Wasting Mucho Dinero on Hispanics?

The followings article shows the sorry state of mind some of our leaders are in. Let's hope that the nomination of the first Hispanic to the Supreme Court ushers in a new era for the fastest growing minority in the United States: Senator: Spanish seat-belt ads a waste of money By Tim Hoover, The Denver Post Sen. Dave Schultheis says the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is wasting mucho dinero by running ads in Spanish that urge drivers to buckle up. "All these ads are going to do is provide one more assimilation off-ramp for new arrivals," Schultheis, R-Colorado Springs, said today. "Bilingualism in our buckle-up ads — just like bilingualism in our schools — will only encourage the further balkanization of our culture, reduce the pressure on new immigrants to learn English and make it harder in the long run for immigrants to become Americans." The department is holding a press conference to announce the TV ad campaign, its first ever Spanish ad campaign, on Tuesday. According to agency spokeswoman Stacey Stegman, 23 percent of all fatal-accident victims last year were Latino. And of a total 80 Latinos who died in accidents last year, 59 were unbuckled. "It's clear that expanded efforts are needed to increase safety-belt use within the state's Hispanic community," Stegman said. The department said the ad campaign is aimed primarily at Latino men and urges them to protect themselves and their families. Stegman said the ad cost about $15,000 to produce, and the agency hopes Spanish TV stations will run it for free. She said CDOT got $5.3 million in federal safety funds this year to address drunken driving, seatbelt usage, aggressive driving, motorcycle safety, teen driving and child safety seats. The department spent $622,000 on seatbelt education efforts and paid advertising last year, she said. Schultheis wondered where the accommodation of foreign languages ends. "Can we expect a new round of PSAs from CDOT later on this year in Vietnamese, Mandarin Chinese or some other foreign language?" he asked. Stegman replied, "If in Colorado there were the same large numbers of those populations that were unbuckled, we would do what we could to address those as well. "Our programs are about saving lives, regardless of the race." Script of Spanish seat-belt public service announcement SPA: Tu troca, nadie la toca. ENG: Nobody touches your truck. SPA: ¡A tu hija mucho menos! ENG: And your daughter no way! SPA: ¿Y esa camiseta que costó tanto sudor conseguirla? ¡Ja! Ni se diga. ENG: And that hard-earned soccer jersey? Ha! Don't even think about it! SPA: Si realmente cuidas lo que te importa, hazlo también cuando manejas. ENG: If you really take care of what matters most, also do it when you drive. SPA: Usa el cinturón y cuida lo que más te importa. ENG: Use the seatbelt and take care of what matters most. SPA: Un mensaje del Departmento de Transporte de Colorado. ENG: A message from the Colorado Department of Transportation.