40-407 O

English Must Become
Our Official Language

by Deroy Murdock

Chairman, Washington, D.C. YAF

When we think of endangered species, we usually envision dwindling groups of California condors, snail darters, and, until recently, the bald eagle. . Surprising as it may seem, in some parts of the United States the English language could be added to that list. The primacy of English in America is being threatened in many of our states and localities. Only eleven states require knowledge of English in order to receive a drivers' license. The National Labor Relations Board publishes its notices in 32 different languages. People even perform the precious act of voting in many languages other than English in 30 states of the union. The situation in Miami is so bad that its Mayor, Richard Ferre said, "You can go through your whole life without having to speak English at all." Signs appear throughout Miami which say, "English is spoken here." That fact should be a given, not welcome and reassuring words to an English speaker lost in his own country.

This situation has come about because many "government experts" have forgotten the efforts that immigrants used to make when they reached the U.S. in days past. Their first priority in this new land was to learn English with at least a satisfactory command of the language. After they had acquired this all important skill, Germans, Italians, Poles, and others went on to join the mainstream of American life. Their knowledge of English allowed them to prosper economically, socially, politically, and otherwise feel like Americans. The U.S. would not have a California governor named Deukmejian, a New York senator named D'Amato, or a Michigan congressman named Vander Jagt if these leaders' parents had not let them speak English.

These days, though, the "shock" of learning a language is considered an unreasonable burden to place upon an immigrant. The government has established bilingual programs which too often hinder English literacy by teaching new arrivals to the U.S. to hold on to their old tongues and remain outside of the American mainstream. The result? Many who come to our shores sadly remain in an underclass with no hope of upward mobility or the opportunities that immigrants used to enjoy when learning English was a virtue.

Needed: an English Language Amendment

What should we do? A prudent solution lies in amending the Constitution to make English the official language of the United States. We believe an English Language Amendment, or E.L.A., would go far to reverse the retreat of English while opening new horizons for non-English speakers.

An E.L.A. would give immigrants and non-English speakers an incentive to learn English. New arrivals to America discover that many things from street signs to ballots appear in their native languages. Thus, they frequently see no need to learn English and make little if any effort to do so. An E.L.A. would remove many of these foreign language communications, which local, state and federal governments have put forth, thereby restoring immigrants' motivation to speak English. This step would give them added opportunities to advance in America.

E.L.A. Would Refocus Bilingual Education

An E.L.A. might change the focus of many of this nation's bilingual education programs. Quite a few of these projects have not attempted to make foreign language speakers proficient in English. Instead, they have tried to promote "biculturalism" in which students spend only a part of the day learning and speaking English. The rest of their class time involves learning academic subjects in their native languages, so that they can "maintain their cultural identities" and stand apart from the American mainstream. Those who have designed these educational programs have done so with a vision in mind of the U.S. as a "salad bowl" rather than a "melting pot" in which America would be made up of vastly different groups which would not assimilate into our American culture. In fact, the American Institute for Research has found that "86% of bilingualism project directors said it was their policy to keep children in Spanish tracks after they were capable of making the jump to English.” Most E.L.A. legislation proposed so far would only allow bilingual education which acted as a transition phase to English literacy and not as a tool for keeping immigrants and non-English speakers out of our society and culture.

Private Use of Non-English O.K. Under E.L.A.

Establishing English as the official U.S. language would have no effect on the private use of foreign languages. Ethnic groups could still hold ceremonies

and events which feature the use of their native tongues. Of course, use of non-English in the home would continue unrestricted. Only the government would have to limit itself to English in its ballots, documents, programs, publications, and pronouncements. Also, the E.L.A. would not hinder the teaching of foreign languages to English speakers in public or private schools.

An E.L.A. Would Promote National Unity

Perhaps the most important reason for passing an E.L.A. however, is to prevent the disunity which multilingualism has caused in other nations. As Dr. S.I. Hayakawa, a chief booster of the E.L.A. once said, "Ethnic politics, especially ethnic passions heightened by language differences, is fatal to national unity." Countries such as Belgium, India, and Sri Lanka have stood divided between groups of its citizens who speak different languages. Canada is currently trying to remain unified despite the efforts of its French-speaking citizens who are seeking independence from the rest of the nation. Canada has become an officially bilingual nation, in which even air traffic control communications must be conducted in English and French. This situation led to at least twenty accidents attributable to language errors in the first year of the policy alone. If current demographic trends continue, ethnic groups which are now minorities in some of America's regions will become majorities by the end of this century if not sooner. Should they continue speaking their native languages, they might not consider themselves part of this nation and its culture, and could choose to break away. An E.L.A. would go far to prevent this sort of thing from happening. By restoring incentives to learning English and preventing government from promoting the use of non-English, an E.L.A. would reverse the trends which could eventually spawn separatist movements in America.

E.L.A. is Natural for Conservative Agenda

An English language amendment is something every conservative should support. It would increase opportunities for America's new citizens by bringing them into our society's mainstream. It would preserve those aspects of American culture embodied in our language and foster unity within our nation. What more could a conservative want? We should all strive toward seeing an E.L.A. enacted into law. Together, we can keep English in America from going the way of the Dodo bird.

The Sharon Statement

"Adopted in Conference at Sharon, Connecticut, September 9-11, 1960."

IN THIS TIME of moral and political crisis, it is the responsibility of the youth of America to affirm certain eternal truths.

We, as young conservatives, believe:

THAT foremost among the transcendent values is the individual's use of his God-given free will, whence derives his right to be free from the restrictions of arbitrary force; THAT liberty is indivisible, and that political freedom cannot long exist without economic freedom;

THAT the purposes of government are to protect these freedoms through the preservation of internal order, the provision of national defense, and the administration of justice;

THAT when government ventures beyond these rightful functions, it accumulates power which tends to diminish order and liberty;

THAT the Constitution of the United States is the best arrangement yet devised for empowering government to fulfill its proper role, while restraining it from the concentration and abuse of power;

THAT the genius of the Constitution-the division of power's-is summed up in the clause which reserves primacy to the several states, or to the people, in those spheres not specifically delegated to the Federal Govern⚫ment;

THAT the market economy, allocating resources by the free play of supply and demand, is the single economic system compatible with the requirements of personal freedom and constitutional government, and that it is at the same time the most productive supplier of human needs;

THAT when government interferes with the work of the market economy, it tends to reduce the moral and physical strength of the nation; that when it takes from one man to bestow on another, it diminishes the incentive of the first, the integrity of the second, and the moral autonomy of both; THAT we will be free only so long as the national sovereignty of the United States is secure; that history shows periods of freedom are rare, and can exist only when free citizens concertedly defend their rights against all enemies; THAT the forces of international Communism are, at present, the greatest single threat to these liberties;

THAT the United States should stress victory over, rather than coexistence with, this menace; and

THAT American foreign policy must be judged by this criterion: does it serve the just interests of the United States?