One Is Wrong One Is Right

OK check out the responses my wife received from the two Senators from the great state of Nevada.

Dear Ms.

Thank you for contacting me regarding the use of the English language. I appreciate hearing from you.

I have always believed that learning to speak, read, and write English is the foundation for a successful life in the United States. Surely no one disagrees about the importance of English to integration or to full participation in our culture. During recent consideration of a comprehensive immigration reform measure, S. 1348, Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) introduced an amendment to declare English the national language of the United States.

Similar to an amendment offered during the previous year's immigration debate, I concluded that a majority of the people who would have been harmed are United States citizens. It could create barriers that keep our police officers from gaining information to prevent crimes, threaten our public health by keeping people with infectious diseases from getting treatment, and limit the ability of non-English speakers to learn English. I voted against Senator Inhofe's amendment, which ultimately passed by a vote of 64 - 33. However, I voted for an amendment offered by Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) to preserve and enhance the role of the English language. It passed by a vote of 59 - 39.

On May 8, 2007, Senator Inhofe also introduced the S.I. Hayakawa Official English Language Act, which would establish English as the official language of the United States. It was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration.

Please be assured that I will continue my efforts to ensure that we provide resources to encourage every person in our country to learn English. We can and should encourage this learning process by placing emphasis on improving our elementary and secondary education systems and adult education system for adult English language learners.

Again, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. For more information about my work for Nevada, my role in the United States Senate Leadership, or to subscribe to regular e-mail updates on the issues that interest you, please visit my Web site at http://reid.senate.gov. I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

My best wishes to you.

Sincerely,

HARRY REID
United States Senator
Nevada

Double speak at its very best.

If you buy that answer would you like to purchase some ocean front property I have in Kansas?

And the voters in the great state of Nevada keep reelecting him. They think because of his seniority he is keeping Yucca mountain from opening. Little do the voters know, if that were true, discussions would not still be ongoing.



Dear Ms.

Thank you for contacting me about the National Language Act of 2008. I value the opinions of every Nevadan and am always grateful to those who take the time to inform me of their views.

As Americans, we are bound by common beliefs and values rather than a common ethnic background. I believe that the knowledge of English is a unifying force in our nation. English is also the language of commerce not only in the United States but also in other countries around the world. It is very apparent that, in order to achieve the American dream and to climb the economic ladder, acquisition of English language skills is vital. I believe that the responsibility to learn English lies primarily with the immigrant who comes to America in search of a better life and that taxpayers should not be forced to fund language services to meet each and every language need of our immigrants.

That is why I supported an amendment to the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 (S. 1348) that called for the establishment of English as the national language of the United States. It also strengthened the requirements for those wishing to become American citizens by requiring English comprehension, an understanding of American civics and history, and an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of American citizenship.

Additionally, I have supported amendments to prevent the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from filing lawsuits against employers that require employees to speak English while working. The original amendment was added to the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Act of 2008 during committee deliberations and passed the full Senate by a vote of 75 to 19. However, Democrats refused to hold a conference with the House unless the provision was stripped out. As a result, it was not included in the final bill. This year a similar amendment passed on the Budget Resolution by a vote of 54-44. I sincerely hope that it is not dropped by the Democrats when in conference with the House.

Should the National Language Act of 2008 move forward, please rest assured that I will keep your views in mind. Once again, thank you for contacting me on this very important issue. If you should have any further questions or comments, please feel free to write or e-mail me via my website at http://ensign.senate.gov.

Sincerely,

JOHN ENSIGN
United States Senator
Nevada

Now this Senator gets it!!