West Virginia Makes English the Official Language

From CNN/AP:

CHARLESTON, West Virginia (AP) -- Two days after the end of the legislative session, state lawmakers are discovering something few were aware of: They voted to make English the official language of West Virginia.

The language amendment was quietly inserted into a bill addressing the number of members that cities can appoint to boards of parks and recreation. Among mundane details about record-keeping, the amendment adds the provision that "English shall be the official language of the State of West Virginia."

Senate Majority Whip Billy Wayne Bailey successfully offered that change to House Bill 2782 amid a flurry of bills moving back and forth between the House and Senate on Saturday, the last night of the 60-day legislative session.

"I just told the members that the amendment clarifies the way in which documents are produced," Bailey, a Democrat, said Monday.

The implication that this was snuck into voting bothers me.

But I also must admit that I feel English should be the country's official language. It's obscene that children can go from pre-Kindergarten all the way through high school in the U.S. and yet not learn how to write, read, and speak English. Bi-, tri- or know more languages than that? Fine.

Not being able to understand English in a country that speaks English almost exclusively amounts to functional illiteracy and a very fast way to make certain that people will have limited avenues for jobs, education, public services, and the ability to vote. Many schools, having to cut budgets, have cut mandatory ESL classes.

Now, some Hispanic leaders - especially - have an issue with this. They feel that where Hispanics equal or dominate the white population, Spanish should be the language of record. But I don't think it works that way.

Mind you, I love to be in places where you hear a number of different languages spoken at once. Americans, for folks in a sophisticated, industrialized country, are often well behind foreign countries in being able to speak anything other than the so-called native tongue. I'd love us all to know at least a couple of languages. But Americans should know English. Period.