William R. Richardson: “another Democratic initiative, health care and insurance reform, will soon become law, affecting millions of Americans.…”

“another Democratic initiative, health care and insurance reform, will soon become law, affecting millions of Americans. The Kennedy-Kassebaum bill, which reforms insurance portability and preexisting conditions in insurance, will permit us to go home and say, rightfully, that this is not a do-nothing Congress. But along with same-sex marriage, abortion, and illegal immigration, Republicans are looking for another wedge issue to divide the country and get some votes. They have found it in ``English Only,'' an initiative that puts America against its own immigrant roots and the sweeping tides of history. It tells the billions that are watching the Olympics in Atlanta that America is saying that any language besides English is not important. ``English Only'' is bad for business, since most of our commerce is done in other languages. It is bad for tourism. It is a bad nativist, isolationist initiative that the Congress should reject summarily.”