Michigan Votes Forum

 This should pass. 

changeagent:

 This should pass. 

 As person who speaks more than just English........  I also agree.

 why?

silence dogood:

 why?

 Because it does not hinder the use of other languages in any way.

But it DOES set the standard for English to be the ONLY OFFICIAL language to conduct business in a public setting and in government.

If this country was good enough to give you the citizenship you were seeking than you should be good enough to try and be a part of the country you were seeking to be a part of.

Imposition of language compliance is NOT like imposition of political or religious beliefs.

On the part or the requirerer,  its common sense.

On the part of the requireree, its common courtesy.

 where in michigan is any other language than english used to conduct business and the business of government?

silence dogood:

 where in michigan is any other language than english used to conduct business and the business of government?

 Uhhhhm,   excuse me ???

Try Spanish and Arabic in numerous government offices.

Including voters registration etc etc etc.

PUH~~~LEEZE !!

Are you so sequestered or is it simply lack of education? Or just lack of knowledge.

Rightwingers are truly boring to talk to because they literally know NOTHING.

Pfft !

 ah... another ad hominem attack.

are these languages being used out of institutional indifference to our language, or as a courtesy to those who don't speak it? even the french will speak to you in english when you first apply for citizenship.

This bill looks like a very good compromise.  It establishes English as an official language (which makes sense, as well over 90% of the state uses it as their native tongue) but does not prohibit other languages from being used.  Government agencies in areas with large populations of speakers of other languages can still print pamphlets and information and documents to serve their own constituents, at their discretion.  This law would be able to serve Michiganders more efficiently in the future. Frankenmuth offices would be allowed to provide German-language documents, which would not be of much use in downtown Detroit.  Inversely, Detroit could print Arabic-language documents, which would not be of much use in Frankenmuth.

This system is already in place in many places.  This is not some crazy right-wing venture...English is the official language in 30 states already, even in extremely progressive California.  In California, certain areas still provide documents in Thai, Tagalog, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, etc. depending on need for those documents. 

I propose following in California's footsteps, and I support making English the official language of the State of Michigan.

Michigan has been a state since 1837, and not needed an official lanquage. We have seen immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Poland, France, etc., and gotten along fine without an "official lanquage". I see no need for one now.

You see no need for an official language and that is fine. Would you tell me what is wrong with having one? is it determintal to your family ethnic status in our state or is it that you would like to see in the future the left wing socialists get a similar bill passed with a foreign language such as spanish as the primary language in our state?

Basically is what I am asking is there some thing wrong with having an official language or is it just English that you do not want to see? My ancestors came from Scotland and Ireland and when they came here it was an honor to learn to speak as an American and excepted English as a requisite for their citizenship. It was an honor and english is our primary language so what is wrong with it being official. I can not read the foreign languages concerning installation of anything I buy so that is a waist of time and money.

Once again, what is wrong with an official language. What will it hurt.

I am also Scots/Irish. The history of our ancestors is quite interesting. They originally came from Scotland, lured to Ireland by the English, who wanted them to displace the native Irish, who were considered wild and uncivilized. Of course, the Irish didn't take to these intruders too well, and years of warfare and hatred followed. It continues to this day, in Northern Ireland.

I see no reason for an official lanquage, simply because we are a nation of immigrants. Having one seems exclusionary. If we must have one, I would say it should be one of the Indian tribes that inhabited this state before we came. Or maybe french. They were here years before the English. As I said, we have functioned very well without one, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Why do you feel we need one now?

Al T:

Once again, what is wrong with an official language. What will it hurt.

 I agree, and this certainly became an issue in Canada where everything must now be printed in English and French, be it in BC or Quebec.

So is the only reason we need an official lanquage to keep our signs and paper work smaller?

Gypsy, Thank you for your reply. But no, paper work is not the reason for my feelings.

While visiting in Lansing last summer at a relatives house a visitor was trying to teach a 4 year old child spanish. This person was a college instructor of mexican desent. I made the comment that she was flooding that child with too much when at that age they need to learn and memorize numbers and letters, that being english, before befudling her with spanish. I was told that all kids will have to learn spanish because some day in this country it will be a primary language due to the ever increasing population of espanics.

If that little girl was born in a house that one or both of the parents were mexican I can see the point as far as communicating within the family. Our country has grown all these years where the primary language of communications has been English and it should remain so. To make English and official language will in no way threaten any American. I am familiar with the issues of French language in Quebec, but that is Canada and not United States and in no way is there a comparison of the outcome of an official language in this state. I am also familiar with the original origin of the native American in this country that migrated from another continent in the beginning.

I feel personally that too make English our official language will not break anything that is not broken, and as a soveriegn nation we have the right to identify our primary language if we chose to do so. If put on the ballot in the next state elections I guess that would tell use the story about others feelings on the issue.

I agree with your suggestion that this is a good issue to be but on the ballot as a referendum. But this is a proposed bill, and as such I cannot agree it should be passed by the legislature.

That young child was more than capable of learning another lanquage, and the college instructor was correct in trying to teach her. At that age, a childs mind is like a sponge, ready to soak up everything. Being bi-lingual would be a huge advantage to her in her adult life, as I'm sure you've heard we are a "global" economy now.

We are not giving up any of our sovereignty by not having an official lanquage, as I have pointed out, we have gone through many immigrations over the years, and remain quite sovereign.

I appreciate you pointing out that the Native Americans migrated here. We did also, and going back even farther into human history, all humans originally migrated from Africa. Migration is in our genes, and the Scots/Irish have been great migraters.

On many of the bills our state legislators author and some that are voted on I feel that they are doing what they feel their constituents would like to see concerning these domestic issues. If they do not act in the best interest of the majority of the population they need to be held accountable and I am sure next year we will see that happen on the state and federal fronts.

The federal government considers the U.S. as a global economy and that is not the feeling of many many citizens of this country and state, especially those that have lost their jobs due to foreign placement of those jobs. When the U.S. was more of an isolationist economy and not in the business of sharing prosperity with other countries when are economy was so bad we were a thriving economy.

Concerning the past exodos of ethnic groups that is the past and now is now. Concerning the youngster and my reaction to the instructor telling me that they will have to know spanish, being that it will be the primary language in the country, an alarm goes up. Young kids can absorb alot and as long as they have their 1,2,3's and A'B'C's in place as far as their daily life and school work they do have the capacity to learn a foreign language after the fact. Instead of focusing on learning foreign languages when that young we can imagine how progressive they would be by learning how to be a child and then scholastic achievement as they grow, with English being their primary communications and learning tool. For this college instructor to tell me that kids will have to learn spanish because it will be the primary language is the foundation for my feelings of the importance of having an official language and that being English.

If it takes a legislative bill to get it done I am sure that the general public would not have a problem with it. If they can not get it done then they need to get a proposal on the ballots for the next elections. I am speaking of a state proposal, without federal intervention, such as the direction of ammendment to protect our firearms and sovernty in this state in our state contitution. The post above from the author that threw and ax at right wing extremist and how they know nothing, tells me that it should be law concerning the best interest of our our states sovernty including English as our official language.

Ballot issues make an expensive way to do lawmaking.  Leave this one to the legislature.  The way this bill is written, I see it doing no harm and it may help do some good down the road.