The following is taken from a letter circulating widely around Nashville. It does a fabulous job of describing the potentially negative impacts facing Nashville if the so-called English-Only act passes. Please take the time to read it before voting.
As you probably know, Nashville is currently voting on two proposed Amendments to the Metro Charter, including the infamous “English Only” Amendment. The full text of the Amendments as well as voting locations and times can be found here:
http://www.nashville.gov/vote/PDFs/090122_election/referendum_election_notice_090122.pdf
I believe that these Amendments represent bad government policy and are potentially damaging to Nashville’s economy and reputation.
Most concerning from a business perspective is the fact that Amendment #1 would literally make it illegal for government officials to address representatives of international corporations who are considering locating operations in Nashville in their native language.
Nashville boasts 76 companies with some level of foreign investment. Those companies employ 7,660 Nashvillians and generated more than $19.6 billion in sales last year. At a time when Nashville is enjoying tremendous success recruiting international companies, the English-only effort sends a negative and inaccurate message to the world. The potential impact extends to domestic companies as well. Tom Oreck, CEO of Oreck Corporation, said, “I can tell you that if this had been the law when we were considering Nashville, Oreck might not have chosen this city.”
The Amendments will also consume precious government resources sorting out the protracted litigation regarding implementation. Amendment #1 is poorly worded and potentially unconstitutional. In general, English-only laws are inconsistent with the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and this Amendment most likely violates the Voting Rights Act. In an attempt to avoid certain of the potential challenges to the Amendment, the proponents added the language, “The Metro Council may make specific exceptions to protect public health and safety.” I’m sure that you can easily see the inevitable lawsuits around what specifically constitutes “health and safety”. Doesn’t the Metro Council have enough to do without having to pass judgment on each and every instance when a police officer or doctor can or cannot speak in a language other than English?
I believe that this proposal would also damage Nashville’s tourism industry (as does the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau, which has come out strongly against the English Only Amendment). If the proposal is enacted police officers wouldn’t be able to provide directions to tourists in any language other than English. Any governmental tourism marketing info couldn’t be in the native language of the people we’re trying to convince to come here. That makes sense! Just imagine if you went to a foreign country and none of the officials there would address you in English. That would probably diminish your experience and make you less likely to visit (and spend money there) again.
The group of folks who have lined up in opposition to these Amendments represent a broad cross section of political views. Individuals and groups that have announced their opposition to these Amendments include:
• Nashville Chamber of Commerce
• Governor Phil Bredesen
• Mayor Karl Dean
• Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau
• United Steelworkers of America – District 9
• More than 200 faith leaders representing virtually every major religion in Nashville
Anything that the Chamber of Commerce, unions and religious leaders all oppose must have some issues!
So that you can compare the arguments on both sides, the websites of the opponents and proponents of the Charter Amendments are:
http://www.nashvilleforallofus.org/About.html
http://nashvilleenglishfirst.com/
A conservative perspective rebutting some of the arguments in favor of these Amendments can be found at: http://moorethoughts.com/.
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