o3 Senators voted against a bill to make English our Official Language:
By bdugas
@bdugas (3578)
United States
October 9, 2008 5:52pm CST
33 Senators voted against English as America's Official language, on June 27,2007.
I find this to be interesting, as four of the senators voting against English as America's Offical language are:Presidental candidate Senator Biden, Senator Clinton, Senator Dodd and Senator Obama.
How in the world can we even consider these people as senators let alone let them lead our country. This is America, when you take your Pledge of Alligiance to this country, does that not mean standing up for America, listening to what the American people want.
This is the second time in the past few months that these same senators have voted against this law. To me this makes them unworthy as senators and certainly unqualified to run a country.
What has happen to the men and women that has take a pledge to fight for our country and save what we have here. Why is it that they seem to want to change us to whatever country or people comes here for what they say they are looking for freedom. Well this is America, we don't need to be told we have to learn another language. If you come here then learn to speak the language same as I would have to do if I moved to your country.
When you have senators like these and especially these four that does not stand up for America, I don't think they have any business being senators they are suppose to be working for us the people of the United States, not someone that is here from some foreign country and try to change things for them. If they want to speak another language then let them go to that country and live.
I hope that this tells you something about these people and what they care about because it is not American Values.
2 people like this
9 responses
@slickcut (8141)
• United States
9 Oct 08
Its already been taken over by other languages...I cannot call the phone company,light company or anywhere without getting someone who cannot speak good english..I have gotten to the point to where i just point blank tell them to put someone on the phone that speaks english....i cannot understand what they are saying most of the time......I try but if i cannot understand i make them give me someone else...Nothing surprises me anymore...Thats what america is "English"
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
10 Oct 08
My wife spent 20 minutes on the phone last night with a customer service agent begging him to put someone else on the phone because she couldn't understand him. I've even had automated systems with recordings so bad that "Household Appliances" sounded like "Haagan Das". That is a real life example. I am not exaggerating.
@chameleonsdream (1230)
• United States
10 Oct 08
That would be because your call is being answered in India, Mexico, Maylaysia or China, not because they those durned immigrants can't be bothered to learn to speak English.
@zlosnica_13 (18)
• United States
10 Oct 08
I feel that this country should either have one language, or have many as officials. I am Polish and I dont believe that some companies should hire people that are billangual in english and spanish but when a polish person comes and cant understand a word, they dont have anyone. We are a such a diverse country that we shouldn't have everything in english and spanish only, if we have it in spanish we should have it in every other language as well, and if you dont have it in spanish we should only have it in english, and not except one language but not others.
@bdugas (3578)
• United States
10 Oct 08
I have bought several items lately that the directions are in several languages. I would think that is because other people hispantic or french or etc, might buy the same item and need to be able to read the instructions. If we put up a stop sigh and then have to put signs in every language under it, seems there would be a long list of stop, when we make a phone call, it says if you are spanish then push 1, or stay on the line for English. I guess it would be hard for each language to have signs and operators to run through all the languages you would never get to talk to the person. I'm not saying other languages should not be spoken here, it is just my opinion that this is America, and it seems we are giving it away to anyone who sees fit to come to this country. In france you speak french, certain countries they speak dutch, does these countries make it all that easy for us to speak English in their countries. We let others come to our country to find freedon, to look for a better life, then they expect you to turn the country around to suit their needs and likes. I don't think that is right. But then that is my opinion and I see not many agrees with me, when they tell them that there are no more Social Security for them to draw after they have worked so many years to retire, they can thank all the hispantics that they let have our Social Security while they sent their money back to where ever. I dont' begrudge anyone from coming here to live, but I don't think our rights and languages should be taken away from us in the process.
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
10 Oct 08
How are immigrants taking away our language??? Geez, you who live simply to promote fear and misinformation really are a piece of work. I provided this conversation with the FACTS about the legislation...I believe in response 6...yet you ignore my response in your continuing attempt to pick at the festering sores of bigotry the McCain camp has provided you. No one wants to take away any of your rights but at least 18% of people in this country do not read English and should NOT be subjected to federal legislation that hides behind the idea of a National language in order to discriminate against them in the areas of their ability to obtain information and services. And don't bother going off on me about welfare and the like. I live in Florida where we have a large Cuban population. When big storms come through they have as much right to information and assistance as anyonne else and their inability to speak, read or write English should not stand in their way.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
10 Oct 08
Well Obama has already said that not only should Americans be required to learn Spanish, but that he's embarrassed by Americans go overseas and don't speak the language of countries they visit. Who knows, maybe when he's done changing the presidential seal he'll also change the country to the United States of Europe.
