Stories by Sen. James Inhofe
Posted at 3:37pm on Jul. 20, 2007 "Fairness" at the Expense of Freedom?
Democratic push for return to Fairness Doctrine is a serious threat to free speech
By Sen. James Inhofe
After reading Rob Bluey’s post “Senate Democrats Endorse Censorship” this morning on Redstate, I thought I would stop by and comment on the “Fairness Doctrine” debate. Thank you Rob and RedState for allowing me to join you today.
Imagine opening your newspaper and turning to the recently redesigned political section, with half the page dedicated to opinions our government deems important. Or imagine tuning into your favorite radio and television stations with programming carefully balanced between what you expected and government-sponsored opinions. Though it might sound more like a page straight out of George Orwell’s 1984, it is the remarkable reality of debate over a so-called “Fairness Doctrine.” And disturbingly, there are a growing number of Democrats in Congress who believe the federal government must regulate and control American media. In fact, just last night Senate Democrats killed an amendment I co-sponsored that would have put an end to the Fairness Doctrine once and for all.
Read on . . .
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Posted at 10:58am on May 25, 2007 Make English Our National Language
By Sen. James Inhofe
The United States Senate has again taken up the issue of immigration reform and again, the proposed solution holds little merit. Some of the most offensive provisions in this ‘compromise legislation’ include its path to amnesty and the bill’s disregard for the importance of establishing English as our national language.
Currently, the Immigration Reform Act includes verbiage stating that English is the “common” language of the United States, but it is not clear about how this would impact the Federal Government or how previous foreign language entitlements would be effected. President Clinton’s Executive Order 13166 created an entitlement to services provided in languages other than English, an order that the Office of Management and Budget estimates costs taxpayers between $1-2 billion annually. At the very least these funds should be used to teach English - not translate it.
English as the national language is widely supported by Americans and has been recognized as the official language of over 53 countries worldwide. At this point, 30 of our states have taken their own steps in recognizing English as their official language and it is time that the federal government does the same.
Immigrants need to learn English; it is the fastest way to successfully assimilate into our society. By passing my amendment, we can not only assist in their successful assimilation, but we will also be preserving one of the most important and enduring aspects of our heritage. Our language has united us since the beginning of our great nation, and it is important that this not be lost, even as millions of immigrants speaking different languages become a part of our cultural identity.