The federal government says employers MUST hire people who REFUSE to communicate in English or face the consequences.
Strange, isn't it... our government has a problem pursuing employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens but has no problem going after small businesses and nonprofit organizations that simply ask employees to speak English while they're on the clock!
First, liberals told us we had to give up our religion, even during Christmas and the rest of the holiday season:
No prayers in school... No nativity scenes on the town square... No mention of God at high school graduations...
Next they told us we had to give up love of our country:
America is racist and sexist... America coddles the rich and exploits the poor... America is the most dangerous nation in the world...
NOW THEY'RE DEMANDING WE GIVE UP OUR LANGUAGE!
That's right! The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is going after a Salvation Army thrift store BECAUSE IT REQUIRED EMPLOYEES TO SPEAK ENGLISH ON THE JOB! The store even gave everyone a year to learn English. Two refused and were fired.
Here's what we're heading toward:
You go into a shoe store and the clerk doesn't even know the English word for shoe.
The waiter in a restaurant can't understand what you're ordering and brings you soft-boiled eggs instead of fried chicken.
A worker in a sawmill cuts off your right arm because he doesn't know the meaning of "STOP!"
This madness is one more consequence of allowing 12-20 million illegal aliens to pour across our borders unchecked.
This time, however, somebody is saying "NO MORE! ENOUGH!"
Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) has introduced a bill that -- if passed -- would stop EEOC dead in its tracks.
His bill would "make clear that it is not against federal law for an employer to require employees to speak English on the job."
Since Congress created the EEOC, it has the authority to tell it what to do AND WHAT NOT TO DO!
Hundreds of Businesses Harassed By The EEOC For Requiring English...
Here is what Senator Alexander says about his bill in a press release.
"A federal agency says it's illegal for an employer to require employees to speak in English, which, in plain English, means that thousands of small businesses in American would have to hire a lawyer and be prepared to make their case to a federal agency that there is some special reason to justify speaking English on the job. I believe this is a gross distortion of the Civil Rights Act and a complete misunderstanding of what it means to be an American."
Lest anyone think this bill would force illegal aliens to speak English at all times, Alexander said this;
"This bill's not about affecting people's lunch hour or coffee break -- it's about protecting the rights of employers to ensure their employees can communicate with each other and their customers during the working hours. In America, requiring English in the workplace is not discrimination; it's common sense."
In other words, people can speak in Spanish, Swahili, or any other language they wish during their personal time (lunch, coffee-breaks etc.). Anyone who says otherwise is either misinformed or lying.
By the way, Alexander originally offered a similar bill as an amendment to the Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) Appropriations Bill; and it was added to the CJS Appropriations Bill back in June by a vote of 15-14.
And liberals squashed it!
A conference committee was to iron out differences between the Senate and House versions and send it to the President.
But the liberals, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, caved in to the advocates of illegal immigration and refused to bring the bill with Alexander's amendment before the conference committee.
Instead the radical and ruthless Pelosi presented an omnibus bill that gutted the amendment.
Now Alexander's back with a free-standing bill that says the same thing.
If this bill fails, the EEOC -- and liberals in government -- may declare all-out war against small businesses in America.
In fact, the EEOC filed 200 ACTIONS last year alone against employers because they required employees to speak English. Given the fact that small business contributes the lion's share of jobs and economic growth in America, this behavior is suicidal.
Press One for English
So how do the American people feel about the English language, as opposed to Nancy Pelosi and Barney Frank and Harry Reid and Teddy Kennedy?
According to a recent poll, 80 percent of Americans believe English should be the official language of the nation.
Nearly 90 percent believe it's important for immigrants to speak English.
More that 75 percent believe employers should have the right to require their employees to speak English while on the job.
Yet our own government is actively siding with people who REFUSE to even attempt to learn the English language.
How many times a day do you dial your phone and hear: PRESS ONE FOR ENGLISH; PRESS TWO FOR SPANISH?
Our entire education system in many parts of the country has been changed to accommodate the children of people who speak languages other than English.
A North Texas friend tells us that virtually all the downtown signs in his city of almost 200,000 are now in Spanish.
America is a melting pot... so many of us had parents, grandparents or great-grandparents who came to the United States from another country.
Did we make such concessions to them?
When Italians immigrated to this country, did America immediately introduce bilingual education into its schools, with math taught in Italian?
When others immigrated, did towns and cities all over the country scrap English signs and substitute signs in German or some other language?
Did anyone ever dial a government agency or bank and hear PRESS ONE FOR ENGLISH; PRESS TWO FOR SPANISH?
More to the point, did the federal government EVER intervene on behalf of immigrants who refuse to learn English?
Everyone is supposed to be treated equally in this country.
Teddy Roosevelt had it right when he said: "We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language."
Liberals Say Asking People To Speak English Is "Abusive."
Of course some folks think President Teddy Roosevelt was a blow-hard patriot.
For example, there's Laura Boston, who works for the Houston Interfaith Worker Justice Center -- an organization whose name tells you it isn't exactly conservative, or patriotic for that matter.
Ms. Boston says requiring employees to speak English is "an annoyance tactic" and "just part of abuse you sometimes get from some employers."
You have to wonder why employers would go out of their way to annoy their workers -- a tactic that would be bad for production. In an automobile plant you'd be sure to get a few doors on backwards every shift.
Obviously Ms. Boston can't understand -- or refuses to understand -- why it would be good for business AND GOOD FOR MORALE if everyone at least attempted to speak the same language.
In fact, it is a good idea for people who wish to live in the United States on a permanent basis to learn English, since fluent English is the key to better jobs and a better life.
Why do I have the feeling the Interfaith Worker Justice Center isn't really interested in that kind of self-improvement?
Just Who Are The Bigots Here?
The EEOC apparently isn't interested in the role that language plays in the life of our nation.
The agency would obviously prefer to punish employers than to encourage employees to better themselves.
Columnist Michael M. Bates summarizes the larger role that language plays in our society -- and, for that matter, any society.
"Our common language is a basis for our cultural unity. It's far from the only language spoken in the United States, but certainly it's the primary one. For folks wishing to advance here, knowledge of it is essential. We do immigrants no favors by bending over backwards trying to accommodate them in their native language, hindering their adapting to a new culture." [Emphasis Mine]
Those who think of illegal immigrants only in terms of economics -- i.e., the benefits they bring to a select segment of corporate America -- should study this paragraph. It reflects the deepest concerns of those of us who successfully fought these same money grubbers in the U.S. Senate. (And will do it again if they try to cram amnesty down our throats.)
Let's face it, hindering the adaptation of an immigrant to a new culture only benefits those who seek to EXPLOIT others by creating a permanent underclass in our society... it may benefit some businesses seeking so-called cheap labor... it does benefit liberal politicians who seek more government entitlements and give-aways.
We love our country and we want it back -- what's left of it.
And we don't want our government persecuting benevolent organizations like the Salvation Army for requiring employees to learn English.
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