[Vision2020] Speaking English

[Art Deco]

>From USAToday, 05/26/06

Speaking English

For 230 years, the USA has survived without an official language. Mastery of proper English would surely enhance any immigrant's experience in our society, but it should not be required. 

In our great nation, even an obtuse person with rudimentary English language skills can become president.

Tim Pfeifer

Long Beach, Calif.




By all means, let's enact a law that declares English the official language of the USA. In several states, marriage has already been officially declared as being between a man and a woman. As a society, we can enact more laws to discourage diversity and individuality and, in the process, leave some minorities further disenfranchised.

While we're at it, let's declare baseball as the official U.S. pastime; forget that many prefer football or basketball, and even a small minority favor lacrosse. And let's ignore the evidence that many people just "knew" at an early age that they liked to swim or were born to run.

We could declare apple as the official American pie flavor, flaunting it in the face of those who enjoy pecan, cherry or even rhubarb. 

We could even declare American Idol as the official U.S. television show, thus alienating those who might prefer Desperate Housewives, Lost or CSI as well as those people with viewing habits that barely register on the Nielsen ratings scale. Idol seems most appropriate, given the show's enormous popularity, which galvanizes the masses to actually vote - and on a weekly basis. 

We can continue to enact such laws, thus rewarding and formalizing conformity as our nation's premium ideal.

James J. Peters

Orlando




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