english only on utah ballot

[JP Villanueva]

There are people going hungry in this world; I can't believe people are
spending money on this.

                        -johnpatrickVillanueva-
                        -----------------------
                          jvillanu at ctc.ctc.edu


On Fri, 7 Jul 2000, Dennis Baron wrote:

> English-Only Measure Will Be On Fall Ballot
> Friday, July 7, 2000
>
> Mauro Mujica, chairman of U.S. English, announces Thursday in Salt Lake City
> that supporters had collected enough signatures to put an English-only
> measure on Utah's November ballot. (Douglas C. Pizac/The Associated Press)
> BY GIA THRONDSEN
> THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
>
>    The state on Thursday officially put an English-only initiative on Utah's
> November ballot, triggering heated debate about racism and divisiveness.
>     The measure, financed by the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. English Inc.,
> would require the state to do most of its business in English. The proposal
> received 74,656 signatures.
>     "They [supporters of the initiative] are saying that we don't value
> other languages and other cultures," said Jason Satterfield, who joined
> about 75 others at a rally on the Capitol steps to protest the initiative.
>     Thursday, the state's Election Office certified which measures would be
> placed on the ballot for November's election.
>     ...[material about other ballot initiatives omitted] ...
>     The "English as the Official Language of Utah" initiative brought
> activists on both sides of the issue to the state Capitol. A news conference
> held later in support of the measure illustrated the raw emotion the issue
> has generated.
>     "Our initiative has to do with one nation united under one language,"
> said Mauro Mujica, chairman and CEO of U.S. English.
>     Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson then took the stage uninvited to
> criticize the initiative.
>     "It takes more than forcing one language on people to have a community,"
> he said to cheers.
>     English-only opponents barraged Mujica with questions about the
> initiative's effects on public assistance and medical care for
> non-English-speaking Utahns, and they called it discriminatory.
>     "We don't know [the initiative] by heart," said Mujica, dismissing the
> question. "If you have a problem with it, don't vote for it."
>     The meeting ended hastily with many protesters chanting, "English only
> is baloney!"
>     ...
>
> __________________
> Dennis Baron, Head                       debaron at uiuc.edu
> Department of English                            217-333-2390
> University of Illinois                          fax: 217-333-4321
> 608 S. Wright St.      http://www.english.uiuc.edu/baron
> Urbana, IL 61801
>