# Alabama gubernatorial candidate Tim James is a loathsome shit. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 10, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871 "2010-05-10T02:43:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871/41 "2010-05-10T16:17:05Z")
I’ll wear the prescriptivist label with pride, for long enough to insist that “illegal” is not a noun. It can never be a noun, and I say “_ **FUCK** _ any attitude that suggests that it can.” ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871/42 "2010-05-10T16:20:10Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > It’s a tiny point, perhaps, but I think it shifts the discussion in the correct way: it makes sense for the officially English-speaking state to offer tests on other languages for the benefits the state will derive, NOT because it’s a duty owed to the non-English speakers wishing to be licensed. It also makes sense for the state to offer such things for benefits the individual will derive. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871/43 "2010-05-10T16:30:31Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Its not a duty, its a courtesy, a gesture to the common humanity. If translating a driver’s test into Basque required sending a squadron of Marines on a dangerous mission, I wouldn’t be for it. But if its only a matter of asking someone fluent in both languages to translate the test, then its such a trivial matter that to refuse would be churlish and insulting. Asking someone? We’re using volunteers now, are we? Well that sucks. My wife gets paid for her translation services, and the introduction of volunteers will undoubtedly drive her out of the market. > [@](#): > > The drivel about the expense of such translations is just that, drivel. Prejudice and discrimination have become socially unacceptable, so now bigotry must dress itself up in better clothes, now he must pretend to be fiscally responsible, hoping to lull our better instincts with horseshit while simultaneously appealing to the worst of us. And a man who appeals to the worst in us is not worthy to lead a Boy Scout troop, much less an American state. Beautiful prose. Can’t help noticing it doesn’t exactly say _why_ this talk about expenses is “drivel.” I mean, it’s so confident, so assured: _The drivel about the expense of such translations is just that, drivel._ Almost makes the reader forget to ask how and why it’s drivel, and where these volunteer translators have been found. Almost. ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871/44 "2010-05-10T16:43:38Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Its not a duty, its a courtesy, a gesture to the common humanity. At Lake Chapala near Guadalajara, the State of Jalisco provides English language driving tests for the sizable English speaking community of retirees from the USA and Canada that have relocated there. This is done as a courtesy. Non-Spanish speakers are made to feel welcome here. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871/45 "2010-05-10T17:48:16Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > …Almost. OK, tell you what: you look me right in the monitor and tell me that you sincerely believe that this is _really_ about saving money, and, out of cordial respect, I will pretend to believe that you’re an innocent naif batting big, brown innocent eyes, as guileless as a lamb. It won’t be easy, you having demonstrated an intelligence superior to a dish of cottage cheese and a moral sense above that of a school of piranha, but I promise to try. Could volunteers be found, who might offer an hour or two of their time to help another? Yes, I rather imagine they might. Do you imagine that the candidate would leap at the option, relieved to have such a good thing done without burdening the good citizens of Alabama? Which would be the case, wouldn’t it, if this were only about that? But it isn’t, now is it? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871/46 "2010-05-10T17:53:18Z")
What’s the expense to the state of not licensing drivers whose English is weak? Fewer of them can get employment, pay less taxes? If this is purely a money issue, let’s do the math. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871/47 "2010-05-10T18:00:45Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Some scrotum-cupper I grew up with posted this on Facebook and gave the typical righty party-line and about a billion people “liked” it and posted supporting comments. Xenophobia will be one of the last major prejudices to die in this country. It’s powerful. It is. And the man (I assume, Sarah Palin notwithstanding, that it usually _will_ be a man) who harnesses it, and panders to it without reservation, will have a long career in the public sphere, if not in the public’s actual service. Which leads to the very real possibility that what Alabama _wants_ in a governor is a loathsome shit. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871/48 "2010-05-10T18:49:39Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Illegals take all kinds of jobs. Up north you see a lot of what may be illegals on construction crews. The contractors say they have to do it to make money due to the competitive bidding process. > If picking crops paid a living wage, Americans would be lined up for those jobs. The fact is they can get away with paying extremely low wages by using illegals. There is no job that an American would not do if it paid well enough. YES! This is a point I’ve made numerous times. I’m surprised to see you making it, but pleasantly surprised. And the contractors are full of shit. I got into a n argument with an acquaintance of mine, who has a nationwide construction company. He says that he MUST use illegals or lose out on bids. My point was that if no one could use illegals then everyone’s bids would be altered equally. No answer. I think people like him have just gotten used to having the cheap labor at their disposal. To hell with them. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871/49 "2010-05-10T18:52:02Z")
