Jim Inhofe: “I know we will have a vote at 6 o'clock, so I will paraphrase a few things so everyone will know in advance what we are…”

“I know we will have a vote at 6 o'clock, so I will paraphrase a few things so everyone will know in advance what we are doing. This is English as the national language amendment. We talked about it at length last night. It has been very popular and enjoyed the support of most of the Members in the Senate today. We heard the other night when the President made his speech, among other things: . . . an ability to speak and write the English language is very significant . . . English allows newcomers to go from picking crops to opening a grocery . . . from cleaning offices to running offices . . . from a life of low-paying jobs to a diploma, a career, and a home of their own. He also said: Every new citizen of the United States has an obligation to our customs and values, including liberty and civic responsibility, equality under God and tolerance for others and the English language. I recall President Clinton standing on the floor and making the statement about the responsibility of new people coming into this country. He said: . . . they have the responsibility to enter the mainstream of American life. That means learning English and learning about our democratic system of government. Many others have been quoted, going all the way back to Teddy Roosevelt, that we must also learn one language. That language is English. This has been aired quite a number of times.…”