A few weeks ago, while viewing "Don Imus in the Morning Show," I got a chuckle at a comment uttered by Rob Bartlett (comedian who appears on the show) when Charles McCord, news commentator, on the Don Imus Show stated that in the not too distant future, Hispanics would be the largest represented segment of the population in the United States. "Great!" shouted Mr. Bartlett, "that means I’ll always have someone to cut my yard!" Though some of you will not see any humor in Mr. Bartlett’s comment, there’s a lot of truth in what he said.

Just this week while waiting for a prescription at Wal-Mart’s, a young Hispanic in front of me was asked by the pharmacy cashier, "What’s your name?" The man in question, look dumbfounded. He turned to a man standing next to him and asked, "Que dijo la senora?" ("What did the woman say?") I started to laugh when the man (an Anglo) responded, "What the hell did you say?" Then the Hispanic man turned and asked me, "Hablas espanol?" ("Do you speak Spanish?") I answered, "Si, pero ya es tiempo que tu aprendas igles." ("Yes, but it is time for you to learn English.") The cashier then summoned someone from the store that could interpret for the Hispanic man. After the Hispanic man got his medication he turned and gave me a go to hell look and left. Unperturbed, by the Hispanic man’s look, I stepped up to get my prescription. The pharmacy cashier (who knows me) asked me, "James, why didn’t you help the poor man?" I told her, "It is time that he and so many others like him who want to be in our country learn to speak English. You, along with so many others who cater to these folk’s needs in Spanish are in essence caging them from ever wanting to learn English. And, I thank God Almighty for never having people like you around me when I was growing up. Had I’ve had folks like you, politicians, clergymen, teachers, who promote bilingualism I, along with so many other American Hispanics would have never learned to speak and write English. I, in essence, would have been an exact replica of the foolish Spanish speaking only man you just helped by catering to him in Spanish!" The cashier was shocked by my answer.

In January the State of California began implementing a new law that requires health insurance companies in the state to pay for interpreters and translations for non-English speaking patients at no charge. With 43 percent of its population speaking a language (mostly Spanish) other than English at home according to the Census, and paid translators earning as much as $180 an hour, the cost of the new law will be huge. That cost will be reflected in the higher premiums private insurers charge to provide health insurance. Are we ready for this my fellow Texans?

Folks, I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of all this Spanish nonsense. Particularly, when it pertains to job openings in all sectors of our economy. Not to long ago I read where in some school districts in Texas, school principals had to be fluent in Spanish to be considered for the position. Now come on folks, is that utter ignorance or what? You go to college to be a teacher; you work hard, go up the ladder and are considered for a position as a principal, but then you are denied for the position because you don’t speak Spanish.

Speaking at a ProEnglish press conference in Washington D.C., Congressman Steve King of Iowa unveiled a new study by the Arlington, Virginia-based Lexington Institute, which estimates the U.S. economy loses $65 billion a year in wages due to immigrants’ lack of English fluency.

ProEnglish Executive Director K. C. McAlpin said, "We were stunned by the size of the economic loss. It’s no secret that immigrants’ inability to speak English well limits their opportunities in the U.S. Mr. McAlpin also stated that President Obama said that investing in the skilled workforce America needs for the 21^st century is a critical national priority. The Lexington study shows that one sure way to do that would be to expand access to English as a second language classes for adults and scrap the failed experiment known as bilingual education in our public schools. The Lexington Institute study cited research showing that: Immigrants who speak English "well" earn 33 percent more, and those who speak English "very well" earn more on average, than immigrants who speak English poorly. To confirm the study by the Lexington Institute, the U.S. Department of Education states that drop out rates of Hispanics in 2007 was 21.4 percent, while White students rates were 5.3 percent, and Black students at an improved 8.4 percent — so much for Bilingual Education folks.

In a recent Supreme Court decision in Horne v. Flores (suit invovling a Nogales, Arizona school district) the court recognized the demonstrated effectiveness of structured English immersion (SEI) teaching methods for teaching English language learners (ELL). The majority opinion stated, "Research on ELL instruction indicates there is documented, academic support for the view that SEI is significantly more effective than bilingual education. Folks, immersion works! I’m a living testimony to that!