Perry supports English as official language in US

[steve2470]

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry said Friday he would like English to be made the national language of the United States, agreeing with a frustrated voter who railed over the presence of multiple languages in everyday American life.

Perry, whose campaign needs a boost before Tuesday's lead-off Iowa caucuses, spoke at a Cerro Gordo County GOP fundraiser and took questions from the audience at the Mason County Country Club.

The voter who told the Texas governor he was tired of multilingual directions for products drew applause when he said he'd like to see English become the official language of the U.S. government.

"I don't know how the rest of the conservatives in the room feel, but personally, I'm fed up with seeing the directions on every single product on every single shelf of every single store written in four languages," said the man, who didn't give his name.

http://news.yahoo.com/perry-supports-english-official-language-us-015528582.html

[ret5hd]

1. So, there is at least ONE big gov't regulation that conservatives want:

a big gov't regulation that says a private business can only print directions in one particular language.

[life by carob]

3. I agree with him on this!

What is with all this enabling of those who use America as a money machine, send it elsewhere, and then have no interest in participating in our way of life?

If I ever go to France I will bring a dictionary or electronic translator!

[MineralMan]

6. If you ever go to France, you'll find that most of the people you will

be dealing with can communicate with you in English. They'll be pleased if you try to learn enough French to be polite, but they'll gladly deal with you in English. They understand that you don't speak French, and they will communicate in your language if you cannot speak theirs. Have a pleasant trip.

[life by carob]

7. Oh puleeze! Don't even try to run that past me!

The French are known to be very snooty towards us "Ugly Americans." I wouldn't ASSume anything anywhere is my point. Obviously it is a good chance I would be able to find someone to speak English.

[ret5hd]

8. Well, it certainly sounds like you know what you are talking about.

[life by carob]

10. ????

Oh wail, jay wayz...yew caught my...Ahm here in mah trailurr pretendin' to know 'bout them fancy places over them seas!

[life by carob]

16. So you are puffed up because you've been to Europe?

Whatever's clever, dear...Apparently you haven't realized that not everyone can afford to take a trip to Europe but it certainly doesn't make me ignorant. You sound rather elitist, to be honest with you...

So tell me, oh wise one, will you be voting for our dear leader next time around? I mean, sophisticated as you are and all...

[MineralMan]

17. Dear Leader? Why are you referring to President Obama

with the pet name for the late leader of North Korea?

It is not your personal travel experience that makes you sound ignorant. It is your repeating of a false statement about the French. Since you have no personal experience with that, you are simply parroting what you have heard from others, most of whom also have no direct knowledge.

But, I come back to your use of "dear leader" to describe our President. Why are you doing that?

[MineralMan]

14. Actually, that's a myth. I've traveled in France

several times, and have never encountered that at all. The truth is that most tourists only deal with people whose job it is to deal with tourists. It's rare for American tourists to communicate with anyone who doesn't speak English in France. The tourists tend to stick to tourism activities, and those they communicate with speak English pretty well, since they deal with a lot of English speakers.

As it happens, I do speak French well enough to handle most common situations. But, often, when I'm struggling a bit to come up with the correct language for a situation, the person I'm dealing with seamlessly switched to English to simplify the communication.

I take it that you have not visited France. If you had, you wouldn't be repeating that incorrect information. I've found that most French people are quite friendly, as long as your approach is equally friendly. I don't actually just deal with tourism-oriented people when I travel, and I've found a welcome wherever I go. I smile, make my best effort to speak the local language, and am glad to laugh at my poor attempts. The people I meet are happy to try their English and generally have questions about the United States, etc.

French IS the official language of France, it's true. But, whatever western language you happen to speak, you'll find someone nearby who can speak it if you're in typical tourism venues in France. They're used to a multilingual customer base, and are happy to deal with you in whatever language you use.

I hope you do get a chance to visit France. It's a very interesting country.

[steve2470]

12. did you know we almost voted for German as our language in the 1700's ?

True fact. Perry is a moron.

[RC]

19. I'm glad they didn't -

I don't speak German.

[cthulu2016]

15. The point is about essential government functions

There is no reason to *prevent* having a bilingual court summons if it is a practical aid in increasing public comprehension of such documents.

I do not think that non-english speaking people have a right that everything be available in their language, but these RWers are incensed that government acknowledges that they even exist and want a government that is barred from producing non-english documents.

There was a big RW controversy in my state about the fact that the driver's test is available in Vietnamese.

I do think a driver ought to be able to read the road signs so there is something there.

The datum that ended that controversy for me: there is also a test for illiterates. My state has large rural areas and why should someone have to be able to read to drive into town for supplies nessecary to industry and life?

In light of the illterate test, my objection to multi-lingual tests evaporated.

It isn't a reward for not speaking English, it is the governemnt doing the best job it can in serving the existing populace.

[Loudmxr]

4. Estabishing English as the official language is a serious mistake.

Why???

Take a look at French or Spanish. There has to be a committee to determine the official language.

In Spanish baseball there is uno baso dos baso tres baso and HOME PLATE!

No word in Spanish for Home Plate. It is not a home nor a plate.

An official language limits the language unlike English that is ever growing.

[MineralMan]

5. Perry is a moron.

English is already the de facto language of this country. As it happens, other languages are spoken here as well, since we are a nation that has many immigrants, some of whom are new arrivals or arrived here at an age when learning a new language is very difficult.

What he also doesn't realized is that those multilingual packages for products are there for a reason. No law requires it. They are there because companies wish to sell their products to people, regardless of what their primary language is. They are there because many companies also export their products to countries where languages like French and Spanish are spoken, and it's cheaper to manufacture a single packaging that includes all those languages. Those languages are also there because they often are a safety issue. Companies are very sensitive to safety issues regarding their products, so they include instructions in multiple languages because the fact is that people who do not speak and read English as their primary languages need to understand the instructions when they buy the products.

Rick Perry would do well to learn some of those languages, at least at a level where he can be polite to people who are more comfortable with their primary language. Texas is a great example of a state where a sizable percentage of residents, tourists, and visitors speak a language other than English as their primary language. It's economic base includes many such people.

Grow up, Perry. Stop being a moron.

[LeftishBrit]

9. 'I'm fed up with seeing the directions on every single product on every single shelf of every

single shelf on every single store written in four languages'


Stores are private businesses. What products they sell, and how they're packaged, has little to do with government decisions about 'official languages'. Many manufacturing and marketing companies are international in any case these days, and the directions on the products could be multilingual for that reason.

Considering how much Republicans favour 'small government' and laissez-faire economics, you would think they would at least realize that shops are generally not run by the government.

[Mosaic]

11. Spoken like a true insecure redneck

I have no problem with other languages, that's the way God created the world. Grow up little man.

[ashling]

13. In 1787 when the proposed Constitution

was taken up by the Pennsylvania legislature the first thing they did was to have 2,000 copies printed in English and another 1,000 printed in German for distribution throughout the state.

So, recognition and appreciation for other languages is sort of an American tradition.

Oh, and in 1787 the official language of Texas was Spanish.

[socialist_n_TN]

18. My question is WHY is this guy "fed up"????

If the instructions are also in English, what skin is it off his nose if they're also written in Spanish, Chinese, French or Somolian? I speak a little bit of 4 languages and am comversant in 2 (and depending on the conversation, 3) of those and I'm HAPPY about that.

What's he wanting to do? Outlaw the speaking or writing of any language other than English? This is just somebody who wants to be pissed off at "furreners". Ignorance.