No English? No benefits for many older Floridians

[k-os]

By John Lantigua
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Updated: 8:52 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010
Posted: 9:49 p.m. Monday, Nov. 8, 2010

WEST PALM BEACH — Ofelia Pimentel, 77, doesn't have words to express how worrisome the past four months have been - at least not in English.

Pimentel, a Cuban refugee, lost her $674 federal Supplemental Security Income check this summer basically because she doesn't speak English.

She is one of hundreds of elderly or disabled refugees in Florida to lose their benefits recently.

"I would love to speak the language and I have taken classes and tried to learn," she said in Spanish. "I lament not having come here earlier. I would love to communicate more and share more with Americans. But after the age of 60, it is difficult to learn a new language."

Pimentel came from Cuba in 2000. The federal benefit she received covers people who are elderly or disabled, who fled political persecution and violence in other countries and are poor. The aid lasts only several years, after which the recipients must become citizens to continue receiving aid.

Individuals seeking citizenship must pass a written and oral exam in English. The questions test language proficiency and knowledge of U.S. history and civics. People can wait until they have been in the country at least 15 years, after which they can take the test in their native language. But they cannot receive SSI benefits for that long.

Pimentel said that with help she recently wrote to President Obama, asking him to make an exception for the elderly regarding the English proficiency test. "He answered and said he sympathized with immigrants and would take steps to help us, but so far nothing has happened," she said.

"We sympathize," said Sharon Scheidhauer, regional spokeswoman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. "But there is nothing we can do. Those regulations are written by Congress, and only Congress can change them."

Congress has passed extensions of refugee benefits, most recently in 2008 under President Bush. But lawmakers adjourned late last month so they could campaign and didn't pass an extension.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., sponsored a $22 million bill to temporarily extend the benefits. Fines collected for unemployment fraud would pay for it. Gillibrand asked the Senate for unanimous consent on the bill, but one senator blocked it.

"We had many of the most conservative senators on our side," said a Gillibrand aide, Bethany Lesser. "But one senator on the Republican side put an anonymous hold on it."

That hold caused another 850 people in Florida and more than 3,500 nationwide to lose their benefits Oct. 1, according to the Social Security Administration.

One of them, Elba Salazar, 73, is in the same situation as Pimentel. She also lives in West Palm Beach, came from Cuba in 2000 and was receiving $674 a month.

In 2005, a son of hers and his wife were killed in a car accident in Palm Beach County. She has subsequently been diagnosed with depression by doctors at Compass Health System and has been prescribed the Alzheimer's medicine Aricept for memory loss. Her condition would allow her to take the exams in Spanish if immigration officials granted her a medical waiver, but so far they haven't, she said.

"I appreciate everything this country has done for me," Salazar said.

"But for a person my age, you don't have the mental capacity to learn a language as easily as before. If I could ask for one thing, it would be to allow us to take the citizenship examination in Spanish, those of us past 60."

An additional 1,477 people in Florida and 5,625 nationwide are scheduled to lose their benefits by October 2011.

Valory Greenfield, a Florida Legal Services attorney in Miami, said withdrawing the benefits is a betrayal of the country's values.

"It is a value of this country to help those who flee persecution and seek freedom," she said. "We have told these people we would make a place for them in this country, and now we are turning our backs on them."

Across the country, many refugees and people granted political asylum who are affected come from countries that have gone through recent upheaval: Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia and the former Yugoslavia, among others.

Link (http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/thousands-of-florida-elderly-disabled-lose-benefits-in-1032145.html)

By the way, this is not news.

I have tried for many years to learn Spanish and have not had much success, so I understand the difficulty of learning a new language. But if my entitlements depended on it, I might get my ass in gear and try harder.

[Book]

"It is a value of this country to help those who flee persecution and seek freedom," she said. "We have told these people we would make a place for them in this country, and now we are turning our backs on them."

Who exactly extended this invitation and made these promises?

