Proposal would ban non-English government materials
Richmond (Map, News) - An array of services Virginia agencies and local governments provide to non-English-speaking residents would become illegal under legislation a Woodbridge Republican has introduced in the General Assembly.
Del. Scott Lingamfelter’s bill would require that all government-written communication, ranging from informational fliers to Web sites to official documents, be in English and bar the material from being written in any other language.
“I knocked on 10,000 doors during the election, and I cannot tell you how many times people asked me why immigrants cannot speak English and ‘why do I have to press 1 for English?’” Lingamfelter said. “When you want to be a U.S. citizen, you need to learn English because it will create success for you and a legacy of speaking English for your offspring.”
The measure does allow exceptions for court and police documents, health care materials and schools. If the measure becomes law, for example, Arlington County could no longer maintain an official Web site in Spanish as well as English. Lingamfelter insists his measure is intended to help immigrants assimilate into Virginia’s culture, but John Steinbach, a coordinator with Mexicanos Sin Fronteras, said the bill is a political ploy to capitalize on anti-immigrant sentiment.
“This is just plain, old-fashioned xenophobia and intolerance,” he said. “It is mean-spirited, cynical and opportunistic. Immigrants work hard to learn English already, so this is not going to help the in any way. This is just for show.”
Greg Letique, the leader of the anti-illegal-immigration Help Save Manassas organization, said legal immigrants who come to Virginia are often preyed upon because they lack English skills. He also understands the concerns of Lingamfelter’s constituents who do not want to have to press 1 for English.
“What most people see is an assault on American culture,” he said. “They are being forced to deal with accommodations for foreign languages that they feel aren’t justified, but most people also miss the compassionate side. Whenever you are in a country and can’t communicate, you are relegated to a permanent underclass. It makes folks vulnerable to fraud and abuse. For those immigrants who come here legally, we need to do everything we can to encourage them to participate fully in our culture.”
jrogalsky@dcexaminer.com
VA Proposal would ban all non-English government materials
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VA Proposal would ban all non-English government materials
I'm sure that would be no ill effects of such a measure. No Sir.
"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles."
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Dartzap
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I could understand minimising the amount of stuff being printed in several languages, due to costs (Which has occurred over here in several areas), but to outright ban it? that's so over the top as to be utterly daft.
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The delegrate that's proposing it is from Prince William County, which has some of the toughest "anti-illegals" laws on the books in the country. Like, "County police officer can demand proof of citizenship up front" kind of laws. I blame those laws for all the Hispanics around here driving at exactly the speed limit, no matter the traffic flow.Dartzap wrote:I could understand minimising the amount of stuff being printed in several languages, due to costs (Which has occurred over here in several areas), but to outright ban it? that's so over the top as to be utterly daft.
"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles."
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Zac Naloen
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They are being punished for obeying the law?Lonestar wrote:The delegrate that's proposing it is from Prince William County, which has some of the toughest "anti-illegals" laws on the books in the country. Like, "County police officer can demand proof of citizenship up front" kind of laws. I blame those laws for all the Hispanics around here driving at exactly the speed limit, no matter the traffic flow.Dartzap wrote:I could understand minimising the amount of stuff being printed in several languages, due to costs (Which has occurred over here in several areas), but to outright ban it? that's so over the top as to be utterly daft.
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If they get pulled over in PWC by a cop, the cop can demand proof of citizenship, if they don't have any proff on hand off to the jail they go, until the family can provide proof/he's deported or something. Makes the local Hispanics, even if they are here legally, want to keep their heads down because they don't want to deal with this shit.Zac Naloen wrote:
They are being punished for obeying the law?
"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles."