The Watchdog Report

By Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom

 

 

America is facing a gradual erosion of its national identity to an enemy named “political correctness.”  Followers of the political correctness movement are daily chipping away at the time-honored traditions and customs so foundational to our country and to our way of life.  Their push towards creating a multi-lingual society threatens our cherished English language and our American culture.

 

The English language is one of the defining characteristics of our nation.  Our forefathers fought for an America united by a common language.  Those who came from other countries seeking a better life, including my grandparents and others like them, knew they had to learn English to succeed in their new homeland.  They understood that their future depended on their ability to communicate and that the American dream was available to those willing to make the effort to become full-fledged citizens.

 

Unfortunately many of today’s immigrants have been encouraged to take a different attitude.  Rather than adopt our English language so that they can communicate with the rest of us, some now demand that we accommodate them in their native languages.  Even law-breaking illegal aliens have come to expect this, and many misguided politicians reinforce that wrong-headed attitude by making special accommodations for government- sponsored services. 

 

Our national language should not be undermined.  Rather than print government documents in a patchwork of languages, we should expect those seeking services to communicate in English.  Call it tough love, as it can only help those who want to become viable and functioning members or our economy and our society. 

 

The importance of communicating in English was recently underscored at a Columbia restaurant.  A non-English-speaking worker, unable to read labels, mistakenly served customers a highly caustic cleaning powder in place of sugar.  Unfortunately, several customers consumed the poisonous substance and had to be hospitalized with internal injuries.    

 

As tragic and unlikely as this restaurant example seems, there are many other scenarios that could easily produce more serious consequences.  

 

For example the airlines industry relies on clear, concise communication.    Imagine the tragedy that might occur if a pilot and an air traffic controller were unable to communicate.  Or think about your daily commute to work.  We see and read school zone signs or playground signs or nursing home signs.  Some of them instruct us to slow down during certain times of day.  Non-English-reading drivers may be unable to understand these instructions.  The results could be disastrous.

 

Worse yet, think of the absolute absurdity of trying to arrange for multi-lingual communication between United States military troops on the battlefield!

 

Patriotic Americans must regain the high ground in this debate.  We must make every effort to strengthen the fabric of America rather than to unravel it like some are trying to do.  Our commitment to our common culture and our shared language should not be sacrificed to satisfy some misguided socially engineered view of ethnic tolerance.  America has always been a diverse nation, but historically the English language has helped us understand each other, overcome differences, and draw us together.

 

Our hope is for the United States of America to remain united.  To achieve that end we must insist that English is our only national language and that everyone on our soil continues to respect our country’s rule of law.  Anything less would be a disservice to our common heritage and a disgrace to those who toiled and sacrificed to make the United States of America the greatest nation on earth.