<<The landmark Philly restaurant former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani plans to stop at later Monday is also famous for another reason: its controversial 'Please speak English' sign.

Joe Vento, the owner of Geno's Steaks, sparked controversy last year when he put up a sign at his store proclaiming, "This is America. When Ordering Please Speak English.">>

Wouldn't it be great if all of the places in Europe put up signs like this to force possible customers to speak the local language?

Not.

He smacks of the type who would have had Freedom Fries on the menu too.

Sad sad sad.

He needs to put his thinking cap on! If someone coming into his establishment does not speak English, they in all probabiity do not READ English either! Duh!

Julie

<<< "This is America. When Ordering Please Speak English.">>>

Didn't realise that the US had an official language

However, from what I saw on the news, his sign is his backlash against the Mexican illegal immigrant issue - which is a major issue in the US. I do not agree with him & his prejudice, just explaining what I saw on the news. I agree with PalenQ - sad!

Julie

A local Phili reporter asked the owner if he would serve someone if they ordered in Spanish and he said he would refuse. The reporter then asked, "What is they ordered in Italian?" He didn't respond.

Wow, that's the way to roll out the welcome mat to visitors to our country. [/sarcasm] What a jerk. Thankfully most Europeans don't have that attitude and are willing to work with us stoopid Americans trying to communicate in their countries.

It wasn't a tourism thing at all, it was about immigration. Some guy who doesn't like immigrants, obviously, you can tell.

I'm sure you can find some vendors in Europe who feel the same way. It is kind of funny that he wrote that when they probably couldn't read English. Although I can always read foreign languages better than I speak them, or can make some out I don't even know that well. But that wasn't what he was all about.

A bit of background:
A perennial debate in Philadelphia is whether one prefers cheese steaks from Pat's or from Geno's. Locals know that these two places - located catty corner to each other - are owned by two members of the same family who had a falling out years ago.
I'd say this is another reason to voe for Pat's.

In Joe Vento's case, too bad his ancestors emigrated from Europe.

Sadly, there are times when we Americans seem to forget that most of us are only a few generations removed from immigrant status.

John Smith and his Jamestown gang were just that...i-m-m-i-g-r-a-n-t-s. Now his name is signed in at sleazy motels all over the country.

Stu T.

Interesting. Of course, most restauranteurs like to keep their politics off the menu so as to sell as much product as possible.

One thing in the guy's favor: he makes it easier for people to spend their money where their sympathies lie - on whichever side.

Legal or ilegals, does it make a difference? It does for me.

Don't forget. This is not about legal immigration or foreign visitors.

This man's prejudice is about illegal Mexican immigrants & legal Mexican immigrants who plan to live here permanently but yet do not want to/care to/ can't (?)learn & speak English.

Doesn't make it right. Just want to remind what this post is about - not foreign visitors or non-Hispanic immigrants.

Julie

Graziella5b, it makes a difference to me too, as it does to many Americans. However, I don't believe the illegal immigrants should receive our wrath. It is totally the government & partially the employers who are at fault. This is just my opinion. Remove the jobs = problem solved.

Julie

>>Remove the jobs = problem solved.<<

And then who will pick fruit in the US, for example? Certainly not white English-speaking Americans whose ancestors immigrated to the US.

Zerlina, I don't believe that & here's just a few reasons why:

1. Raised my kids in the country. They as all teens in the area detasseled corn every year. Yes, Americans will do those jobs.

2. ICE raided a poultry plant. Once the word was out, the line of legal Americans was phenominal. Yes, Americans will take those jobs.

3. My son was a highly paid construction plummer. He moved on to a local hospital when he saw what was happening. Contractors were & are hiring illegals at much, much lower wages & not paying taxes on them.

4. My nephew is book learning challenged. But he can do construction work. He was in Florida. Not many more construction jobs for legal Americans in Florida. Illegals are cheaper & can't require fair employment laws.

The difference is - legal Americans are protected by fair employment laws & will report the employer. Illegals will not. So, most hire illegals to not pay taxes & Social Security & to pay low standard wages.

Also, if there are more jobs than legal Americans, the way has always been to allow legal work-visa immmigration of those who followed the rules. Those people are now being stopped from coming to this country because of the illegals.

What will happen to our lower economic folks. Those who made good wages on our factory jobs, construction jobs, agriculture jobs. They can never be & most are not educated enough to do white collar work. So, they will become or are our new poverty & lower income Americans.

Obviously, I think this is a serious economic problem for our country. Not an immigration problem or bigoted problem.

Julie

"And then who will pick fruit in the US, for example?"

My first instinct was to ask "Tom Joad?" and then I stumbled upon the answer: the urban poor. Workfare works, as President Clinton showed. Perhaps President Clinton will follow suit.

Oh - and stop giving people money for having children. Give them money (and/or drugs) for <u>not</u> making babies. It's their (and our) only hope.

Isn't this the same place that demands even English speakers say things like&quot;wit&quot; when they want onions on their cheesesteak?
When sales are good you can be arrogant.

My dearly departed father-in-law, his brothers and father were farmers of various row crops for nearly 75 years. There was a time during the Great Depression when people of all ethnic backgrounds were employed by the family to pick the crops. By the 1960s, however, the family was growing only strawberries, and the pickers were exclusively Mexicans, most but not all undocumented. The work was seasonal, but the same workers would make their way back to the family's ranch year after year.

During an earlier incarnation of the immigration debate here in California, there was the outcry that illegals were taking jobs away from American citizens, so the family said they would hire anyone who showed up. Many U.S. citizens were hired, but not one of them returned after the first week. Picking strawberries, although not as brutal as some jobs, was just more than even those desperate for work could (or would) endure for more than five days.

Whether we like it or not or even fully understand the impact, the illegal workforce plays a large part in our positive economy.

I'm all for the teaching of English in America - I wish more Americans were interested in their children studying English, or studying anything for that matter. Too many American kids get to college (even get out of college) barely able to write and completely unwilling to read. But at least they know the top party schools.

Geez, how did we get onto US immigration in the Europe boards!! I've ordered myself to stay out of the lounge for this very reason.