On opposing linguistic laws…

13 June 2007 at 10:43 pm | In Immigration, Languages, Paranoia, Politics | Leave a Comment

Every few years the debate over whether we should have a national language pops up. Personally, I find the nature of the debate a bit uninformed at best and down right stupid at worst.

 Here are some of the reasons I oppose establishing a national language:

1) We have never had a national language.

2) The constitutionality of establishing a national language is suspect at best. Where does the Federal government derive the power to establish an official language? Couldn’t this lead to the establishment of official thought?

3) A greater percentage of Americans speak English today than did in 1900. Today its close to 95% even if you count migrants. In 1900 it was below 90%.

4) The United States has always had language diversity at the state and even county level. Several states including Louisiana, New Mexico, and Hawaii are officially bilingual and others like some in New England have regions that are bilingual.

5) English will always be the de facto language of the United States since its the language of business, global culture, etc… If you want your children to be successful, you do not have them learn Cornish, you teach them English as their primary language.

6) To be globally competitive, we should require every high school graduate on an academic tract to have four years of foreign language instruction. Anyone seeking government financial aid should be required to have six years of foreign language instruction in one language or four years in one and two in another.

7) The ofificial language law experience in Canada should scare anyone away from having an official language law.

8) English was never the official language of the United Kingdom or several of its colonies including the United States and Australia.

“It ain’t broke, don’t fix it”

10 June 2007 at 3:30 pm | In Immigration, Politics | Leave a Comment

People need to realize the status quo does not need fixed. This can be said for our immigration system and the attempts at “comprehensive reform.”

Its failure leaves [the immigration bill in the Senate] us with the status quo, and the status quo, at least at a certain level, works.

Illegal immigrants manage to sneak in, find work, pay taxes through payroll deductions and send money home. They provide cheap labor, with many of them filling jobs Americans do not want. While some illegals here do live in fear of being discovered and deported, most do not. The fact that at least 12 million illegals are living here would argue that the risk of being caught and sent back is pretty slim.

Violating the immigration laws is a victimless crime like jaywalking. Our economy needs these workers and they are more than willing to fill jobs Americans would not work if they paid $20 an hour.

Now some migrants abuse our system, but citizens violate the system at higher rates. If those who oppose immigration oppose it because people abuse our system, they should break the same amount of sweat over citizens breaking the system. The problem is that they throw a fit about a migrant abusing the system, but think its perfectly fine if a citizen breaks it. This should be considered a cover for their sublime racism in their thought.

I say let them all come as long as they do not pose a threat to public health or safety. Anyone who pays their taxes and keeps to themselves is a good citizen in my book not matter when or how they came here.

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