wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

yea!

gary
my super doesn't fix anything. he just is there to let the repairman in the building or give me my keys if i lock myself out. (i once had no electricity in my living room for 2 weeks because he didn't know which fuse was which in the basement) if the boiler broke i'm glad the landlord will hire a proper repair person.
but I feel your pain whydo poor people always get the best seats on the subway?
and frugal isn't the same a greedy. have a good nite.

Mr. hjs from 11211,

You brag about pinching pennies and you call ME greedy?!

A super who can "barely" speak english is a blessing. At least you can describe----albeit crudely---what in malfunctioning and why it needs to be repaired. try that with one who cannot speak a word of english.

And you get what you pay for too. If he barely speaks english, that means they hired someone who didn't pass the boiler, electrical, and plumbers exams. There are half a dozen licenses that supers can earn. they can command a higher salary for that. And for good reason. Their expertise leads to fewer accidents to people and property. Do you realize how much damage a super can end up doing?

But hey, you gotta save a buck. So you're a jerk and I'm a racist. Take the last word, dumbdumb.

Gary
my serious point is that you sound like a racist and you sound like you wish to live in the past. (maybe u want to think about how u come off, or not.)
my super barley speaks english i guess the landlord doesn't want to pay full price for an american born english speaker and if it saves me a few bucks i'm with him! why would i care i don't talk to him that much; even if he spoke english i doubt we would have much in common. do the kids, of the foreign born, speak english? I bet they do, but maybe not to u.
this cheap labor is here because business and consumers want and need them here. it's called the FREE MARKET system. do u LOVE it? their brown kids speak english. that's the best we can hope for
sorry if my 'humor' is not to your taste. your greed is not to my taste.

Mr. hjs from 11211,

If you have serious points to make, perhaps you can make them without the jabs that I'm racist or wish to live in the past?

Try living in a building with a superintendent who cannot speak english. Try shopping in stores where clerks cannot help you because they cannot speak english. Try living with neighbors who have never learned english in the 30 yrs you've known them. Is there trust and mutual support? No, they remain strangers. Language is the primary bond that leads to everything else is any relationship.

And you're sorry that I "only learned one language"?! It is not the responsibility of the citizen in the host nation, who makes a place for immigrants, to learn the language of the immigrant. Try that in France and you'll get a reception that's worse than admitting your American!

Most nations have an official language. And for good reason. They see what happens to multi lingual nations. They see, for example, representatives in the Canadian legislature----on the floor, in hearings etc----wearing headphones waiting for the translations from french to English, or english to French. How do you suppose they're able to conduct conversations in offices and halls at their capitol? How are they able to conduct business in thAT "nation". Ohhhh, that's right----THEY DON'T!

just try and empathize w differing views 2b interesting if nothing else

Gary
i do live in a "community of a hundred different languages" I call it NYC and i like the 100s of languages and cultures. (if u don't maybe u could move, but i'd like it if u stayed) also sorry if u only learned one language, but you never are too old to try.

as for self interest. animials have self interest. i am a human and i can think so i care about others.
you sound like someone who might be happier in the 1950's am i wrong??

[10] adf writes:

QUOTE
gary reasonable as a general point but in fairness brian strains to look at issues from different angles than most msm. he seems to actively avoid being dismissed as boringly predictable...wise advice
UNQUOTE

I listen to Brian's show because it's not like the dumbed-down shows on MSNBC, FOX, CNN, etc. A 40 min. segment to discuss something is far better than the 7 minute segments on cable.

But that doesn't get Brian off the hook on the issue of counterpoint. When was the last time you heard a conservative advocate for responsible immigration on the show, especially by one of Brian's substitutes when he's off on vacation? Same for other issues. On the issue of balance, Brian gets a C+ on political issues. On health and medical, he gets a F. If you're a political dissident against the status quo, you can get on the Lehrer show eventually. But if it's in the area of health----fluoridation, vaccination, HIV----forget it. You won't get on.

Not to be critical, but this is elitism journalism. Conservative Michael Medved is the same way. At least Amy Goodman had a panel debate between the loony 911 Truthers and the writers at Popular Mechanics. In other words, controversies don't disappear by ignoring them. Counterpoint and debate shows who the charletans are. As the CDC says, quacks run from debate. And they should know!

Mr. hjs from 11211,

You say:
i thought if i had no fault insurance my insurance pays off, but i don't have a car so i don't care.

I say:
You "don't care" because of self interest----you don't own a car. Self interest is a normal human trait, which conservatives factor into their political theories, and which liberals CHOOSE to believe doesn't exist, to their detriment.

I am low income. No one with old cars purchases collision insurance. It's not worth it. But it is still an expensive proposition if an uninsured motorist hits you. That happened to me 20+ yrs ago. An illegal immigrant from south america, driving a limo, drilled into the side of my car where he should have stopped. He had no insurance. So I was forced to pair for the repairs of my car.

Your other comments are disrespectful, and worse, fairly ignorant. I have black, asian and latino friends. They all speak English. black, asian and latinos who do not speak english are not my friends. Is it because they're black, asian and latinos? NO! It's because I'm unable communicate with them!!!

Wake up. live in a community of a hundred different languages like I do and you'll drop your uninformed liberal pretentions and begin to appreciate the problem.