:oo-->

[Dogman]

K-os


If you really want to learn use Rosetta Stone..It works! Total immersion but it is not cheep.

Might find on e-bay or somewhere for pennys on the dollar.

I have tried to make copy's of mine for backup and no-go!

If anyone reading this knows how to get past that dam protection, I would gift you.

;D

[LuckyStrike]

Ofelia Pimentel, 77, doesn't have words to express how worrisome the past four months have been - at least not in English.

Pimentel, a Cuban refugee, lost her $674 federal Supplemental Security Income check this summer basically because she doesn't speak English.




Allow me

http://www.dimensionsguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Smallest-Violin.jpg

[LuckyStrike]

K-os


If you really want to learn use Rosetta Stone..It works! Total immersion but it is not cheep.

Might find on e-bay or somewhere for pennys on the dollar.

I have tried to make copy's of mine for backup and no-go!

If anyone reading this knows how to get past that dam protection, I would gift you.

;D


Send me a PM I'm about to leave the house but will respond later.

[sirgonzo420]

K-os


If you really want to learn use Rosetta Stone..It works! Total immersion but it is not cheep.

Might find on e-bay or somewhere for pennys on the dollar.

I have tried to make copy's of mine for backup and no-go!

If anyone reading this knows how to get past that dam protection, I would gift you.

;D


I'm assuming they are on DVDs?

If so, try DVDShrink to rip/burn.

[Ponce]

Spaciva, can I take the gringo test in Russian, Danka or german, Domo Arigato or Japanese, Comap Sumida, or Korean, mile gracia or Italian, Ho hanot or high land Vietnamese.......or in a couple more of foreign languages?

While I agree that everyone that comes to this country should learn the gringo language I disagree that they should penalise the elder for not being able to learn it......the first thing that you have to do to learn this language is to put a chunk of crap in your mouth, even after 58 years in this country I still sound like I write.

Book? congress told them so......... but we know what a bunch of liars they are.

Good morning to one and all.........first post of the day.

[Dogman]

K-os


If you really want to learn use Rosetta Stone..It works! Total immersion but it is not cheep.

Might find on e-bay or somewhere for pennys on the dollar.

I have tried to make copy's of mine for backup and no-go!

If anyone reading this knows how to get past that dam protection, I would gift you.

;D


I'm assuming they are on DVDs?

If so, try DVDShrink to rip/burn.


Have tried that and no go.....the language disk has the mother of all copy protection on it.

Have tried several breakers and burning sofeware still no go..

dvdshrink with ripit4me works with most dvd's but not this one.

Beside I am too dam cheep to buy high powered burning software. ;D

[Ash_Williams]

I don't think you can make a working copy of the disk, at least not easily. You can only make an image and run that - if you try to burn it to the disk it will fail. Probably you are better off just finding the imagine on bit torrent than making it yourself.

[Ponce]

The code, for not making copies, on DVD and CD is in the outer edge of the disk......get a blk marking pen and go around the outer edge of the disk (the blank spot before the message starts) and after wipe out the markings.

[Neuro]

I do appreciate the difficulty to learn a new language when you are old, but I don't know why this woman deserves to get a cash handout even to begin with. I assume she never worked in the US, if she did work and payed taxes it is a different story. I doubt Cuba has a lot of 60 year old women political prisoners...

[Twisted Titan]

I wonder what benifits are given to Americans that flee persecution in other countries???

Whats that?

There is none???

Well I'll be dam.


T

[Ponce]

Well Neuro, I am in the states and alredy collected four time what I put into my SS, with many more to come, get your lazy uss to work, you have to pay for it..........friking gringol.

[Neuro]

Well Neuro, I am in the states and alredy collected four time what I put into my SS, with many more to come, get your lazy uss to work, you have to pay for it..........friking gringol.
You wear it like a badge of honor, it seems. They will come and steal all your TP, and laugh all the way to the toilet!

[nunaem]

K-os


If you really want to learn use Rosetta Stone..It works! Total immersion but it is not cheep.

