I read an article about a lady running for city council. Her name had been duly placed on the ballot. This town is San Luis, a border town in Yuma, Arizona. It turns out she can barely understand or speak English. A Judge has ruled that she can not run for office. Her name is to be removed from the ballot. An expert linguist testified that her English language skills were barely at survival level. The Judge states she would be incapable of running town business.
The article I read from the New York times did not address this lady's' citizenship. One can only assume she is an American citizen. You don't have to know English to become a citizen. The article also doesn't say how long she has been a resident of this town. Population divided by ethnic groups was also not mentioned. These should all be contributing factors. I'm not saying they are the only factors but should be included prior to making a decision. Perhaps she is more than qualified for the position she seeks. I can't pass judgement on that.
Now,all that being said we are left with a question. Should a person who doesn't speak the native language be allowed to rule over those that do ? My initial reaction is, No. I certainly want whomever is in charge to understand my wants and needs. I need them to understand my beliefs,heritage and my vision for the future. Without speaking or understanding the language proficiently that would indeed be a difficult, if not impossible task. The use of a translator is a slippery slope. What is being said and what is meant can easily be misconstrued. It happens when people are speaking the same language !
Her attorneys are considering an appeal to the Arizona State Supreme Court. That is certainly her right as a citizen. I can see this becoming an issue in other places. The whole language thing is becoming an issue. I say we settle it right now. Let's all vote on it ! All those in favor of making " English " the official language of the United States of America say, aye ! Then we can institute one more rule, In order to run for Elected office anywhere in the United States of America you must be able to speak and write the language, IE: English.
Just sounds like a reasonable thing to me.
I've been saying this for quite some time, " you can't legislate common sense " It is a sad thing but in this case I guess we should try.
The article I read from the New York times did not address this lady's' citizenship. One can only assume she is an American citizen. You don't have to know English to become a citizen. The article also doesn't say how long she has been a resident of this town. Population divided by ethnic groups was also not mentioned. These should all be contributing factors. I'm not saying they are the only factors but should be included prior to making a decision. Perhaps she is more than qualified for the position she seeks. I can't pass judgement on that.
Now,all that being said we are left with a question. Should a person who doesn't speak the native language be allowed to rule over those that do ? My initial reaction is, No. I certainly want whomever is in charge to understand my wants and needs. I need them to understand my beliefs,heritage and my vision for the future. Without speaking or understanding the language proficiently that would indeed be a difficult, if not impossible task. The use of a translator is a slippery slope. What is being said and what is meant can easily be misconstrued. It happens when people are speaking the same language !
Her attorneys are considering an appeal to the Arizona State Supreme Court. That is certainly her right as a citizen. I can see this becoming an issue in other places. The whole language thing is becoming an issue. I say we settle it right now. Let's all vote on it ! All those in favor of making " English " the official language of the United States of America say, aye ! Then we can institute one more rule, In order to run for Elected office anywhere in the United States of America you must be able to speak and write the language, IE: English.
Just sounds like a reasonable thing to me.
I've been saying this for quite some time, " you can't legislate common sense " It is a sad thing but in this case I guess we should try.
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