U.S. English Chairman
Questions Vilsack's Flip-Flop
August 17, 2004
In two widely circulated reports, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack was quoted telling an audience at the Democratic Convention that he wants a Democratic legislature so he can repeal the Official English bill that he signed in 2002. Last week, Vilsack told Radio Iowa that he has not resurrected the issue, and accused U.S. English of "hate-mongering" and "spreading venom about immigrants."In response, U.S. English Chairman/CEO Mauro E. Mujica issued the following statement:
"In August, Tom Vilsack told a backroom convention audience that he wanted to repeal the Official English bill. Now that Iowans have been informed of his secret plan, he says he is not trying to resurrect the issue. My question for the Governor is: were you lying then, or are you lying now?
"In his Radio Iowa interview, the Governor also directly accused U.S. ENGLISH of 'hate-mongering' and 'spreading venom about immigrants.' As an immigrant myself, and representing an organization that counts hundreds of thousands of immigrants among its members, I take great offense at that desperate and baseless charge. Governor Vilsack has been unable to win this public policy argument on the merits, so he has resorted to ugly and incendiary name-calling. Despite the Governor's apparent confusion about his position, the people of Iowa deserve answers to these questions:
- Does Tom Vilsack really intend to repeal the Official English law?
- Will Tom Vilsack's fellow Democrats help him repeal the Official English Law?
"On behalf of our 16,000 Iowa members, and for the 81 percent of Iowans who supported this law, we will continue to press for answers."
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U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S. English, Inc. () now has more than 1.8 million members.
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