At White House, Uruguay president urges U.S. to become bilingual
By Jeff Mason
22 hours ago
Uruguay's President Jose Mujica
(L) delivers remarks as U.S. President Barack Obama (R) welcomes him
before their meeting in the Oval Office in Washington May 12, 2014.
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS)
By Jeff Mason
WASHINGTON
(Reuters) - Uruguay President Jose Mujica, meeting at the White House
with President Barack Obama, on Monday urged the United States to become
bilingual, joking that immigrants from Latin America would fill the
country with Spanish speakers.
"And you
will have to become a bilingual country ... because the strength of
Latin women is admirable and they will fill this country with people who
speak Spanish and Portuguese, too," he said.
Obama is pushing for broad immigration reform in the United States that
would require undocumented immigrants to learn English, pay fines and
eventually earn a pathway to citizenship. The effort is stalled in the
U.S. House of Representatives.
Mujica also used his time with the U.S. president to encourage a fight
against smoking, which he said was killing 8 million people around the
world every year.
"That is
more than World War I, World War II. It's murder. We are in an arduous
fight - very arduous - and we must fight against very strong interests,"
he said, according to an interpreter.
Obama is a former smoker.
The U.S. president praised Mujica for his leadership. He did not
mention the issue of marijuana. Mujica signed a decree earlier this
month outlining a new policy that would allow Uruguayans to be able to
buy up to 10 grams of marijuana a week at between $0.85 and $1 a gram, a
low price compared to the black market.
"I have had the pleasure on several occasions of having discussions
with President Mujica, and have been consistently impressed with the
progress that Uruguay has been making under his presidency," Obama told
reporters, speaking before his counterpart in the Oval Office.
He said both men were interested in deepening their respective countries' mutual bonds.
"So this gives us an opportunity to find ways that we can further
deepen this relationship. We both think that there's room for additional
work to expand trade and commerce between our countries," Obama said.
I like how presidents from two different countries come together for the good to help the people become more productive and learn each others languages. I like how President Mujica wants to fight against smoking. I agree with him because its killing around 8 million people a year!
ReplyDelete6th Period
ReplyDeleteI Find This Article Interesting Because Both Of The Presidents Which Who Are From To Different Countries Can Come Together To Think Of A Plan That Can The Can Help People Learn More That One Language , I Like That The Uruguay President Wants To Fights Against Smoking , Cause Majority Of Today's Society Are Individual Who Smoke
6th period
DeleteI thought that the article was pretty cool because just like what Chelsie Payne said about both presidents from different countries can come together to figure something out with out war. I think that it would be a good idea to make our country bilingual because it would be good to know how to speak another language and people not hate you for it.
Both presidents are from different countries and they meet together to help the world become better. Most of all teach people different languages because at least everybody need to know languages. They also trying to go against smoking and which they should because that is very dangerous. Kills people all the time
ReplyDeleteI feel like it was a good idea for both the president of the United States and the president of Uruguay came together to discuss matters such as language barriers from not being bilingual. And I also feel he is right as people from and in the United States should be bilingual so they can communicate with people from foreign countries that don't know English.
ReplyDelete6th period
ReplyDeleteThis article was very informative to me. There were a various number of topics that I found interesting. If the United States was bilingual then we would be able to communicate better to different Spanish speaking countries. We would also have a better relationship with them. President Mujica also addressed the major smoking problem going on. Millions of people are having unnecessary deaths because of smoking and it needs to stop. Both of these presidents collaborate to not only benefit the United States but other countries all over the world.
- Taylor Liggines (3rd period)
ReplyDeleteI liked this article too. I totally agree with Mr. Mujica. I do believe that America should be bilingual. I mean think about it... more Spanish speaking people come to the United staes all the time. Instead of always makng them learn our language, i think we should make a better effort of learning their's too. That's why I'm glad I take Spanish, not only because I've always wanted to, but because I am broadening my horizons and opening new doors for myself by being a bilingual person. That is also how this article relates to my personal life. It relates to my Spanish class because my teacher is helping us to one day become bilingual!
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ReplyDeleteits impressive that both presidents are meeting for being bilingual in there countries,i hope one day they will meet the president of Palestine to suggest some people to learn Arabic instead of Spanish. I agree that smoking kills a lot of people all around the world im pretty sure they will find the best for their country .hana abdelraouf 2nd period
ReplyDeleteWhat I like about this article is that President Barack Obama may be the first U.S. President that has sit down and actually listen and took advice seriously from a leader of a Latin American Country. Uruguay's President Jose Mujica looks to be a very smart man who is giving his advice to the most powerful man in the world.
ReplyDeleteWhat I like is how President Obama is very attentive to President Mujica as he speaks about the U.S. becoming a bilingual country in other to expand trade and commerce between our countries in the future, as well as his fight against smoking. Also, important is the President Obama is encouraging new Latinos to learn English as well as pay fines and eventually earn a pathway to citizenship.
I don’t see anything that I don’t like in this article because it gives a very positive message to me as a student that compromise is always good in order to process with people who may be different than I am.
Justin Williams (With the help of his father)
I liked this article, too. This article shows that people from different countries have some of the same issues. I agree that the United States should become bilingual. I also agree that undocumented immigrants should learn to speak English and earn a pathway to citizenship. Since the President has stopped smoking cigarettes, maybe more people will quit, too. I was glad to read that President Obama and President Mujica are interested in "deepening their respective countries' mutual bond." This article relates to my life, because I am learning to speak Spanish, so that I will be able to communicate with more people.
ReplyDeleteKel nesbitt- 7th period : I like the way President Jose thinks. As more immigrants come into the United States, Spanish is now more or less the second dominant language in the US. If the US was to become a bilingual country, that would open doors to trade from other countries that speak languages other than English. Also I agree on the point that smoking should be stopped. Many people who are not smokers are getting affected because of breathing that toxic smoke from those smokers. Smoking is wrong not only because it hurts the smokers but because it hurts surrounding people!
ReplyDeleteI don't think Obama would be up for the whole non-smoking campaign as I see he's a smoker himself. Honestly, Obama and every other president has been saying and putting off the whole reform act. There/s many people here who have waited for it for years and years, and where are they at? If it's not waiting ..dead probably. I feel as if they just say that to get the spanish vote....
ReplyDeletethis would be a great thing to see . i like this kind of thing to happen in the world a hope that this works out.
ReplyDeleteFor both countries to learn each others language is very important. Because we are in constant contact with a Spanish speaking person and vice versa it will form a better understanding between two countries. The presidents seem to have a great relationship.
ReplyDeleteI think that this would be very useful . And I'd already have a headstart because I take spanish 1. Seeing as though immigrants are steadily moving in from other countries not know the english language, Americans knowing other languages could be very helpful .
ReplyDeleteSai m.
5th period