March 6, 2007
English is already first
The State Senate passed a bill to make English the “main language” for driver’s license testing, according to this Associated Press story. The story also notes that proponents and opponents agree that the bill would “make little difference in how the state issues licenses.” The article goes on to note that this appears to be a long-resolved concern:
Lawmakers in 1984 established English as the “official and legal language of Tennessee.” Under that law, all government publications and communications were required to be available in English.
This bill and the Metro Council’s bill seem to me to be pointless initiatives that are only fostering negative impressions of our city and our state as unwelcoming communities. Let’s devote our time and resources toward addressing the challenges and shortcomings we face together instead of generating divisive pieces of legislation that serve largely as distractions, not solutions.
![Rob Robinson](http://thinktrain.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/Rob.jpg")
