Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, a Republican presidential hopeful, is visiting Iowa today. During a stop in Waterloo this morning, Romney called for an end to bilingual education in American schools. "If kids in this country want to be successful in this country, they need to speak the language of this country," Romney said, to applause from the crowd.
Romney touted steps taken during his years as governor of Massachusetts. "We set standards. We have a graduation exam to get out of high school you’ve got to pass," Romney said. "…I fought for and we got a ballot initiative passed ending bilingual education and instead insisting on English immersion." In addition, Romney said the immigration reform debate in the nation’s capitol isn’t focused on finding the right kind of new workers for our economy.
"We want people with skill and education that want to commit to our country to be here. Right now, if you’ve got skill and education there’s a concrete wall, almost, to be able to come into this country, but you have no skill and no education — you just walk across the boarder," Romney said. "That’s upside down." Romney visited an ethanol plant in Fairbank this afternoon. This evening at six o’clock he’ll meet with Republican activists in Dubuque.