Joseph Knollenberg: “Mr. Chairman, as has been mentioned for more than 200 years our Nation has been a melting pot of cultures and…”

“Mr. Chairman, as has been mentioned for more than 200 years our Nation has been a melting pot of cultures and nationalities united by one common bond--our English language. When our ancestors came to America, they came to this country knowing they had to learn English to survive. Today, our melting pot has become a patchwork quilt of cultures, isolated because they cannot speak English. They aren't assimilating into our society like our ancestors did. Our current bilingual policies are shredding the common bond that has made our Nation great. Today you can get a drivers license if you don't speak English. You can get forms to vote. You can apply for Social Security and welfare, all in scores of different languages. And bilingual education classes allow immigrant children to never learn English. By making it easy for those who come to America, we have ripped the heart out of our national unity. We have shredded our common bond, leaving behind the legacy of our ancestors--new and old--who worked so hard to learn English. Now, opponents of official English will demonize the bill. They are wrong. We want you to speak your own languages, and celebrate your cultures. But English--our common thread--must be the official language.”