Might find on e-bay or somewhere for pennys on the dollar.

I have tried to make copy's of mine for backup and no-go!

If anyone reading this knows how to get past that dam protection, I would gift you.

;D


I'm assuming they are on DVDs?

If so, try DVDShrink to rip/burn.


Have tried that and no go.....the language disk has the mother of all copy protection on it.

Have tried several breakers and burning sofeware still no go..

dvdshrink with ripit4me works with most dvd's but not this one.

Beside I am too dam cheep to buy high powered burning software. ;D


Have you tried MagicISO?

[Ponce]

Well Neuro, I am in the states and alredy collected four time what I put into my SS, with many more to come, get your lazy uss to work, you have to pay for it..........friking gringol.
You wear it like a badge of honor, it seems. They will come and steal all your TP, and laugh all the way to the toilet!


Darn it...................DIRTY POOLLLLLLLLLLLLLL, don't mess around with my TP.

[willie pete]

I do appreciate the difficulty to learn a new language when you are old, but I don't know why this woman deserves to get a cash handout even to begin with. I assume she never worked in the US, if she did work and payed taxes it is a different story. I doubt Cuba has a lot of 60 year old women political prisoners...


And not only that, cubans happen to be the onlygroup of people on the planet that do not need a visa or anything else to stay in the US permanately, all they have to do is step foot on US soil.... :D ...and of course they eligible for benefits once arriving...

[Ponce]

Well Pete, I am happy to say that only 3-4% of Cubans stays on welfare and only because they are old, sick or impared.........my own brother was on welfare for only two months when he found a job.......Florida, specially the Miami area, is what it is today thanks to the Cubans............by the way, that's why I never went back to Florida TO MANY DAMN CUBANS............ I never fitted with my own people because I look to to much like an American, as they use to call me in the old days "El Americanito" = "The Little American".

[willie pete]

Well Pete, I am happy to say that only 3-4% of Cubans stays on welfare and only because they are old, sick or impared.........my own brother was on welfare for only two months when he found a job.......Florida, specially the Miami area, is what it is today thanks to the Cubans............by the way, that's why I never went back to Florida TO MANY DAMN CUBANS............ I never fitted with my own people because I look to to much like an American, as they use to call me in the old days "El Americanito" = "The Little American".



I hear ya Ponce....I do think it's time to end the "open door" policy though....I guess it's the fact that someone from another country, thats never worked here before, is able to enter the country without a visa or anything, get permanent residency, apply for benefits, susidized housing, SSI, Medicare...and is not even a citizen :D

[k-os]

Well Pete, I am happy to say that only 3-4% of Cubans stays on welfare and only because they are old, sick or impared.........my own brother was on welfare for only two months when he found a job.......Florida, specially the Miami area, is what it is today thanks to the Cubans............by the way, that's why I never went back to Florida TO MANY DAMN CUBANS............ I never fitted with my own people because I look to to much like an American, as they use to call me in the old days "El Americanito" = "The Little American".


Now, when you say "Miami is what it is today because of the Cubans", is that supposed to be a compliment to the Cubans or an insult? Because Miami is a crime and drug infested nightmare of a city.

[LuckyStrike]

Now, when you say "Miami is what it is today because of the Cubans", is that supposed to be a compliment to the Cubans or an insult? Because Miami is a crime and drug infested nightmare of a city.


Unfortunately I had to be in the MIA relatively recently it was horrible. Occasionally I would see a "White" person then they opened their mouth and it was all spainish.

You couldn't pay me to live in miami.

[Ares]

ah no, me so sorry

[k-os]

Now, when you say "Miami is what it is today because of the Cubans", is that supposed to be a compliment to the Cubans or an insult? Because Miami is a crime and drug infested nightmare of a city.


Unfortunately I had to be in the MIA relatively recently it was horrible. Occasionally I would see a "White" person then they opened their mouth and it was all spainish.

You couldn't pay me to live in miami.