> [@CBEscapee](#): > > At Lake Chapala near Guadalajara, the State of Jalisco provides English language driving tests for the sizable English speaking community of retirees from the USA and Canada that have relocated there. > > This is done as a courtesy. Non-Spanish speakers are made to feel welcome here. And I’m sure that a good part of the reason they do so is because they WANT the English-speaking to feel welcome. They want more of them there. That makes perfect sense. Smart on their part. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871/50 "2010-05-10T18:57:12Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > My point was that if no one could use illegals then everyone’s bids would be altered equally. No answer. I think people like him have just gotten used to having the cheap labor at their disposal. To hell with them. Well, it’s always possible that this means construction workers will start earning a living wage; but it’s also possible that this means thousands of construction companies will go out of business because the cost of new construction becomes prohibitive. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871/51 "2010-05-10T19:00:41Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Well, it’s always possible that this means construction workers will start earning a living wage; but it’s also possible that this means thousands of construction companies will go out of business because the cost of new construction becomes prohibitive. So? Some will go out of business and smarter and newer ones will replace them. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871/52 "2010-05-10T19:07:17Z")
Just like Americans. ---
**Author:** ![muttrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871/53 "2010-05-10T19:08:41Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > OK, tell you what: you look me right in the monitor and tell me that you sincerely believe that this is _really_ about saving money, and, out of cordial respect, I will pretend to believe that you’re an innocent naif batting big, brown innocent eyes, as guileless as a lamb. Seems to me that there is at least a reasonable argument that is should be given in English, monetary concerns and bigotry aside. Is James making it, or trying to put his changes in under cover of a monetary argument. Or are you asserting that any other point of view is racist? ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871/54 "2010-05-10T19:09:25Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Just like Americans. Huh? You think that companies that can’t adapt to a new situation should be protected and not replaced by existing companies who can or new entrants to the market? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871/55 "2010-05-10T19:30:11Z")
I think he means that old Americans and ethnic groupings die off and are replaced by new ones. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871/56 "2010-05-10T20:26:08Z")
> [@muttrox](#): > > Seems to me that there is at least a reasonable argument that is should be given in English, monetary concerns and bigotry aside. Is James making it, or trying to put his changes in under cover of a monetary argument. Or are you asserting that any other point of view is racist? And what might that argument be? Is there something especially notable about English that enhances driving skills in some unique way? That would be an extraordinary argument, one that would offer exceptional opportunity for scorn and derision. I think Mr. James wants it both ways, he wants to offer a signal to a resentful and irritable anti-immigrant base that he is one of them, but is constrained by the crushing power of liberal correctness from openly stating his views. At the same time, he gets to pretend that, really, its just all about fiscal conservativism. Has he offered us any reason to believe he is reluctant, that he is forced to this position due to the extravagant compensation demanded by the estimable Ms. **Bricker** , and no other option is available? Can he point to any outreach he has made, to seek volunteers, only to be stymied by the awesome power of the Translators Union? I think not. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871/57 "2010-05-10T20:28:37Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Is there something especially notable about English that enhances driving skills in some unique way? Yes. All the road signs in the US are in it, including the many that don’t have iconic shapes and colors. Not being able to read road signs does make one more of a risk to other drivers. > [@](#): > > That would be an extraordinary argument, one that would offer exceptional opportunity for scorn and derision. You have my permission. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871/58 "2010-05-10T20:33:21Z")
Presumably, the exam asks, in Spanish, the meanings of the various signs which are written in English. If they get the answers correct, what could possibly be the objection to licensing them? ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871/59 "2010-05-10T21:04:15Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Yes. All the road signs in the US are in it, including the many that don’t have iconic shapes and colors. Not being able to read road signs does make one more of a risk to other drivers. You guys all realize that foreign tourists can and do drive in the US with an International Driving Permit and a DL from their home country, right? No English, no sign test required, nada. I can’t tell you how many tourists from Denmark, Germany, France, etc. I’ve met driving huge motorhomes in the western National Parks who speak very little English. Similarly, we can drive in foreign countries without knowing the language. I drove all over Spain knowing essentially no Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871/60 "2010-05-10T21:30:50Z")
Y’all know the numbers on speed limit signs were invented by Ay-rabs, right? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-gubernatorial-candidate-tim-james-is-a-loathsome-shit/538871.md?page=4)