It has not been a good year for the government of the state of Ohio. The Bureau of Worker’s Compensation decided that it was appropriate to invest millions of dollars in rare coins. State Senator Larry Mumper, with House Bill 24, led a crusade against the “liberals, Democrats or socialists or card-carrying communists” masquerading as professors trying to indoctrinate Ohio college students. Our governor was convicted of ethics violations this summer. With this kind of outstanding leadership focused on effective management it should not come as a surprise that poverty in Ohio is on the rise and our unemployment rate is at 5.8% (the national rate is 5.1%). This week we can add one more trophy to the case.

State Rep. Courtney Combs (R-Hamilton) has promised to introduce “The Ohio English Unity Act” before the end of the year. This act would declare English to be the official language of the State of Ohio and forbid state agencies to print materials in any other languages. Combs was quoted in the Columbus Dispatch as saying, “I do not want to see the U.S. as a bilingual nation; it divides it.”

The people who elected Combs should be hanging their heads in shame. Their representative is busy protecting the people of Ohio from divisive foreign language speakers (Haggerty Hall is on the brink of civil war) when our state is struggling to fund higher education and grappling with how to improve voting. This kind of xenophobic, outlandish rhetoric has no place in modern America.

We should be encouraging bilingualism. For those who didn’t get the memo: Globalization is in full swing. The U.S. economy is intimately intertwined with countries and corporations around the world and sometimes we even do business with people that don’t speak English (no way!).

Indeed, there are foreign-run companies established in Ohio. Japanese Honda has a plant near Marysville that employs 16,000 Ohioans. In a time when our economy is struggling, Ohio literally cannot afford to loose potential business because it is perceived as hostile to non-English speakers.

Our national economy is a hotbed of neoliberal policy. When the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect the United States extended an open invitation to foreign workers. We have actively participated in a system that encourages foreign immigration (people come because Americans hire them, it’s a reciprocal relationship). We cannot justify ignoring the needs of the people that accept our invitation.

According to the 2000 Census, approximately 6.1% of Ohio residents do not speak English at home and 234,459 Ohioans “speak English less than well.” These people can still be crime victims. They still want to enroll their children in school. They still need to know how to navigate their way through state bureaucracy. It is unethical to purposefully exclude people from the system on the basis of language proficiency.

History has shown us that this kind of exclusion can be catastrophic. A fire in 2004 claimed the lives of 10 Spanish-speaking individuals living in Columbus. The fire department’s ability to respond to calls about the fire was hampered by its lack of Spanish interpreters. What will we gain when the fire department stops printing public-information requests and the police department stops publishing forms in Spanish? Fewer properly installed fire alarms? More unreprimanded criminals?

Combs has given voice to a shortsighted, xenophobic attitude for which Ohio has no use. I cannot imagine what he thinks we are going to gain by economically isolating ourselves and turning our backs on our fellow human beings. Globalization is not some passing fad and bilingualism is an asset, not a threat. The Ohio English Unity Act is an embarrassment to the Buckeye State.

Laura Herbert is a junior majoring in Spanish and history. She can be reached for comment at [email protected].