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Why Official English?
Click here to read Sen. S.I. Hayakawa's speech on official English. President Theodore Roosevelt once said, "We
have one language here, and that is the English language, and we intend
to see that the [assimilation] crucible turns our people out as Americans."
Today America's linguistic unity, which enabled
the melting-pot crucible to forge one nation out of millions of immigrants
from all over the world, is under attack as never before. Record numbers
of non-English speaking immigrants threaten to overwhelm the assimilative
process. And instead of encouraging new immigrants to acquire the English
fluency needed to succeed in our society, the
policy of our government is to promote "diversity" by operating in ever
growing numbers of foreign languages. This multilingualism is causing a growing underclass, which is segregated and walled off into linguistic ghettos. A century ago such immigrant ghettos were marked by extreme poverty, 80-hour workweeks and child labor. As the industrial revolution matured, immigrants discovered that language skills were the key to entering the emerging "middle class." This, coupled with mandatory public education and reduced immigration, resulted in the successful assimilation of ethnic communities into American society. But today, in segregated classrooms, so-called
"bilingual education" keeps immigrant children from learning
English, by teaching them in foreign languages. And millions of people
cannot find good-paying jobs, because they lack the ability to speak English
with customers, co-workers or employers. Alarmed by these developments, 30
states have enacted laws making English their official language;
often by passing citizens initiatives with vote margins as high as 9-1. Opponents of making English the official language
charge that it is "anti-immigrant," or that it is merely symbolic and therefore
unnecessary. These charges are false. Learning to speak English empowers immigrants. By more than 2-1 immigrants themselves say the U.S. should expect new immigrants
to learn English (1) and by a 9-1
margin Hispanic immigrants believe learning English is essential to succeed
in the U.S. (2) Official
English doesn't mean "English only." None of the 30 states with
official English laws prohibit government agencies from using another languages
when there is a compelling public interest for doing so. These include:
protecting public health and safety, assuring equality before the law, promoting
tourism, teaching foreign languages, providing for national defense, and
many other legitimate, common sense needs. Having English as our official language simply
means that for the government to act officially, it must communicate in
English. It means the language of record is the English language, and that
no one has a right to demand government services in any other language. Official English would also reinforce America's
historic message to new immigrants - that we expect them to learn English
as the first step in their assimilation -- and that we
are committed to ensuring that all Americans share in the economic, social
and political benefits of having a common language.
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