Posted on 12/11/2004 5:37:20 AM PST by Ron H.
The United States government took a stand against the possibility of enormous highway signs featuring instructions in hundreds of languages by passing legislation yesterday to maintain English as the sole language of America’s highways. The measure, passed and signed into law as part of the Omnibus Appropriations Bill for FY2005, prohibits the government from mandating that any highway sign be posted in a language other than English.
The measure, which passed by overwhelming margins in the House and Senate, includes the provision, “None of the funds made available in this Act may be used to require a State or local government to post a traffic control device or variable message sign, or any other type of traffic warning sign, in a language other than English...”. Cultural and commercial reasons for multilingual signage are specifically exempted, including the names of cities, streets and events, as well as signs related to an international border.
“The tide of government multilingualism is turning,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English, Inc. “In a time of unprecedented immigration, people are beginning to realize that if we are to live as one nation, we must be able to speak as one nation. With more than 300 languages spoken in the United States, multilingual highway signs could create legal and economic chaos.”
In October, a Toronto Justice of the Peace threw out a traffic ticket because a “No Left Turn” sign did not appear in both of Canada’s official languages —English and French. The ticket was scrapped despite the defendant’s admission that she saw, read and clearly understood the sign in English, and furthermore, had no proficiency in French. If multilingual signs were to be mandated, the cost would increase the government expenditure of $24 CAD ($19.62 USD) currently spent on multilingualism per Canadian annually.
“We applaud our Representatives for taking a decisive step toward unity under one language,” continued Mujica. “Multilingualism may be beneficial for the individual, but it is a costly and divisive practice by the government. We are hopeful that Congress will follow up by declaring English the official language of the United States and achieving English language proficiency for all Americans.”
U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S. English, Inc. (www.usenglish.org) now has more than 1.8 million members.
Ping ping.....
I'll believe it when we hold an election, and the ballots aren't printed in Spanish!
That's a different issue but I understand the sentiments. Maybe the Federal Election Commission will learn from this though.
I'm afraid that some judge will overturn the English only highway sign law. Liberals have a strong vested interest in multilingualism and multiculturalism.
bump
And maybe the annoying telephone messages like
"if you prefer to hear this in english press one"
Ahhh YES I prefer english thank you :)
I wonder if when in mexico the message is "if you prefer english"...
A motivated adult can learn a language in a few months --- a little at first to get by and then they add on and grow and many immigrants do learn English but we're importing a different kind that doesn't have the ability. They are here to be taken care of -- that explains the lack of motivation.
Great idea! It worked so well for gay "marriage"! </sarcasm>
Does this mean I don't need a 400 page, 75 language instruction booklet for my lawn edger?
Only 75? What about the law suits when someone who only speaks Tagalog tries to use the edger to trim his mustache?
So true!
Another indicator will be when our State DMV stops providing drivers license tests in Spanish and providing free Spanish translators in every office to help register applicants not only for their license paperwork but their voter registration.
!Yo Quiero Taco Bell!
We've won a battle, but the war won't be won until every American Leftist is pushing a mop or slinging fries--something they're qualified to do--and the Democrat Party is in the garbage dump of history.
Nor do they have the desire. Maybe it depends upon the area. I've written before on this but it bears repeating. I am a reading tutor here in Eastern Nevada. I help kids, almost all Hispanic, to come up tp speed in reading and comprehending English. Seventh graders are reading at third grade level. The teachers tell me this is because the kids' fathers won't allow them to read or speak English at home - "Spanish is your heritage." they are told.
That's the biggest problem with illegal immigration - these newbies don't want to become Americans, just LIVE like them.
That's a far cry from my generation (1950s). I was 14 and asked my dad to teach me German. I got my ears boxed - "You don't need it. You're in America now." An Italian kid at school told me the same thing happened to him.
There was a newspaper article a few years ago about how hard a time the current generation was having in finding its foreign "roots". It seems that their parents wanted to become Americans so badly, they jettisoned all memorabilia of the Old Country.
You don't need spanish roadsigns. I lived in Japan and found after a while I could read the roadsigns despite the fact they used a completely different alphabet.
Wow, sanity! Whowouldathunkit?
I agree. I don't think it is all that hard, even in a difficult language like Japanese, to pick up what is going on in a foreign language if you see it enough on fixed signs. We should just use English here.
I think informational signs with changing displays are more challenging, but I don't think we should also broadcast those in any language other than English.
Sweet!
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