A good example has just come to us from Boston of why people did not trust Washington on its recent promises to enforce a “new and improved” immigration law and assimilate immigrants into the American family. USA Today reports that Massachusetts officials are suing the federal government in court to stop the U.S. Justice Department from forcing the state to publish the 2008 election ballot in both English and Chinese in certain polling areas.
According to USA Today, this bilingual ballot is the result of a settlement reached between the state and the federal government back in 2005 when DOJ “accused Boston poll workers of mismarking the ballots of Asian voters who didn’t speak English.” Did I miss something? I thought you had to be an American citizen to vote. And I thought that to become an American you had to be able to read, write and speak English.
Americans are OK with walking into the local ethnic restaurant and navigating a bilingual menu; that’s a cultural experience. But walking into a voting booth and navigating a bilingual (and someday, inevitably, multilingual) ballot threatens something that is truly an American experience. The phrase e pluribus unum captures it, and the way we vote is one of its most important symbols and expressions.
Comments (4)
"And I thought that to become an American you had to be able to read, write and speak English."
There are exceptions for age and long-term residency. If one is age 50 and has been a resident for 20 years, or if one is age 55 and been a resident for 15 years, then the English requirement is waived.
July 11, 2007 4:09 PM | Comment Permalink
Tony, rememember who you are representing,
Our Lord! You are in a different socialeconomic status, and you are not where we are. These immigrants work hard in all of our industries. They work at jobs that so-called Americans would'nt do, they dig, they struggle in the hot sun to provide fruits and vegetables for their fellow man? They work hard. They are people of colors that our God loves.
I can be objective and critique your views on immigration. You cannot understand their situations, unless you live among them as we do. The Lord needs to be your looking glass, you need to remember who he is and how he created all people.
We are Americans, Born-Again for 15 years. We are teachers and every day workers, who barely live check to check and can't save money for retirement because of high taxes and high gasoline prices. Our government forgets who pays the bills! They live high and demand more from the taxpayers and don't care about who foots the bills, as long as they get their share of the pie.
Immigration needs to be looked at through the eyes of God and then make a plan. That is the only way to handle the problem? Praying always,
God Bless, Connie
July 17, 2007 1:42 AM | Comment Permalink
I believe there is still a thing called the LAW in the USA we all have to abide and when the LAW is broken we must be punished for it. Our God is a just God and He also set the LAW for us and this is our example. There are Law's that are set in place for people to immigrate. Anyone who comes to the US illegally is a LAW breaker and the reason they come does not matter. Is it OK if the people you live around and in your community live any way they please and break the LAW'S ? The immigration laws are to protect us as a nation. When there is a free for all as you suggest then every service and goverment local and federal is taxed to the breaking point and it is happening all over this country.
Immigrants come here for many reasons but the law breakers are not here because they want to become and American they come to take our free medical help, free housing money, free education and they give nothing in return. They do not support the local business, they live 5 and 10 families in a single family dwelling and which is against deed restrictions they do not speak English and they do not have to because your goverment who you think is so bad has made accommodations for them to have everything in their language. No longer are we an English speaking country. " A house divided against itself cannot stand " You need to visit the Statue of Liberty and you just might have a different view of immigration. As for hard workers yes some are, and then then there are those who work hard for an employer, learn the trade and then start their own business and put his employer out of business by undercutting his prices. Gas prices have nothing to do with LAW Breakers.
July 25, 2007 3:32 PM | Comment Permalink
if you want to know the meaning of 'e pluribus unum' (which you cite and which appears on the Great Seal of the United States) you have to be, well, bilingual, Antonius.
September 15, 2007 1:20 PM | Comment Permalink