Thread: TN: Nashville mayor Purcell vetoes 'English first' bill

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....S0202/70212024

Monday, 02/12/07

Purcell vetoes 'English first' bill

By MICHAEL CASS
Staff Writer


Saying "this is not who we are," Mayor Bill Purcell today vetoed a bill that would have required English to be the "first" language of Metro government.

"We don't need a law to tell us what language we are already speaking," Purcell said at a press conference, where he was flanked by more than 10 civic leaders and city officials. "We don't need a law that will make it harder for a police officer to do his job, for a school teacher to teach or for a doctor to help a patient."

The Metro Council, which passed the "English first" proposal last week with 23 votes, would need to muster 27 votes to override the mayor's veto.

The controversial proposal has engendered vocal and emotional response both from those who favor and oppose it. However, some on both sides say it would have little, if any, impact on the way city services are offered.

The proposal would have made English the official language of Nashville government and would have required Metro agencies and officials to communicate in English "except when required by federal law or when necessary to protect or promote public health, safety or welfare."

Michael Cass can be reached at 259-8838 or mcass@tennessean.com.

What language did he veto it in?

Dixie

This chaps my chalupas cause I used to work in Nashville. It amazes me how fast these panderbears are multiplying.

"We don't need a law that will make it harder for a police officer to do his job, for a school teacher to teach or for a doctor to help a patient."

Police officers here are frustrated because they spend a large amount of time dealing with non-English speaking people. This would not have affected the school teachers at all. The statement about the doctor is just ludicrous. Purcell is not up for re-election. He is just sucking up to the Chamber of Commerce. The REAL reason they don't want it is they don't want to steer illegal aliens AWAY from the city. They want as many as possible to come for the cheap labor. This idiot is going against the will of 85% of the people, as witnessed by two polls. I just hope the Council has the guts to try and override his veto. They watered down the bill to almost nothing and it still got vetoed. He even made the statement it "was unconstitional." The legal dept. had approved the bill. This would have done away with the "PRESS 1 for English". The will of the people means nothing anymore and apparently neither does the will of the people's representatives!

People in Nashville need to get rid of this Mayor. He has closed his eyes to what is happening. How much is being wasted by having everything done in Spanish as well as english. English is not the language that the hispanic speak. Another pro-amnesty man at work.

Maybe next he can convince Gaylord to host the next LULAC or LA RAZA convention at the Opryland Hotel.

Saying "this is not who we are," Mayor Bill Purcell today vetoed a bill that would have required English to be the "first" language of Metro government.

Who he is...is a boot-licker. Fightened little worm! Boot him out!!!

"We don't need a law to tell us what language we are already speaking,"

Pull your head out of your butt Bill. We need this law to send the message to immigrants that ENGLISH IS OUR PRIMARY LANGUAGE because we are tired of pressing 1 for English, 2 for Spanish, and we're all tired of having to find the English section of a product manual!!

This is why problems like this linger. You have idiots like Purcell as Mayor. This is America, you speak English only or get out.

This politician is about to receive an educating experience. The backlash in Nashville is going to be huge!

W