In Reply to: Re: Sign of the times posted by Rose on September 08, 2006 at 09:00:27:

Rose,
the tone of your RANT smacks of the same intolerance of the rants of the racists!
There is a very interesting post by SANJI further up which states the wishes and expectations of an immigrant family which should be most welcomed and encouraged. He/they wish to assimilate,embrace and adopt everything which is good about Ireland. I recognise the need the economy has for these people and I think it is wonderful that, after centuries of exporting our people to other countries, we can now reciprocate and offer the same opportunities to other countries.
However, you seem quite happy to receive anyone and everyone without examination. It is a fact that mass immigration to certain areas places a great strain on the resources of the adopted location. The huge influx of mexicans to Texas and California has transformed the educational systems there. Probably 95% of these immigrants don't speak english so they have to be accomodated by "dumbing down" the curriculum to meet their needs. In order to ensure they graduate, the standards have to be lowered. This same phenomenon is taking place in the Irish schools. I am not making a judgement, just stating a fact and the point I was making is that we should be aware of this and decide whether it is something we want to happen!
A sweeping statement with regards to Irish emigration to the U.S. in the last two centuries compared to what is happening in Ireland right now is not very accurate. You ought to analize the differences before making such broad statements.