Thread: NV - It's time -- Make English official

http://www.pahrumpvalleytimes.com/2007/ ... 14529.html

Jan. 17, 2007

COMMUNITY VIEWPOINT
It's time -- Make English official
By SHARRON ANGLE, BOB BEERS and DON GUSTAVSON

It's difficult to be a visionary in a world of lemmings embracing the status quo. Too often, politicians "go along to get along" and refuse to stray from the herd.

Don Gustavson, a conservative former legislator, ignored "political correctness" in 1997 when he introduced a bill designating English as the official language of the State of Nevada. One decade later, Assemblywoman Sharron Angle resurrected Gustavson's measure due to the overwhelming requests of Nevadans she met while campaigning for federal office.

Sen. Bob Beers also heard the same consensus from voters while campaigning for state office. Beers will introduce Angle's bill, and work to convince the 2007 legislature that the time is overdue for passing this tax-saving measure. His introduction will be at negligible cost to taxpayers because the legal drafting was done in 1997.

The bill's content requires all official proceedings, records and publications of the state of Nevada be conducted, printed and available in English. The bill also protects jobs by requiring that government officers must not discriminate or discharge or refuse to hire because of inability to converse in languages other than English.

Also, state agencies are required to record expenditures for providing services in languages other than English. And as a protective measure against frivolous liability lawsuits filed by those who promote wholesale access to the state coffers, no court in Nevada will have jurisdiction to hear a claim that is based solely on failure to provide copies of statures, regulations or other documents in languages other than English.

The bill provides for certain exceptions, such as state employees who need to conduct official business orally or for instructional courses that teach a foreign language or train students with limited English proficiency. There are also exceptions made where exclusive use of the English language would interfere with the judicial system and pubic health and safety or the promotion of tourism and international trade.

Here in America, the English language has been disregarded in deference to political correctness. Why do politicians disobey the will of their constituents and discourage immigrants from learning English? The demagoguery of English as racial bigotry must stop because such behavior only promotes disunity. Knowledge of the English language is power against downgrading immigrants to a servant class.

A system so excessively accommodating to immigrants that it removes any incentive to learn English ultimately limits these workers to low-skilled, low-paying jobs. English is the global language of business, higher education, diplomacy, aviation and science. Most developing nations recognize English as the doorway to the world economy and require their children to learn English in school.

The Angle/Beers BDR breaks down ethnic class barriers while saving taxpayers' money. There are 28 states that have made English their official language either legislatively or by initiative. More than 90 percent (177) of the world's nations have enacted an official language.

English is the most common official language on Earth. Immigrants themselves have cited language as the greatest barrier that keeps them from succeeding in the United States. It's time to make English the official language of Nevada.

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs. ... 09/OPINION

Opinion

January 17, 2007

Make English our 'official language'

I respond to the letter from Virginia Cotton ("U.S. embracing Spanish language," Jan. 4). I, also, am tired of hearing "To hear this in English, press one." And I, also, thought English is the language of this country.

I don't understand why we are being so tolerant with other languages, especially Spanish. Again, isn't this the United States? I'm not anti-immigration, but I do think that immigrants should be required to speak understandable English.

Even the firstgov.gov website has a Spanish option. As long as government and industry provide documents in multiple languages, the situation will get worse and the people of this country will become more divided, not united.

I was particularly disgusted hearing U.S. Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada saying that making English the official language of this country is racist. Can anyone explain to me how making English the official language is racist? Such an effort is not racist, but an effort to promote unity and ease of conducting business.

Rick Robertson

Vicksburg

http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6032502

Jonathan Humbert, Legislative Reporter
Nevada An English Only State?

Feb 4, 2007 08:02 PM PST


Last year there was much controversy surrounding an English only ordinance in Pahrump. That ordinance has since been repealed.

Now, state lawmakers could consider a similar proposal in the upcoming legislature making English the official language of the Silver State.

In Nevada, bilingual business is booming, especially for restaurant and shop owners like Gilbert Gonzalez and his Dos Amigos store. And with long lines at lunch, it's profitable to welcome customers who speak Spanish.

Gonzales said, "Some Mexican people that come in here aren't as fortunate as I was to learn the language at a young age."

After emigrating to the U.S. from Mexico when he was eight, Gonzalez became a police officer, owned a construction business and now runs Dos Amigos. But he needed help to learn the language, and he says the government made the transition easier. But that may change.

"We're one of the few countries that doesn't have an official language, although we really do. And I think it's about time we put into law," Gonzales continued.

State Senator Bob Beers is proposing a law to make English the official language of Nevada.

"You would eliminate some of the costs of providing government services in multiple languages," said Sen. Beers, (R) Clark County.

Some of these costs include Spanish sections of Web sites. Those areas act as outreach for immigrants. And if passed, Gonzalez thinks the bill could have serious consequences to the immigrant community at his store and across the entire state.

"Because if they don't get treated decent or right, they're going to go somewhere else," he said.

Beers, though, deflects critics saying an overwhelming majority of the country speaks English and the bill shouldn't been seen as an attack on immigrants.

"You know now that we're into the next century, generally the only time I hear people yell out "racist" is when they're racist," Beers stated.

But back at Dos Amigos, it doesn't matter where you come from or what language you speak, as long as your money is green. And maybe that principle is what makes all Nevadans American.

Gilbert Gonzalez, Dos Amigos owner, said, "What makes this the greatest country in the world is everyone pulling together."

The 74th session of the Nevada Legislature gets underway Monday, Feb. 5.