Word: english
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...last time, every item on this fall's Dade County, Florida, ballot was written in Spanish and English...
Last week, voters in Arizona, Colorado and Florida overwhelmingly passed referenda making English their official state language. While the measures may save the states and businesses some money on translations and extra paperwork, the symbolic effect of those referenda--especially considering the large margins of victory they enjoyed--is detrimental to civil liberties and basic tolerance...
Considered in the abstract, at least, the idea of making English the official language of American states seems reasonable enough. As supporters of the referenda often argued, it doesn't seem like a great imposition to ask United States citizens to learn the nation's native language. After all, learning a new language hardly seems too much to ask in exchange for the benefits of living in a free society. And having pockets of foreign-speaking people might have a divisive effect on the unity of the nation, the referenda supporters claimed...
...Many an "English Only" supporter in Florida has used the following argument:"They take our tax money, they receive our welfare, so why can't they speak our language...
...states plagued by ethnic rivalries, like Florida, a move to make English the official language is very much framed by the "us/them" attitude. Frustrated in attempts to purge foreigners from their native soil--largely because the foreigners have made a great contribution to local prosperity--many citizens in Arizona, Colorado and Florida found making English the official state language the next best thing...