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You Can’t Do Enough for Some People

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has set up a program to distribute business loans to Hispanics at zero percent interest. We offer these loans to immigrants and minorities so they can have a better opportunity at success than previous immigrant groups had. You would think these immigrants would be grateful for the free hand out we give them when starting their own business. But some of them aren’t.

Meet Josefina Fernandez of Lawrence. She is the business owner featured in last Sunday’s Tribune who was accusing the state’s minority business loan program of being racist because we don’t translate loan applications into Spanish. She called this free money program racist because people who work for the state won’t speak Spanish for her on the phone.

Oh, I get it Ms Fernandez, we are giving you free money to start your own business because you are Hispanic but we are the racists because we don’t speak your language to accommodate you. Well, excuse me!

You would think that Ms. Fernandez was so outraged by such racism committed by the Commonwealth that she would refuse to accept our tax money as a free loan. After all, you wouldn’t accept a free loan from a racist organization like the KKK or the white Aryan movement would you? I mean, to accept money from racists would be unconscionable wouldn’t it Ms. Fernandez? But alas, even though we are all racist here in Massachusetts because we wont speak Spanish for you, that didn’t stop you from taking our money, now did it?

How ungrateful can some people be? Not only does Ms. Fernandez (and others like her) believe they are entitled to our tax money simply because they are Hispanic, they show outrage because we wont cater to them further by supplying state workers who will speak their language as well.

Learning enough words to fill out a loan application in English is a very small concession to our taxpayers in exchange for the free loans we give you to start your business. By the way, these free loans are not available to white people who work hard and want to start a business. And while Ms. Fernandez is biting the hand that feeds her (literally) she might want to look up the word racism in the dictionary. It is defined as "a policy based on race." In this case, the mere existence of a business loan program which excludes white people fits that definition of racism perfectly. But that kind of racism is OK for Ms. Fernandez because that racism benefits Hispanic business owners like her. You see, to people like Ms. Fernandez, racism is defined as white people not giving certain minority groups everything they want. She may call it racism, I call it un-American.

We allow our government to give away our tax money to help people and expect nothing but a thank you in return. Instead of getting a thank you, however, what we get is more ungrateful people looking for more free stuff as though we owe it to them. Well, here’s a news bulletin for the Josefina Fernandez’ of this community; we don’t owe you anything except the freedom and opportunity to work hard and get ahead on your own.

We give out these loans and set up minority programs out of the goodness of our American spirit. We do it to help people who want to help themselves. We do it because we are a kind and caring nation. But if you are not willing to help yourself and take advantage of that kindness by refusing to learn the language of business and commerce in this country, we can hardly feel obligated to do anything else for you. Nor should we.

What’s most alarming is that the media makes us look like the bad guys if we dare to expect immigrants to learn the language of the land. Ms. Fernandez was quoted as saying that the free loan program should be bilingual because "they are disqualifying minorities," by not speaking Spanish, she said.

No, no, Ms. Fernandez you have it all wrong. The immigrants who come to this country and expect us to learn their language are disqualifying themselves.

David Celestina, of the Business Assistance office for the state said it simply and brilliantly. "The business of the Commonwealth is done in English. The business of the federal government is done in English." And it should be!

For those of you who cannot accept the language of the land you chose to live in, you will have three choices; learn English, find your own interpreter to help you fill out (tax payer funded) loan applications… or you can simply go without. Either way, it is your responsibility to make an effort if you want free loans from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The fact that these loans are being offered to you in the first place shows a great effort on our part to help Hispanics make it here in America. And we do so gladly. I just think it would be neighborly if you would make an effort to help yourself somewhere along the way.