The recent decision by the Pahrump Town Board making English the official language of the town isn’t likely to make much difference to the nation as a whole, and may not even make much difference in Pahrump. However, the publicity it generated may be put to some good use if it serves to get people thinking about this important issue.
The Pahrump law, called the English Language and Patriot Reaffirmation Ordinance, brings up the fact that people are disgusted with the federal government’s inability to solve the problem of illegal immigration. The law has three sections: one declares English the official language of the town of Pahrump; another makes it illegal to display a foreign flag by itself (without the U.S. flag); and the last makes it illegal for the town to provide aid to illegal immigrants. The flag regulation was probably a reaction to the marches earlier this year in which immigrants waved Mexican flags while making demands of the U.S. government – an image that grated on a lot of people. That section will likely face a court challenge as being contrary to the First Amendment, and town officials say it’s not likely to be enforced.
The section denying town benefits to illegal immigrants won’t have any effect, because the only benefits distributed in the town come from the county or federal government, not from the town itself.
That leaves the section making English the official language. Pahrump is not alone is its decision to try to stop the rising tide of accommodation to people who don’t speak English, such as printing ballots in other languages and requiring that driver’s license examinations be available in other languages. On Nov. 7, more than 70 percent of voters in Arizona passed a ballot measure making English the official state language of Arizona. That made it the 28th state to adopt English as the official language. Two states with large Hispanic populations – California and Texas – are among them.
Lee Rowland, staff attorney for American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, was quoted in the Las Vegas Review Journal as saying, “We are a nation founded by immigrants. The idea that everyone needs to conform to a certain level of proficiency in English is an exclusionary ideal that is not in keeping with our American traditions.”
Excuse me, Ms. Rowland, but what American traditions are you talking about? The Arizona ballot question was supported by 48 percent of Hispanic voters, according to an Associated Press exit poll. Jose Esparza, vice chairman of the Arizona Latino Republican Association, was quoted in USA Today as saying their support was a sign that “the majority of Hispanics believe that the key to success in America is to learn the language of the land, learn English.” That’s the American tradition that has proved successful for the last 200-plus years.
This nation, which was indeed founded by immigrants from all over the world, used to proudly call itself a “melting pot” of nationalities, cultures and languages. Now, it seems that people want to turn off the heat under the pot. Making it easy to conduct official business in languages other than English only serves to divide our country into separate enclaves of people who can live their entire lives in the United States without ever learning English. If you don’t think this is true, take a drive through Southern California on your next vacation.
The only thing “exclusionary” about this policy is that it excludes people who refuse to learn the language of the country in which they live. This includes those people who are here illegally, with no intention of making the U.S. their home.
How can individuals of different nationalities and ethnicities learn to understand each other, cooperate and work toward the common good if they can’t speak with one another? It all starts with communication, and that requires a common language. I once heard it said that the national language of the United States is Broken English – a language spoken by immigrants who were learning how to fit into the national culture and communicate with their neighbors.
Assemblywoman Sharron Angle has filed a bill draft making English the official language of Nevada. Since she will not be returning for the 2007 legislative session, the bill may not have a sponsor; but, I say it’s time we find a legislator to pick up this ball and run with it. The idea may have started with a grassroots movement in Pahrump, but it’s time to bring it before the voters of the entire state and make English our official language.