Everyone speaks spanish there. I was always amazed that people (cab drivers, grocery clerks, police officers) would speak to me in spanish, before attempting English first. I realize that not all latinas have brown hair and eyes, but I would think you can look at me and know that spanish is not my first language.

You couldn't pay me to live there either. Miami is dripping with all of the shallow veneer of materialism that you'd find in SoCal, plus the bonus of the crime of Tijuana. No thanks.

[silver solution]

Well Pete, I am happy to say that only 3-4% of Cubans stays on welfare and only because they are old, sick or impared.........my own brother was on welfare for only two months when he found a job.......Florida, specially the Miami area, is what it is today thanks to the Cubans............by the way, that's why I never went back to Florida TO MANY DAMN CUBANS............ I never fitted with my own people because I look to to much like an American, as they use to call me in the old days "El Americanito" = "The Little American".
I was not impressed with Miami at all!!

[Bullion_Bob]

K-os


If you really want to learn use Rosetta Stone..It works! Total immersion but it is not cheep.

Might find on e-bay or somewhere for pennys on the dollar.

I have tried to make copy's of mine for backup and no-go!

If anyone reading this knows how to get past that dam protection, I would gift you.

;D


Looks like you d/l the main app, patch it, then download whatever modules you're interested in...as always read the comments.

http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5210152/Rosetta_Stone_3.4.5___Crack%28VasiaZozulia%29

http://thepiratebay.org/search/Rosetta%20Stone/0/7/0

[Ponce]

What really pisses me off was when this guy parked his car and got a ticket for parking in a non parking space AND WITH A SIGN RIGHT THERE........only thing is.......the guy was an Americano and the sign was in Spanish, went to court and won the case.........don't mind telling you that the only real thing that I missed from Cuba, or Miami, is the Cuban food......last time I had any was 12 years ago :boohoo

[silver solution]

Now, when you say "Miami is what it is today because of the Cubans", is that supposed to be a compliment to the Cubans or an insult? Because Miami is a crime and drug infested nightmare of a city.


Unfortunately I had to be in the MIA relatively recently it was horrible. Occasionally I would see a "White" person then they opened their mouth and it was all spainish.

You couldn't pay me to live in miami.


It was very bad in the in the middle 70s when I was there. Discrimination against non Spanish people was the norm.

Even the white cops were cold hearted a$$holes way back then. There was no need for it, just plain evil.

I personally went everywhere any way. I never felt scared in any place that was Cuban or Columbian and I went into some dive bars and poor areas. Some people treated me great, wanted the business I guess or just nice people. Lucky I got out of one black area alive. I just walked across the wrong bridge. Black girls saved me.

I moved to the beach and it was little better. The Jews on the beach treated me fine and even looked out for me.

Many of the white people were also jerks and a$$holes. Mean, evil and some were drug addicts. They stole from me at work.

Was offered lots of money to stay. NO WAY WAS I STAYING THERE.

[sirgonzo420]

What really pisses me off was when this guy parked his car and got a ticket for parking in a non parking space AND WITH A SIGN RIGHT THERE........only thing is.......the guy was an Americano and the sign was in Spanish, went to court and won the case.........don't mind telling you that the only real thing that I missed from Cuba, or Miami, is the Cuban food......last time I had any was 12 years ago :boohoo


Maybe the sign should have been in english...?

[Ponce]

Of course, that was my point......to me "America, love it or leave it" is more than a saying.....people want to come here for our way of life (it was, not now) so if they want to live here they must love hot dogs and all that goes with hot dogs and that includes the English language.

[Hillbilly]

Finally! this needs to be a federal law. Speak English or no more government Tit!

[LuckyStrike]

Of course, that was my point......to me "America, love it or leave it" is more than a saying.....people want to come here for our way of life (it was, not now) so if they want to live here they must love hot dogs and all that goes with hot dogs and that includes the English language.


How many people in this picture spoke spainish?

http://www.sfu.ca/~taylorj/Images/Trumbull,%20The%20Declaration%20of%20Independence, %201819%20copy.jpg

YOU come to MY country YOU speak MY language.