Gary
i thought if i had no fault insurance my insurance pays off, but i don't have a car so i don't care.
and i guess a few token black people are ok if they have a lot of money?? interesting....

on the other hand poor and middle class whites choose to live in segregated communities some even gated. anyway maybe you are right it isn't not race. maybe it's money and race is just a distraction used by the powerful.
"multiculturalism gone amoke" maybe, will u lead the master race? protect the engish speakers with money please.

sdra, williamsburg is not in the real world? do i sleep on the fantastic planet and never knew in?

agree with gary on this

easy to preach from a laptop from places like williamsburg & the nyu dorms

adults in the real world are less smug

Mr. hjs from 11211,

You say:
i like the fact i can rent a nanny, maid or lawn care worker for cheap so i can do other things with my leisure time.

I say:
Tell me that after one of them crash into your car and you find out they have no auto insurance. or health insurance. or that they don't assume any of the costs that citizen stakeholders shoulder. And don't say "let's let them buy insurance!". They won't. Trust me. When non-stakeholders get into a jam, they leave the jurisdiction, and head for another city or state. Duhhh, that's what makes them non-stakeholders!

You say:
many "foreign languages" are spoken by other races, are u sure it's not about race?

I say:
Yes, I'm sure. White Americans----who came from different cultures themselves----accept as their neighbors other races. Just talk to the white neighbors of Oprah, Cosby, Michael jordan, Tiger Woods, and you would know that. Language and culture is the dividing point. Move to Flushing Queens and you'll appreciate the difficulties of multiculturalism gone amoke.

We must be a multi racial society. But there must be limits to multi culturalism. Other nations draw that line with a common language. We in the US should emulate them.

Thanks for FINALLY asking about the 287G issue.

It's a BIG issue.

Clearly if Christie wins....Guadagno will be in charge of harassing every immigrant in the state.

If that's NOT true, then Christie has to overtly confirm that he differs with Guadagno's history on this subject.

gary reasonable as a general point but in fairness brian strains to look at issues from different angles than most msm

he seems to actively avoid being dismissed as boringly predictable...wise advice

Undocumented=Illegal.

Your producers dropped the ball.

Anyone really following this race knows that Christie nominated Sherrif Kim Guadagno as his LG running mate.

She USES the 287G program.

Christie HAS a position on this by virtue of the FACT that he's running with her.

By FAILING to mention her name and he history you're giving Christie a pass on the issue.

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

I am an immigration attorney. There are three departments in NJ that have 287(g) approval: Morristown, Monmouth County and Hudson County Corrections.

gary
i like the fact i can rent a nanny, maid or lawn care worker for cheap so i can do other things with my leisure time.

many "foreign languages" are spoken by other races, are u sure it's not about race?

Mr. hjs from 11211,

This is not a race issue. Most manual laborers----whether in factory or farm----who are citizens are adversely affected by a surplus of labor.

It's also an economic issue, as the first commenter described, with respect to home values when zoning laws are changed etc. But these kinds of issues that affect stakeholders also affect minorities. I have several friends who are black and own homes in the St Albans, and surrounding, area of Queens. Talk to them about this issue. Race is not part of it.

But there is the social and cultural aspect. A common language for public discourse is vital to any society, and large influxes of immigrants with foreign languages threatens the cohesion for a nation. I can cite many civil wars that errupted, and it was not incidental that each side spoke their own languages.

gary
yes, who ever will stand up for the poor scared white people who will lose their majority in 2050.
if only they could form their own political party to defend themselves

Bring me your tired, your poor...

Dear Mr. New Old Victorian,

I'm sorry to inform you that the liberal mainstream media will tell the stories of hardship only from the perspective of the immigrant. Not you----the resident in the host country. This is a fact of life unfortunately. Tune into any documentary, news magazine, or news segment on immigration. tell me that is not the case.

Perhaps the reason isn't solely political philosophy----the inclination to champion people of color or non Americans. Perhaps white collar liberal elites in newsrooms do not face job competition with illegal immigrants. perhaps they do not have personal friends who are construction workers, carpenters, gardeners and landscapers, etc. who have seen their wagers gone down.

I don't know which. I only know that someone needs to prepare you for the disrespect you will receive soon, not to mention accusations of "nativist zenophobia" and "racist."

As many owners of an elegant old Victorian houses in New Jersey will tell you, an increasing number of their neighbors are Spanish speaking young and middle aged men, there to gather in established downtowns like Morristown, Plainfield and North Plainfield and offer their services as day laborers.

Just three days of week per month covers their nuts.
Increasingly their families join too, if only for a year or two before the apartment turns over. Despite the impact on neighborhoods of suddenly living next door to 10 or 20 single men who speak no English, selling prices of these homes doubled and tripled in the last decade, for two reasons: 1. More renters than is legally allowed (zoned for) makes for increased rental income and/or 2. Taxes and even mortgages, are paid at a much lower rate than overall. Conclusion:

Those using the lack of zoning law enforcement as a window of opportunity -- and foreclosure as the exit strategy have become so commonplace that it has made quick work of the traditional ways that towns have funded their schools, etc.

So, what comes next?

(If there is anybody inclined to assert that the above observations are anything less than a fully informed and perceptive depiction of reality, I just ask you to leave your desk and computer screen and talk to any of the referenced parties for yourselves. Curious what the guests have to say.)