English language bill under attack

State Rep. Jack Hoogendyk's bill to make English the official language of Michigan continues to be attacked. I reported earlier on the attack by the city of Grand Rapids. A recent article in the Battle Creek Enquirer continues the assault. Typical of the completely unbiased media, the article quotes five opponents of the bill versus one proponent (Hoogendyk).

What follows are some of the arguments of the bill's opponents, and my responses.

""If you don't have the choice to learn another language, you won't learn another culture. If you can't learn another language, another culture, you won't be competitive in the future," Grillo said."

Nobody's stopping anyone from learning another language. For that matter, shouldn't what Grillo says apply to immigrants needing to learn English? Does he realize that his argument contradicts his position?

"John Musick, head of the Michigan Organizing Project, which promotes better state government policies for immigrants, said if the bill is approved it will alienate nonnative Hispanics, forcing them into a "shadow society."

"If we want them to go to school, get educated, have decent jobs, get access to medical care, then we have to make some accommodations for them as they are learning English," he said."

Unless "immigrants" are also going to set up shadow schools, shadow hospitals, and shadow businesses, I'm betting that this bill will encourage them to learn English more quickly. For that matter, knowing English is a requirement to become a citizen. These people wouldn't be illegal immigrants, would they?

"Emily Aleman, executive director of the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan, an advocacy organization in Grand Rapids, said the introduction of this bill sets a tone of exclusivity."

When liberals don't have any good arguments, they complain about "tone."

""This bill could be amended in about any way you could imagine relating to the use of English or any other language as it relates to state government or any other organization that is supported by state dollars," said Schauer, who is fluent in English and Spanish."

He's not so fluent, apparently, that he knows not to speak in run-on sentences. In any case, objecting to hypothetical amendments isn't much of an argument.

"Rep. Lorence Wenke, R-Richland Township, said he will not support the bill because it implies that certain groups in Michigan aren't as important as others."

Huh?

"Musick said he encourages Michigan residents to oppose this legislation, "just like you would resist the (Ku Klux Klan) and past racist things that have happened in this country," he said."

The last I checked, the Klan supported racial segregation. The goal of this bill is to promote integration. Does Musick support language segregation? How are people supposed to integrate if they can't communicate? Did that just sound like Jesse Jackson?

UPDATE: A new poll shows that 82% of Michigan residents support the bill.