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On July 23, NYC Mayor Bloomberg signed Executive Order 120, requiring every city agency that has direct interaction with customers to provide language assistance in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Italian and French Creole. This order requires that every agency maintain a Language Access Coordinator to oversee the provision of oral and written translation. Yet again, we find government agencies being asked to learn the language of the immigrants, rather than asking immigrants to learn the language of our country. This seismic shift comes with an enormous cost, both for the provision of services and the loss of opportunity incurred by...

Former Gov. Mitt Romney is now officially a flip-flopper in two languages. This revelation comes courtesy of the New Hampshire Union Leader and Boston Phoenix blogger David Bernstein. “A week ago, in response to a question during an interview with New Hampshire Union Leader editors and a reporter, Mitt Romney said, ‘English needs to be the language that is spoken in America. We cannot be a bilingual nation like Canada.’ ” “Five days later, a Romney news release announced that the campaign had ‘launched its first Spanish radio ad,’ ” the Union-Leader points out. The kicker: The ad ends with...

PHILADELPHIA - City officials are expected to file a complaint Monday against an English-only ordering policy at Geno’s Steaks, one of Philadelphia’s best-known cheesesteak joints that has entered the national immigration debate. Situated in a South Philadelphia immigrant neighborhood, Geno’s has posted small signs telling customers, “This Is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING ‘SPEAK ENGLISH.’” “We’re alleging that the sign itself is enough of an unwelcoming message that it may violate the Fair Practices Act,” Rachel Lawton, acting executive director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, told the Philadelphia Inquirer. Owner Joseph Vento, 66, whose grandparents struggled to learn English after...

The Illegal Immigration and English-Only Debates Have Heated Up in Southwestern OhioThe two issues (English as official language and illegal immigration) should be kept separate. If you speak perfect English and you're here illegally, the law says you should be deported. If you're here legally, struggling with English, and don't think the official language idea is a good one, it's your right as a citizen to speak out, vote, and even run for office. You see? They're separate. But now, thanks to our local PC paper and a local legislator, the two will probably be joined at the hip around...

Arizona may become the 28th state to make English its official language, if Gov. Janet Napolitano signs the bill that's now waiting on her desk. The Arizona Senate gave the measure final approval this week. Mauro E. Mujica, the chairman of a group called U.S. English Inc., urged Napolitano (D) to sign the bill. "English remains the key tool for full participation in American life," Mujica said in a press release. He said more than 500,000 Arizonans struggle because they can't speak English, which prevents them from getting better jobs, helping their children with homework, or speaking with their neighbors....

Over the history of the United States, many languages have risen to the rank of "most important foreign language to know." A century ago, this title was bestowed on German. In subsequent years, the spotlight moved to French, then Japanese, and today is cast on Spanish. Tomorrow, Arabic or Chinese might take center stage. What can be said for sure is that the United States has never been a land of just two languages. We have revolved around one central language — English — with many more languages making up the distinctly American accent. The amount of linguistic diversity varies...

A plan by some state lawmakers to make English the official language of Arizona is angering Hispanics, who comprise one-quarter of the state's 5 million residents. The House measure would allow voters to require that most government business be conducted in English. State, cities and counties could not print documents such as water bills in Spanish or any other foreign language. If approved by the Legislature, the measure would be on the 2006 ballot. "It's insulting to Hispanics and Native Americans and anyone else who speak a different language," said Rep. Steve Gallardo, D-Phoenix.

Congress Passes Legislation to Limit Multilingual Highway Signs U.S. English Chairman praises effort to rein in divisive and costly practice 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...

"Breathes there the man with soul so dead, who never to himself hath said: ‘This is my own, my native land’?" Most of us have heard those famous lines. But exactly why do they resonate across the years? I believe it’s because they capture the essence of patriotism and national identity. Today we have a large and rapidly growing population of immigrants, both legal and illegal, surging into the United States, many of them Hispanic. As a result, some well-meaning folks are advancing the idea that our schools should teach classes in Spanish to accommodate those who don’t know English....

In one of his fireside chats explaining a new federal program, President Franklin Roosevelt laid down the intellectual basis for what has become known as the safety net. "Unemployment relief is, of course, not the permanent cure. The permanent cure lies in finding suitable jobs in industry and agriculture for all willing workers." Since then, our society has long offered temporary assistance to those who need it, on the condition that the recipient make an effort toward self-sufficiency. This balance of rights and responsibilities has formed the basis of modern social policy, most recently reaffirmed with the welfare-to-work reforms of...

<p>"I don't want us to get in a situation of having an independent Quebec-type movement in this country. By having a common, unifying language, you forestall something like that," said Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr., R-5th.</p> <p>WASHINGTON - A Virginia lawmaker, Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr., is stepping into the forefront of efforts to rewrite the U.S. Constitution to make English the nation's official language.</p>

Aiming to unite all residents of the United States under one common language, Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA) introduced a Constitutional Amendment that would declare English the official language of our nation. Reversing the recent tide of divisive and piecemeal multilingualism, H.J. Res. 94 would ensure that government business is conducted in English, providing a common ground for communication and understanding. First proposed by Senator and U.S. English, Inc. founder S.I. Hayakawa, legislation that would make English the official language of the United States has been one of the most widely supported measures in the past 20 years. More than 550...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 2, 2004 Contact: Rob Toonkel (202) 833-0100 Not Guilty By Reason of Limited English Proficiency Pennsylvania case illustrates a dangerous future of justice In a terrifying blow to the future of law enforcement and criminal proceedings, Bucks County [Pa.] prosecutors were forced to drop drug charges against a man after a Pennsylvania Superior Court declared a search void due to the accused's inability to understand English. After Pennsylvania police pulled over New York resident Miqueas Acosta for driving with an expired safety sticker in June 2000, a subsequent search of his vehicle found a kilo of...

The U.S.ENGLISH Foundation is a nonpartisan, Washington, D.C.-based 501 (c)(3) educational foundation that disseminates information on English teaching methods, sponsors educational programs, develops English instructional materials, represents the interests of Official English advocates before state and federal courts and promotes opportunities for people living in the United States to learn English. The U.S.ENGLISH Foundation contends that learning English quickly and learning it with English-speaking peers is the best way for English learners to get ahead academically and socially. Although English learners do require special language assistance, it is the Foundation's stance that this assistance should be short-term and transitional. Recent...

<p>A horror story has surfaced in the liberal bastion of Madison, Wis., that illustrates how destructive bilingual education can be at least for one immigrant student.</p> <p>Our story centers on 15-year-old Kiet Tran, who moved to the United States last year after his Vietnamese mother married John Gardner of Madison. The teenager didn't understand English, so Madison public school officials placed him in a bilingual education class &#8212; for Spanish speakers.</p>

U.S.ENGLISH Releases Bilingual Education Horror Story in Wisconsin; Vietnamese Student Forced into Spanish Language Classes 8/4/03 9:13:00 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: National Desk Contact: Jim Lubinskas of U.S.ENGLISH, 202-833-0100, jlubinskas@usenglish.org WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Bilingual education has been dismantled by the voters in three states and studies show it is less effective at teaching English than the English immersion method, according to U.S.ENGLISH. But in states where it has not come up for a vote, bilingual education is still alive and well. This produces all sorts of nightmares, but a horror story from Madison, Wis., illustrates how destructive...

U.S. ENGLISH: How to Prevent 'Mexifornia'; Official English Will Help Restore the Melting Pot 7/30/03 9:47:00 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: National Desk Contact: Jim Lubinskas of U.S. ENGLISH, 202-833-0100, jlubinskas@usenglish.org WASHINGTON, July 30 /U.S. Newswire/ -- "Mexifornia," a new book by renowned classicist Victor Davis Hanson, argues that uncontrolled immigration and a loss of the old model of assimilation has driven the state of California to the brink of disaster. Hanson believes that unless we get control of our borders and push for integration, we will face a balkanized future in California, and potentially in the rest of the United...

For the past 11 years, I have been the Chairman of U.S. ENGLISH, Inc., the nation’s oldest and largest citizens’ action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. During that time, I have encountered many myths about official English legislation. A few of these myths were recently repeated in an opinion piece in the Contra Costa Times. In his column, Domenico Maceri, a foreign language instructor at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California writes, "…the anti-bilingual education movement and the English-only movement could easily be labeled an anti-Spanish movement." In that...

U.S. ENGLISH Condems Overide of MA English Immersion Law: Supports Gov. Romney's Pledge to Make English Immersion a Campaign Issue 7/21/03 10:20:00 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: National Desk Contact: Jim Lubinskas of U.S. ENGLISH, 202-833-0100 or jlubinskas@usenglish.org WASHINGTON, July 21 /U.S. Newswire/ -- U.S. ENGLISH, Inc. today condemned the Massachusetts legislators who voted for a loophole in the state's voter-approved English immersion law. It also supports a pledge by Gov. Mitt Romney to make bilingual education reform an issue in the next legislative elections. In November, 68 percent of Massachusetts voters approved of "Question 2" which requires students to learn...

U.S. ENGLISH Releases 'Official English: Myths and Realities, Part II' 7/14/03 9:52:00 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: National Desk Contact: Jim Lubinskas of U.S. ENGLISH, 202-833-0100; E-mail: jlubinskas@us-english.org WASHINGTON, July 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- In the coming months, Americans will be debating the merits of H.R. 997, the English Language Unity Act of 2003. This bill would make English the official language of the United States government. In an effort to improve the debate about this issue, U.S. ENGLISH, Inc. will expose some of the most common misconceptions about official English and show the realities behind them. Myth No. 4 The...