http://www.aolnews.com/nation/artic...mes-this-is-alabama-we-speak-english/19456080
On the other...well, doesn't it make sense that if all road signs are in English that the driving test be given in English as well? What's the likelihood that a patrolman who makes a stop will know Farsi or Thai?
And it brings up the larger question about English-only. I think that having services in other languages is helpful for basics, like food and medical care. But at the same time, it's critical to be able to read and write English if you hope to achieve anything more than a cashier job. We shouldn't make the US English only, but I think that mandatory, government-funded English classes would be a good thing.
I have very mixed feelings about this. On one hand, this is obvious race-baiting, and the worst kind of politics based on fear and prejudice.Tim James is betting his election that Alabama voters prefer what he calls "common sense" to "political correctness." The Republican gubernatorial candidate is running a provocative ad arguing that Alabama's driver's license exam should be given only in English.
"This is Alabama; we speak English," James says. "If you want to live here, learn it."
On the other...well, doesn't it make sense that if all road signs are in English that the driving test be given in English as well? What's the likelihood that a patrolman who makes a stop will know Farsi or Thai?
And it brings up the larger question about English-only. I think that having services in other languages is helpful for basics, like food and medical care. But at the same time, it's critical to be able to read and write English if you hope to achieve anything more than a cashier job. We shouldn't make the US English only, but I think that mandatory, government-funded English classes would be a good thing.