I received my absentee ballot today and it is in both English and Spanish. It raises my hackles to see that on my so-called American ballot. As all of you who read my blog know, I am against anything, but English being used in this country for road signs, voting ballots or anything else including in Walmart on the signs there. You want to live in and be American, then learn the language.
It is still hard for me to believe that the government doesn’t mandate that English is the national language and no state will do it either. How sad.
Coming from an immigrant from Italy and raised with his son, my Grandfather Joseph and his wife, Gladys, herself an immigrant from Nova Scotia, I have a right to speak of this. Grandpa Joe would not teach us kids Italian because in his words, “You are in America you speak English.”
Although I regret we did not get to learn a second language I see now how much being in this country meant to him and his father. The immigrants of today, however, seem to think the country should conform to them and not the other way around. They demand to speak their own language and want everyone else to do so as well. In many places in this country if you aren’t bilingual you can’t get a job.
With the economy being the way it is, denying anyone who is qualified for a job only because they are American and speak English is a travesty. Just as we are on the brink of white people being a minority, we are also about to be overrun by the Hispanic population.
As I was growing up and we were in the Cold War, people used to tell us that Russia was going to take us over one day so we better learn to speak Russian. Fortunately, they did not take over nor drop the bomb that always was threatened so a new language was not necessary. This Spanish-speaking takeover has been so much more subtle.
People used to tell me over the years that no one had to bomb us because given enough time we would destroy ourselves. I see that happening. Not that speaking Spanish or being Hispanic is destroying us. I have nothing against any race color or creed.
Funny that the Chinese, Vietnamese, French, and all the other nationalities coming into this country don’t demand such rights. I just know if I moved to the countryside in any other country, I would have to learn their language or I would not be able to sustain my life. I wouldn’t be able to buy things or even study to become a citizen of their country because I would have to first learn to read and write their language.
We Americans should not allow anyone to try to change us to their lifestyle. They come here for ours, but it seems to not be enough for them to just be here and enjoy our freedoms. They seem driven to remake our country into the one they left and frankly I don’t want to live there.
I am an American but wonder what that statement will mean in 20 years or so. Hopefully, I won’t be around that long to find out or have to start learning Spanish at age 86. Enough is enough!
Editor's Note: Headline Surfer doesn't agree with community blogger Darlene Vann's opinion on restricting voter ballots to English only. We are a nation of immigrants. Spanish is far from the only second language in countries across America. Providing for dual language ballots is part of the Voting Rights Act.