Shouldn’t we push speaking English?

You always wonder, on the first day of daylight-saving time, whether anyone will sheepishly arrive at church just as the service is ending. Forgetting to “spring forward” is always a risk for church-goers that first Sunday morning.
Next year, we’ll have to remember to take the great leap in winter, not spring, as the 2005 Energy Policy Act decrees the 2007 daylight-saving time start date will be the second Sunday in March (currently the first Sunday in April). And we will “fall back” a week later, too, in 2007, on the first Sunday in November (currently the last Sunday in October).
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One thing gets lost in all the discussion about immigration reform: English has never been declared the official language of the U.S. government. Perhaps an amendment might address this glaring oversight.
Many states have declared English an official language, but not Ohio or Pennsylvania. Perhaps an amendment might address this glaring oversight.
“We are not a better nation today simply because of immigration,” says Mauro E. Mujica, “we are a better nation because past immigrants learned English and became productive members of our society. Congress must emphasize the most important link in the assimilation process – the ability to communicate in our common language, English.”
Mujica is chairman of U.S. English Inc., a citizens’ group that pushes what it calls the “unifying role” of the English language in the U.S. The group was founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, himself an immigrant, who was (prophetically) concerned about growing problems caused by the language barrier.
There is a trend of adapting to immigrants, rather than encouraging and offering opportunities for immigrants to adapt to America.
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Is there too much hype about Americans drowning in credit-card debt? It’s a national problem, yes, as 46.2 percent of U.S. households have some credit-card debt, reports the Federal Reserve Bank. The median balance (the “number in the middle” if you remember your grade school math) was $2,200; the average (the mean) was $5,100.
But the report also found more than 55 percent of all bankcard holders say they usually pay their balances off each month (with “usually” and “say” being the operative words here).
On the other hand (gotta love those economists), about 9 percent of Americans holding any kind of debt admit to being 60 days or more past due on a payment.
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I’d hate to hazard a guess how many pages of newsprint at this paper and others in eastern Ohio have been filled with updates on the U.S. Route 30 realignment from East Canton to state Route 11. My own “Route 30” folder dates to 1994-95 when hearings and route proposals were constant fodder. Stories were even printed B.S. (Before Susan) and some might say that’s all the stories were anyway.
Healthy skepticism wins this round, as the Ohio Department of Transportation announced last month it is shelving the final 30-mile stretch to route 11. No more engineering checks, no more environmental studies, no more wondering what farmland the road will take. It just ain’t gonna happen.
The $60 million Route 30 bypass of East Canton is still in the works.
Speaking of Route 30, I’m sure the process of the new routing near Wooster has been frustrating and disheartening for some landowners, but I’m a fan. It was kind of eerie the first time I made the trek to Columbus and found myself on an unfamiliar stretch of virgin Route 30, but the new road shaves 15 minutes off my three-hour trip to Columbus, so I’m all for it.