English-only?

Representative Ray Cox has some thoughts on the use of English.

I don't think the government needs to get involved in pushing English. If a person does not speak English, their opportunities for economic and social advancement in this country are reduced. If people want to live with fewer options, why does it matter? Is it the role of the government to maximize everybody's potential? If so, why not require people to be bilingual, since that allows for even more opportunities than just speaking English or Spanish?

There are a lot of people here who know little English. Providing information to them in languages other than English is better than the alternative of not serving these people at all. Better to have drivers tests in Spanish than to have unlicensed drivers, for example. Beyond that, however, the government shouldn't take any special actions to promote any particular language. The common tongue here in English, and everybody knows it. We don't need to put it into law.