This was posted at Cincinnati Enquirer by Anthony D. Lasrado :

Regarding issues raised by the controversy over a Mason bar owner's "For Service Speak English" sign: I believe the essence of not learning to speak English and an environment that excuses the same is in fact the most subtle form of bigotry. India is a great example. Though there is no apparent law against speaking English, many of the politicians pretend to support English as a basic need in education and yet spend enormous time and capital relegating it to the "back room." They thrive on keeping a vast segment of the population deprived of the obvious advantages of learning English in the global economy.

Further, they thrive on votes gained from playing on the emotions of these deprived masses. These very same politicians see to it that their children are educated in schools where English is the primary medium. I speak from firsthand experience.

It is ironic that politicians apparently cut from the same cloth here demand that one group of our immigrants (the largest) be detained in climbing the social and economic ladder by encouraging them to have no sense of urgency in learning English. Is it because it is easier to gain their votes under the false pretext that they are looking out for their best interest?

Think where we would be as a country if every wave of immigrants arriving in this country were actively supported in maintaining their native language.

Again, India is a great example of what would happen. In India there are 17 major languages, 28 minor languages and nearly 600 sub-dialects. Remember, India was never a single country before the British colonized it. Yes, India is a growing economy. But the prime benefits of the growing economy are enjoyed by the minority who are reasonably fluent in English. The rest to a lesser degree are picking up the scraps of these benefits.

I arrived here some 45 years ago and was able to immediately join the mainstream. Had I not been fluent in English and arrived in an environment that placed no "sense of urgency" in learning English, I probably would be in the lowest segment of the economic and social strata of our society.

Every attempt by "liberal" individuals and groups to push a second language is a cruel hoax on the very people they think they are helping.

Anthony D. Lasrado of West Chester Township, who came to the United States from India in 1959, is retired after a 42-year career in manufacturing, with emphases in materials management and customer service.


Do you agree with his opinion? Comments?