Wednesday, November 12, 2008
English-only bill to be considered by Texas State Legislature
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A bill in anticipation of the start of the 81st Session of the Texas Legislature in January would prohibit the use of public funds to print most government documents–including material relating to elections and voter registration–in any language other than English.
HB 81, filed by State Rep. Dan Flynn (R-Van) is one of many anti-immigrant pieces of legislation expected to be considered by the Texas Legislature when it convenes next year.
The bill bans any state agency to use public funds to print a public document in a language other than English unless a federal law requires that the document be printed in other languages. The bill also strikes an entire chapter in the Texas Election Code that includes requirements that ballots and election materials be printed in Spanish in any precinct in a county where five percent or more inhabitants are of Spanish origin. The section of the Election Code requiring bilingual election clerks in certain areas would also be repealed by the bill.
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Comments
Scott Doyle Verified
How...closed-minded and ignorant.
Especially election materials. Obviously your registrar is doing it wrong if illegals are given voter registration cards - do your damn jobs (that public funds are paying you for) and you'll have nothing to worry about.
1st time I've seen this Flynn character's name in awhile. Gotta say, Dan ain't the man.
7 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Pavel Lishin Verified
Yeah, pretty sure that this only hurts the people who came here legally and want to be a part of this country.
Way to make your citizens and constituents feel at home. I hope they vote his ass out next election.
7 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
alexander troup Verified
I came from Immigrants from the last Century, but,... we were all bloody British subjects, oh well tally ho.... A.T, ..fresh off the Titantic.
7 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Rex123 Anonymous
Dan is exactly right. To vote, you need to be a citizen. To be a citizen, you were either born here (and therefore learned English in school) or were naturalized (and had to learn English to pass the citizenship test). So, why do we need ballots in other languages?
This doesn't really have anything to do with illegal immigration, but rather assimilation and national unity. Most people could care less if immigrants retain their native language for some things (talking with their family and friends, watching TV, reading a newspaper). However, everyone who lives in the USA should have to know English to live a normal life and do normal things like vote, pay your bills, read road signs and product packaging, and - most important - communicate with your fellow citizens.
7 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Travis Bush Verified
Isn't the Citizenship Test offered in at least a couple of different languages? If I am not mistaken, the only part of the test that HAS to be in English is the interview portion.
This bill is just more racist posturing by the retarded Texas that we all have observed since time immemorial.
7 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Jason Rice Verified
I can really see both sides. I have friends living and working in Germany and France and I'll be frank, they make us look like bleeding heart liberals when it comes to language.
No speaky, no worky. Period.
That said, they can conduct all their day to day business in English. SO if you're rich, you can live anywhere. If you work to eat, you learn the language.
That said, how the heck can you hold people accountable to follow the laws if they can't read them. If dual language forms and docs were breaking the bank like some other attributes of illegal immigration (childcare, healthcare, welfare) then I'd line up to bar it.
But I can kill this one with a single question:
Do you want LULAC telling people just "votación número tres"?
I say, let them use their brains instead.
7 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Clay213 Anonymous
'everyone who lives in the USA should have to know English'
What part of 'land of the free' did you not understand?
7 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
ch0 Anonymous
This will all be moot in scant decades anyhow.
Concepts like "national unity" don't depend on homage to a British lineage that is swiftly fading, unless you're into the racialist nationalism thing, in which case, uh, good luck with that. Whatever happened to "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses?" Have we now converted to Daniel Day-Lewis's Nativist leanings, now that sufficient numbers of Euro-descended folks are economically dominant? Spell 'hypocrite', if you can...
Our descendants will all speak the "'Cesar Chavez' North American patois", regardless of what WE may think now.
And yes, I'll be encouraging all of my children to enroll in Espanol-ese wenn sie in mittel-schule enrollen.
open minds, open hearts. C.H, ..mud person
7 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Jason Rice Verified
ch0, you really think the Chinese government will let us keep speaking Spanish after they foreclose? You dreamer you.
7 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
ch0 Anonymous
Lulz, I'm gonna do my best to hitch-hike a ride to Chinese Mars at that point. I could mebe pass for a Sino-Arean, with a couple of kilo-creds to grease the squeaky wheel. Look me up if you ever get to Phobos. I grill a mean algae-steak...
7 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Clay213 Anonymous
Cesar Chavez will never overtake English as the dominant world language. Sorry. The internet and technology are English dominated. English is the language of international business and trade.. Spanish is the language of uhm..... taquerias
7 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
ch0 Anonymous
Touche - but keep in mind that the "'Cesar Chavez' North American Patois" will consist of no less than 65% standard American English vocabulary words, eh? And I still can't find the dam key to put the tilde over the 'n' anyhow, so it's a given that Bill Gates will determine our national punctuation protocols.
No one ever said "world" dominant language, though. Perhaps Tejas, Caji, New Jork, and New Cooba, with respect to the States of America...
In the end, we should be working with our Injun and Chinee brothers and sisters on global issues. At least they comprehend our 'culture'. C.H., .. Native Foreigner
7 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Scott Doyle Verified
My question is simple: Why worry about it now? We've offered various languages this long...what's the argument for retracting, especially since Texas has recently become majority-minority?
7 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Pavel Lishin Verified
"The internet and technology are English dominated. English is the language of international business and trade.. "
And so it was with French, and German, not too many centuries ago, and I'm sure people then laughed merrily at anyone who suggested that the international language of science would ever be replaced by English.
Although I do wonder how difficult it is to learn a programming language if you don't speak english.
7 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Jason Rice Verified
::Texas has recently become majority-minority
So when can we stop using the misleading euphemism of "Minority"?
7 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Scott Doyle Verified
Per the U.S. Census Bureau, "The minority population includes all people except non-Hispanic single-race whites."
So, methinks the implication is that their individual race is a minority compared to whites, but all of the minorities combined outnumber whites. I concur that it's an oxymoron, but I can also see why it's used.
Regardless, with such a melting pot in the state this guy's a jerk.
Interesting image from a related article back in '05:
7 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Clay213 Anonymous
Meaningless BS
7 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
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