Bill would make English official language
Brady Bautch - The Republican Eagle
Published Tuesday, March 04, 2008
http://www.republican-eagle.com/articles/index.cfm?id=48394§ion=News
The official language of the state of Wisconsin will be English if some lawmakers get their way.
The group has introduced a bill that would make English the official language of the state.
The primary author is longtime Democratic lawmaker Rep. Marlin Schneider, Wisconsin Rapids, who said the bill isn’t anti-immigrant but is intended to bring people together.
“A common language is the most essential element in holding a society together,” Schneider said.
“Without a common language there is the threat of turmoil and anarchy,” he added.
“There is also the threat of those who don’t speak the society’s language of not being able to fully participate in the society.”
One of the bill’s co-signers, Sen. Alan Lasee, R-De Pere, said he supports the bill because it makes sense and would make things a lot easier for government agencies, especially law enforcement, to have one language.
He noted that on a trip he took to a Division of Motor Vehicles office in Green Bay he saw license information in about a half-dozen languages.
“How do you observe and read highway signs if you can’t read the language?” said Lasee.
The bill recognizes that other languages are a part of the state’s culture and does not prevent anyone from using another language.