Our Common Ground - by George Faught

Our Common Ground

I would like to thank Mike Ford for giving me the opportunity to join him for Vertical Day. I appreciate the chance to share some of my views on building up our grand state of Oklahoma.

During the past two years in the State House, I stood up in favor of making English the official language of Oklahoma by filing legislation to that end. You might ask “why?” First of all, we live in the greatest country in the world. We have, in place, the greatest form of government that is a perfect blend of individuality and unity. We have the opportunity to mold the future for ourselves with our own efforts and yet we protect the rights of individuals to chart their own course.

The effectiveness of our society is that although we are different, we have so much in common. We have a common love of family and traditions, we have common goals of success that are gaged differently by each individual, we have common fears and struggles. We are ruled by common laws that provide safety and peace in our neighborhoods, common currency that we can freely buy and sell in the marketplace.

The most important thing that ties us all together is the ability to communicate in a common language. That common, unifying language historically has been English. It is as American as apple pie and baseball.

If someone wants to participate in the free market place of ideas and hard work, it greatly depends on their ability to speak the common language. All too often the things we cherish the most are neglected until it is too late to save them. That is why I urged the legislature to pass my ‘English Official Language’ measures, which would have been sent to a vote of the people of Oklahoma, giving them a chance to have their voices heard. Polls show that up to 85% of Oklahomans want English to be the official language.

In generations past, when immigrants came to America it was understood that they should learn English if they wanted to make a successful life in a new land. They would even write home to their homeland and warn relatives not to wait until they arrived in America to learn English, but to start learning it before their journey began. Our goal is for people to integrate into society so they can be productive and not be handicapped because of their inability to communicate.

We create a slave labor market that has no greater expectation than to continue in poverty and low economic status. The ability to speak and be understood is one of the foundation stones that a successful life is built upon.

America is called a ‘melting pot’ and it is true that people from all over the world yearn and struggle just to get to our shores or across our borders, sometimes risking all they have to get here. Our melting pot is flavored by the many cultures and heritages that are stirred together. But they must have a common base by which we can join together, and that is the ability to communicate and assimilate into society to become part of the stew that is called America.

Representative George Faught is running for re-election to Oklahoma State House District 14. Please visit www.GeorgeFaught.com for more information.