Resolved, that English should be made the official language of the United States

Many thanks to my opponent for beginning this debate. == Pro's Case == 1. Not knowing English will prevent immigrants from becoming productive citizens and will alienate everybody else. Plenty of immigrants who do not speak English still go out and get jobs and live their life accordingly. In fact there is a job market specifically for non-English speakers [1]. Also, not everybody is intimidated by immigrants. I'm from New York City where communicating with non-natives is the norm. 2. The government being responsible to translate documents is expensive and inefficient. Not only is Google translate readily available and free for use, but many documents that require translation are already in use and need to only be copied. I don't see why this is terribly inefficient. Pro should be more specific as to how this is time consuming and for whom. Can you provide examples of documents, or explain why this is specifically a bad policy? This is among the least inefficient problems our government faces. 3. Making English the official language of the U.S. would unite everybody. On the contrary, it would foster xenophobia and encourage alienation of those who do not speak English. You cannot force someone to learn a language or expect them to learn any faster just because something is "officially" the language used. Speaking English in the U.S. is already the norm, so making it official would not establish anything substantial. People would also not become magically unified just because they might speak the same language. The Linguistic Society of America argued that American unity has never rested primarily on unity of language, but rather on common political and social ideals." Imposing an official language often undermines national unity [2]. 4. Defining English as the official language will help immigrants be more successful. Pro cannot guarantee this. Just because it's declared as such doesn't mean people are going to learn the language any faster. Additionally, plenty of immigrants who barely speak the language have decent jobs while many who speak perfect English are unemployed. It is not the government's job to encourage immigrants to be successful. Even if it were true that learning English would help them, it's their prerogative to learn or not learn. It's in our best interest to eat vegetables but we can't make it a law that everyone eat them. 5. Providing excessive language support creates a dependence on "linguistic welfare" which relegates immigrants to low-paying jobs, and prevents them from realizing the American Dream and moving beyond that. Immigrants have plenty of incentives to learn English without it being the official language. English is also a default language for people in other countries. If one chooses to not learn English or make it harder for themselves by avoiding it, that's their problem. Also everyone has a different American dream. Some people want to move to America specifically for the freedom to be themselves - including utilizing the language of their choice. 6. Everybody must have a common language in order to flourish. This is a mass generalization and unsubstantiated assertion. China Town and Little Italy are neighboring parts of New York City where the people and culture are drastically different despite the close proximity. People interact with those in these neighborhoods all the time even if they don't speak Chinese or Italian. == Con's Case == 1. The U.S. doesn't need an official language. If this issue is really so pressing to a particular city, that town can individually take it upon themselves to require an official language for government expediency. A city with a large population of one particular nationality may want to utilize a different language such as Spanish. 2. People of Hispanic origin the nation's largest ethnic or race minority. More than 1 of every two people added to the nation's population are Hispanic. Hispanics are the fastest growing demographic in the U.S., and projections state that they will constitute 30% of the nation's population by 2050. Only Mexico has a larger speaking Spanish population than the U.S. [3]. With numbers like this, why choose English and not Spanish to make the official language? What if at some point Spanish speaking people outnumber English speaking people, or, as I said, particular cities have large concentrated populations of a particular culture? 3. America is a nation of immigrants, and this is inconsistent with American values. Eventually immigrants or their children have learned English without it being the official language. Moreover it would discourage immigrants by Pro's own admission to cover up their cultural identity by rejecting their native language. Some languages do not have direct translations, so in order for a family to share their history they must share in their native language. If the language is lost, so is a part of history. 4. Having a multilingual country would protect public health, safety and promote tourism. This policy would impede upon the government's ability to convey warnings or post danger or hazard signs in languages other than English. It would also interfere with law enforcement communicating most effectively if they were forced to use English. 5. This policy would not necessarily increase the percentage of Americans who can speak English, and it doesn't make people who don't speak English any less American than those who do. Also, keep in mind that thousands of immigrants throughout the country are on the waiting lists for adult English classes, which explains why some people take longer to learn (not because English isn't the official language). English-only and Official English laws do nothing constructive to advance the important goal of English proficiency. 6. In Europe it is not uncommon for people to speak multiple languages. Rather then encourage expending one's cultural horizons, Pro wants to eliminate the uniqueness of many individuals. Our multi-cultural ways are enticing to many people who look upon America favorably because of it. This policy is self-defeating in an era of globalization where language resources should be developed and not suppressed. 7. The ACLU finds that a national language would be unconstitutional and would violate an individual's right to due process [4]. Furthermore, English-only laws are politically incorrect and biased against immigrants. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act provides the foundation for ensuring nondiscrimination in all federal programs and services, including those provided to language minorities [5]. Title VII makes it unconstitutional to discriminate hiring somebody on the basis of their national origin. I will include more legalities in my favor in the next round. 8. In 2006, the director of the Institute for Language and Education Policy spoke before the House Means and Ways Committee against English as a national language. He argued that it would threaten the rights and welfare of people who inhabit this country including citizens who are not quite proficient in English. He also notes that it would be pointless because it offers no practical assistance and takes away public programs that offer assistance to those trying to learn the language [6]. 9. English-only in schools disadvantages non-native students and increase non-native dropout rates [7, 8]. [1] http://www.deewr.gov.au... [2] http://www.lsadc.org... [3] http://www.infoplease.com... [4] http://www.lectlaw.com... [5] http://www.fhwa.dot.gov... [6] http://590nl.wordpress.com... [7] http://www.boston.com... [8] http://www.ericdigests.org...