@bdugas (3578)
• United States
10 Oct 08
That isn't all he will change but you know what, the hard headed and ones that chose to look the other way while this is happening to our country will be weeping when they have no rights anymore. We are in big trouble if he is elected. I have never in my life found one person that I can't find something good in, this man I can't. Every word that comes out on him is either a hit against america, or some dirty weasel that he is associated with, terrorist, felons, etc. I have ask and ask these same people tell me what he has done or what makes him so great. Not one person on any of the forums here has been able to answer that question. Because they can't, he hasn't done anything. Well we will have to live with it if he is elected, we can only pray that we will make it through it, and he will only last one term, but then one maybe all he needs to destroy us.
@KissThis (3003)
• United States
10 Oct 08
I am not a great Obama supporter by any means but I believe the excuse why he didn't want to make English out Official Language was because it would place limits upon those who couldn't speak the language. I could have sworn that for someone to become a LEGAL citizen of this country they had to learn English.
If English were to become our official language then hospitals and schools wouldn't have to spend extra money to have interpreter. We all know that interpreters are cheap so it doesn't hurt the bottom line to take care of those people who don't respect the laws.
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
10 Oct 08
Kiss, read response #6 so you have the facts and not the fear mongering rhetoric. People should be informed, not given misinformation and half truths.
@newtondak (3946)
• United States
10 Oct 08
While it is good for anyone to know more than one language, I do still feel that English should be our official language. I find it interesting that in the past when immigrants came to our country, they thought it an honor to be permitted to come here and were willing to do whatever it took to fit into our society and to become a citizen. That has changed, and everyone coming into our country wants Americans to adapt to them instead of them doing the adapting.
@bdugas (3578)
• United States
10 Oct 08
Yes you are right, they want to come here but they want the rest of us born and raised here to conform to them, to their way of life. We americans are losing all our rights and we don't even have senators that will stand up for us anymore. Wonder how much they get their pockets feathered to change our standards and way of life to suit the others that was not born and raised here.
@medney1988 (560)
• United States
10 Oct 08
okay i for one am up for having american people learn more than one language. do you any of your realize that in about 20 years whites will no longer be the majority?? hispanics will....and then blacks and so on and so forth. america is country built on the whole idea of freedom and equality. do any of you realize that when children learn new languages it's help with their english skills?? come on.....i think you guys are just nitpicking about everything. regardless of what you want someone is going to be voted into office on jan. 20 and it just may be obama. can we discuss issues that are super important??
@bdugas (3578)
• United States
10 Oct 08
So in 20 years someone else can worry about what i going on, while I'm here I expect my senators and anyone else representing the people that voted then in to office to respect the American people. You are right it probably will be hispanics, and it won't be 20 years if things keep going the way it is, I stand in line at wal mart now to watch the mexicans and hispantic send the money they make here in the united states back to their countries, while they want to draw social securtiy off of us and welfare. This is a country that is good to come make a new life but now all of a sudden we have to learn their way of life, if I went to China to live I would be expected to learn Chinese or not be able to communicate. I don't have to nit pick, And I hope to god that when you all get this man in office as president you get just what you deserve, only thing i'm sad for the ones that didn't vote for him having to go through what you will be going through, it has always been the stupid that makes it unfair for the rest of us, how many languages do you know.
@ClarusVisum (2163)
• United States
10 Oct 08
Thank you for wanting to stick to the things that really matter, medney. Things like this are just distractions, because even the McCain campaign itself has admitted that if the main topic/issue remains the economy from now until election day, they're going to lose. What does that say about their confidence in John McCain's economic policies?
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
10 Oct 08
I was born and raised in canada, in quebec as an english person and I still had to prove to the school board that I was educated in english in quebec just so my son could go to school in english, that is the other side of the coin.
It was very insulting, but french is the official language of quebec, and though english and french are supposed to be the official languages of canada,
that is what absolute power does, I had to prove that I was educated in english for my son to go to english schools in quebec,
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
10 Oct 08
Geez, doesn't anyone research these allegations before posting them?
http://www.snopes.com/politics/immigration/englishvote.asp
This was part of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006. Look halfway down the page, read the wording of Amendment 4064, which would make English the *National* language, declaring that the federal government had no obligation to provide documents or services in any language other than English. English only forms, information, ballots...how very democratic of us considering the size of our Spanish speaking population.
Half an hour Amendment 4073 was passed which declared English to be the common and unifying language of the United States, which contridicted the previous bill.
With upwards of 18% of the population of this country speaking a language other than English at home, it's ridiculous for anyone to support a prejudicial bill that would place official limits on communication.
That is, unless some folks have a problem with the idea of the free flow of information in a free country.
@Sarah1108 (310)
• United States
10 Oct 08
I don't think English should be ouor official language. I think we are a melting pot of a country. I think that if you are here you need to learn the language but i dont think it should be the official language. I am not really sure what would come with making it our official language but i know other countries like Haiti had French as an official language for many years and for them that meant if you wanted to go before the courts for anything you had to know french. Now Creole has also become an official language in that country next to French. I also dont know if our language should be called English. I think maybe our official language should be American. We have many words that have come from other areas of the world.
