What is your stance on making English the Official US Language? Does your Presidential candidate agree?

Question

http://www.usenglish.org/inc/news/newsletter/viewArticle.asp?ID=126&NID=17

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR04408:@@@P

http://millionvetmarch2006.com/Quickstart/DocLib/English.doc
38 Senators voted against making English the official US language.

http://www.usenglish.org/inc/default.asp
http://www.usenglish.org/foundation/research/

H.R.4408
Title: To amend title 4, United States Code, to declare English as the official language of the Government of the United States, and for other purposes.
Cosponsors:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR04408:@@@N

Supporters of English as Official language listed by state:
http://www.congress.org/ef/issues/bills/?bill=9323141&cs_party=all&cs_status=C&cs_state=ALL

Has opposed making English the official language:
Bill Richardson, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Chris Dodd, Tommy Thompson

The same people who opposed making English the official language also voted in favor of amnesty.
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00197

Current Legislation Pending:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c110:1:./temp/~c110fFboEG::

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c110:2:./temp/~c110fFboEG::

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c110:3:./temp/~c110fFboEG::

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c110:4:./temp/~c110fFboEG::

The taxpayers are stuck footing the bill:

THE COSTS OF MULTILINGUALISM

Multilingual government is not cheap. Bilingual education alone is estimated to cost taxpayers billions of dollars per year. The federal government has spent over $100 million to study the effectiveness of bilingual education, only to discover that it is less effective at teaching English than English immersion programs are. Much of the cost for court and school translators, multilingual voting ballots, and multiple document translations is picked up at the local level. Even during good economic times, this is a burden.

This is just one more expense illegals have cost taxpayers. If they are undocumented, they can't pay taxes, so they are a huge burden on our nation in every way -billions of dollars in extra paper, loss of jobs, lower wages, increased tax burden, higher crime rate, etc.

So who is really in favor of English as our official national language to reduce the extreme burdens on US taxpayers?

http://www.usenglish.org/inc/official/fact_sheets/db_multiling.asp
So many extra tax dollars spent by the US government in support of people who are in our nation and can't speak English. How did this happen since they have to take the citizen test in English unless they are senior citizens or handicapped?

If they're in the US legally, they are either on a VISA with limited stay or are citizens who need government forms. The rest are tourists and have a Passport to visit only. So why all the government forms in so many languages that cost the US taxpayers so much money?

Answer 1

English all the way. If I were to move to another country, I would learn the language of that country and I believe those who want to live here should do the same. This and immigration issues will play a large part in whom I choose to vote for in 2008.

Answer 2

I think if a given jurisdiction decides to provide services in a language other than English, then that is that's jurisdiction's business. What is the official language lobby really asking for? Is it just some symbolic thing? If it is, then is that a good use of political capital? If it's not just symbolic, then you will need a federal language police and a government body that will determine which words are actually English. For example, should the FDA use the term "taco" in their regulations or should a English equivalent be coined?

Will people from Washington tell the Texas Rangers to speak only English or lose their jobs? The whole thing is a potential constitutional quagmire.

Answer 3

Wrong! BarackObama.com. Obama supports English as the official language.
English should be the official language. However, we are a diverse country with a cross section of people that no other comes close to.
But you must remember that in the beginning of settling this country there were many different languages spoken. (English, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Dutch, French, etc., etc., etc.)
Why English? Why not one of the Native American languages? One of the first languages spoken on American soil.
I don't necessarily mean we should do that; I'm just making a point.

Answer 4

I really don't see the point of having an official language. Marketers and retailer will continue to offer the "press 2 for spanish," simply because it's good for business. There will continue to be Spanish language TV channels for the same reason. It would change nothing, really. All it would mean is that it would be harder for some legal immigrants to do business witht he government, in which case, they ougta be learning English by now anyway. So again, it wouldn't do much good or bad at all. What's the point?

Answer 5

I have mixed feelings. I can understand why English has not been made the official language of the United States. However, it makes sense for it to be. This isn't that important of an issue.
There are other issues that are much more important and pressing.

Answer 6

I agree that English should be the official language and everyone that is a citizen should learn to write and speak it properly....and that includes the President.
And yes, the candidate I am supporting agrees with me.

Answer 7

Different people mean different things by "official language". I agree that English should be the standard language for legal contract enforcement and government documents. Beyond that, I believe that people should be allowed to speak any language they desire - in business, in schools, in church, or in the home. We have no right to dictate how people talk in their private lives.

Answer 8

I really struggle with that one because I am basically pro-immigration in my politics and am probably someone you would call a "lib." Despite my politics, I think we as a country have to have one thing that unites us all and that to me is the English language. I totally respect the right of all immigrants to keep their cultural heritage, but I think the country as a whole is enriched by that very diversity if we all speak the same language.

Answer 9

English should be the official language of the United States. I'm sick of "press one for Spanish" and all of this catering to illegals and the like. I've gotten into arguments at stores over the whole "press one for Spanish" thing. If I cannot ignore this prompt, I'll complain to the manager.

Answer 10

English should be the official language.
Anyone who comes to the U.S. and doesn't want to live like U.S. citizens should leave and go back where they came from