who also work there. The glitch is, now if you want to get a job in the offices or any type of support services, you must be bilingual. They don't care if you speak Spanish or the Hmong language, but you must know one of them. So it DOES affect others.... and I haven't heard of any incidents of tension between the life long residents and those who have recently moved here... They find housing and jobs, churches and schools are open to them. So quite seriously I don't see where they're being discriminated against. We expect the same from them that was expected from our own ancestors when they immigrated to the USA. My great grandparents all came here just over 100 yrs ago speaking only Norwegian. They had to learn English to get by. I highly doubt they left Norway just on a fluke... they came like everyone else, looking for a better life for themselves and their children; so truly there is nothing unique about that.

Please don't assume that because I don't agree that I'm cold and heartless. I've just lived with the reality of this both in the present time and within my own family as I grew up. My perspective on it is different from yours, but it's because my experience has been different too. I really don't think that makes me any more right or wrong than you.