http://www.us-english.org/inc/
Voters Make English the Official Language of Arizona
Passage of Prop. 103 makes Arizona the 28th state with official English
Arizona voters passed Proposition 103 by a near 3-1 margin on Tuesday, November 7th 2006, making the Grand Canyon State the 28th state in the nation to adopt English as its official language. The passage of the ballot initiative marks the eighth time in as many attempts where the voters have enacted English as the official language of the state.
"On the subject of English, Arizona voters have made it clear that they want the government to lead by example," said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of the Board of U.S. English, Inc. "Their support of Proposition 103 yesterday, following their reform of bilingual education six years ago, shows that Arizonans are calling for assimilation, not separation."
With 100 percent of the precincts reporting, there have been nearly 850,000 votes recorded in favor of Proposition 103 (74.2 percent), with less than 300,000 votes against (25.8 percent). Proposition 103 makes English the official language of Arizona, requiring the government to conduct business in English and limit governmental multilingualism to common-sense activities such as health care, public safety, judicial proceedings and tourism. In 2005, a similar measure passed the Arizona House and Senate, but was vetoed by the Governor. After polls found that a majority of Arizonans disagreed with the governor's action, the measure was re-introduced as a ballot initiative in 2006.
"Rep. Russell Pearce and his colleagues in the legislature deserve a round of applause for their efforts to unite Arizonans under one common language," continued Mujica. "The outcome of the initiative makes it clear that their efforts mirrored the desires of the majority of Arizona voters.
"Now that this measure has passed, I hope that those in opposition will join in returning our government's focus on English proficiency for all Arizonans. I think we all agree that we do not want to live in an 'English-only' society, but we are equally opposed to the existence of an 'English-optional' society."
I cannot believe this is even an issue. Isn't it retarded? At least somebody gets it.