[Ponce]

Nordic? most of those people spke REAL ENGLISH and not the bastarise American language........by the way, the first four US presidents were English born and not American born.

[Hillbilly]

Would not be so bad speaking Spanish if it was the Espana version and not the bastardized Mexi-nugget version too.
Oh and then the great hybrid "Spanglish" :puke




Nordic? most of those people spke REAL ENGLISH and not the bastarise American language........by the way, the first four US presidents were English born and not American born.

[Ponce]

LOL When I just to visit my dad in Cuba I had one brother whos Spanish I could not understand, it was like listening to a machine gun firing away........I was told that I sounded like a foreigner that spoke Spanish hahahahahahahahahahah, and because I look more line a gringo they always try to talk to me in English.

[Neuro]

Nordic? most of those people spke REAL ENGLISH and not the bastarise American language........by the way, the first four US presidents were English born and not American born.
Yes but real English at those times, sounded more like American English of today, than the peculiar English spoken in England today. American English has not evolved as much as English English...

[Glass]

http://images.theage.com.au/2010/11/06/2029339/492675886-420x0.jpg

Man who disguised himself as old man on flight used people smuggling ring, lawyer says (http://www.theage.com.au/travel/travel-news/man-who-disguised-himself-as-old-man-on-flight-used-people-smuggling-ring-lawyer-says-20101109-17kvm.html)

Get one of these for Old ladies and send in a youngster to do the test. Problem solved.

[Gaillo]

Nordic? most of those people spke REAL ENGLISH and not the bastarise American language........by the way, the first four US presidents were English born and not American born.


Actually, Ponce, it was the first SEVEN who were born here while the colonies were still under British rule... it wasn't until the 8th president (Martin Van Buren) that a man actually born in The United States of America was elected president.

[Ponce]

Wowwwwwwwwwwww seven?, Obama is in good company.........

[horseshoe3]

Nordic? most of those people spke REAL ENGLISH and not the bastarise American language........by the way, the first four US presidents were English born and not American born.
Yes but real English at those times, sounded more like American English of today, than the peculiar English spoken in England today. American English has not evolved as much as English English...


Not doubting you, but would like to know how you know this. It would seem impossible to know.

[Neuro]

Nordic? most of those people spke REAL ENGLISH and not the bastarise American language........by the way, the first four US presidents were English born and not American born.
Yes but real English at those times, sounded more like American English of today, than the peculiar English spoken in England today. American English has not evolved as much as English English...


Not doubting you, but would like to know how you know this. It would seem impossible to know.
Of course there are no recordings to prove this, this was something I learned a long time ago, as far as I remember it has to do with the development of the vocabulary in written texts, the British English vocabulary has developed quite a lot since the 18th century, while American English vocabulary has not evolved as much. Further this is a known phenomenon among immigrants, they tend to hold on to their traditions and language harder when abroad. For instance icelanders speak the language they spoke in scandinavian countries a thousand years ago... One reason for that though is that the Icelandic population is very small, which means less development. The USA is a bit different, since it is a big population, but the population was diverse in terms of original language groups, English was the dominant language but the diversity prevented a development of the English language, apart from adapting some different important words from other important groups. But the English words didn't evolve, like in England. George Washington didn't speak much different than king George III, nor George Bush, but a George in England today does speak differently. Large homogenous populations have the self confidence to evolve faster, than smaller or diverse populations away from home...

[Libertytree]

Go to another country and see if they welcome you (white) with open arms and give you money!!! Here's a clue, they don't!!! In fact you are openly targeted by the .gov and by the people as potential marks, and if you don't know the customs and language very fluently you WILL get screwed! If not killed... because if you are white you must be rich to have even traveled there.

I date a woman that is 100% Cuban but also 100% American and even she is disgusted by the freeloader assholes from Cuba, Mexico or wherever they come from and game the system, fvck us and smile about it all.