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Letters to the Editor I so enjoyed your letter which was full of compassion and understanding of this critical situation. As never before your language policies are right on target. You have always been fully aware of our need to know and speak one language which will be the only way to achieve national pride and energy to defeat all problems.
This issue is critical in Southern California where children of over 100 different language backgrounds reside and are in the school system. Where no teacher for their "native" language can be found, they must be taught in English speaking classrooms and so do far better in school.... Yesterday I was in the United States Post Office in West San Fernando Valley. All the posters on the walls were in Spanish! The Regional Postmaster has yet to return my call.
Editor's Note: Many people wrote letters to their Congressmen who voted against the Istook Amendment and sent us a copy. Here's one letter: December 14, 2001 Today I learned for the first time that you had voted against the Istook Amendment to stop Executive Order 13166 by which Pres. Clinton decreed that all government documents and activities are entitled to an instant translation into any language whenever one applicant for services demands it. Not only would this be horrendously expensive, but it does not take much imagination to realize how it would result in fracturing the community Americans feel when they speak a common language - English! There are, I believe, 6,800 languages now spoken in thie world. People from many different countries come to the United States because it has the reputation of a good place to live. In the past, immigrants (from wherever) expected to learn English because it was necessary to succeed in the United States. They could speak any language they wished at home, but if they wished to become U.S. citizens, or needed a good job, they expected to speak the common language of the land. The Democratic party is very short-sighted if it tries by the above methods to court the Spanish-speaking voters. English is the language of international commerce and our country is certainly business-oriented. I hope you will let your native intelligence guide you in the long-term consequences of upholding Executive Order 13166 and do whatever you can to reverse the awful results of the House vote on the Istook Amendment. It seems that your local constituency would applaud the vote against Executive Order 13166, especially in the present international war situation, and especially if they realized the expense to the taxpayers which the Order requires. I have been a good Democrat all my life, but this appalls me!
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The
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