Que Lastima!

Yes....what a pity. It is a pity that the spanish I have learned has gone to waste. You wouldn't think so here in LA.....but have you tried to speak spanish to many of the native speakers here. Just because I am a gringo.....they think I know nothing of that idioma.
I try and speak what little I know....but many refuse to and will only speak in english. I used to know much more.....from being in the INS....and then taking intermediate spanish in college. But I have gotten rusty over the years for lack of use. I try and keep up still....and I can read it much better than speak it.

I remember a letter I had given "Anna" way back when.....and I tried writing some spanish to her then. I can only assume she could read it. More than once though...I have surprised native speakers when they found out I knew some of their conversations. Some of it not very flattering at all. It is certainly a bilingual society we live in....especially for the border states. It should be mandatory that all kids get bilingual education if you live in one of the border states. That means teaching non hispanic kids spanish.....starting in grade school. It is only fair. How many jobs have I seen listed where a requirement has been fluently bilingual. Can you imagine how many white, black or asian people don't get hired because they don't speak spanish. Even the federal government has this requirement for certain jobs. You can do excellent at your job....say a border patrol agent or immigration officer.....but is you fail the spanish lanuage portion.....it's bye, bye job.

That's what happened to me. The INS used the excuse that I did not complete the phase 2 spanish language portion.....even though I had excelled in everything else. Had I been a native speaker....they could not have used that excuse to shaft me.
Every single one of the hispanic members of my academy class did not have to attend the follow on phase 2 spanish course....and were all given their graduation certificates for the whole course.
Had I been afforded the same treatment....they would have been unable to withhold my certificates like they did. It really does not seem fair to penalize a person based on their respective heritage and culture. I mean....I passed the exact same courses that all of the native speakers had passed....yet I had to do more to graduate....simply based on the fact that I was anglo and spanish was not part of our hertitage. Whereas, the native speakers had years to learn to be fluent in Spanish....we were expected to learn to be fluent enough to converse in 15 weeks. And then only 5 weeks of that was actually full immersion spanish. Not to mention we had to know everthing else. This was an extra burden that native speakers did not have to worry about knowing. Fair and equal treatment my ass.

I agree that it is important that some positions require knowledge of spanish.....but to force people who have never been really exposed to it before....to learn to converse in such a short period
or else loose your job....is not right. Since most grade schools and middle schools do not teach spanish to non-hispanics....yet they will teach english to hispanic kids....even though some states have outlawed this....seems unfair. Why should native speakers be relieved of a burden imposed on everyone else.....where your job and career are on the line. If schools taught everyone the same...I could see applying this standard.....but the fact is....they don't.
Until there is mandatory spanish taught to all kids in the border states....I think it unfair for the government to impose such draconian limits on employment. Non-native speakers should be given more time to become proficient.....not just for the 15 weeks you get at an academy.....and only 5 weeks are real spanish anyway. How many people are actually learning anything the first 3 months while trying to learn tons of immigration and nationality law, police training and the like. That policy certainly effected my outcome.

Just my 2 cents worth........