It's only a ballot measure, but still.... it is like AZ declaring the Sun is its official energy source. Here's the latest in the language war news from the state of Arizona (copied from the Stephen Krashen list serve):
Friday, March 24, 2006
Official-English measure gets House approval
Tucson Citizen
The Arizona House approved a proposed ballot measure
that would make English the state's official language
and require government functions be conducted in
English.
A similar proposal made it through the Republican-led
Legislature last year, but was vetoed by Democratic
Gov. Janet Napolitano. She said she believed
non-English speakers should be encouraged to learn the
language, but the vetoed bill did nothing toward that
end.
The House's 34-22 vote yesterday sent the resolution
to the Senate. If approved by the full Legislature,
this year's proposal would bypass the governor and be
decided by voters in December.
A similar voter-approved law making English the
state's official language was overturned in 1998. The
law, approved in 1988, was declared unconstitutional
by the state Supreme Court, which ruled the change
violated free-speech rights.
* * *
And here's Stephen Krashen's letter sent to sent to the Tucson Citizen, March 25
The Arizona House has approved a ballot measure to
make English the stateís official language
(Official-English measure gets House approval, March
24).
As Cartoonist Tommy Tomorrow once pointed out, making
English our official language makes as much sense as
declaring the sun our official source of energy.
English already is the de facto official language of
every state in the United States, and nearly all
immigrants are highly motivated to acquire and improve
their English. According to the 2000 Census, only one
percent of the US population cannot speak English. (In
1890, 3.6 percent of the population could not speak
English.)
Politicians should spend their time with legislation
that actually serves the public interest, not with
"feel-good" proposals that do nothing.
Stephen Krashen
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In a related AZ sun issue, Senator Paula Aboud responded to my recent letter. The letter was a form letter i signed (not my written creation via the Internet)
Here's a copy of the letter:
I couldn't agree with you more! There are lots of great things I'd like to accomplish in Phx/ in the Senate. Passing solar tax incentives would be in my top 5 or 10 great feats. Thanks for your letter!
Senator Paula Aboud
-----Original Message-----
From: Nicole Stern
Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2006 12:02 PM
To: Paula Aboud
Subject: Support Solar Energy and pass HB 2429
March 30, 2006
Paula Aboud
1700 W. Washington Room 314
Phoenix, AZ 85007-2890
Dear Senator Paula Aboud,
Arizona is growing quickly -- and so are our energy needs. With the cost of natural gas tripling since 2001, and our State's largest electric utility filing for multiple rate increases in the past year alone, it is just common sense to diversify our energy portfolio and hedge against rising costs with renewable resources.
With our state's sunshine, solar energy makes a lot of sense. HB 2429 would provide tax incentives for solar installations, making them cheaper for homes and businesses to install.
The nice thing about solar energy is that it produces the most energy during peak usage times of the day, when electricity costs are highest. That means every solar system installed reduces the most expensive electricity, and lowers utility bills for all ratepayers. That's a good
thing.
In his State of the Union address, President Bush made a strong case for strengthening our energy independence by increasing our use of renewable energy. I agree. Please support HB 2429 on the floor, and encourage the Senate leadership to account for it in the budget.
Sincerely,
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