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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Contact: | Tim Schultz |
| March 5, 1998 | ||
| 202/833-0100 | ||
| 800/787-8216 |
U.S.ENGLISH CHAIRMAN CALLS PUERTO RICAN STATEHOOD VOTE "A RECIPE FOR DISASTER"
Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman/CEO of U.S.ENGLISH, Inc., called on Congress to act swiftly to correct a major deficiency in the controversial bill on Puerto Rican status that passed yesterday. By a margin of 209-208, the House passed a bill mandating that a plebiscite be held in Puerto Rico to force them to choose between the current commonwealth status and a permanent status-either statehood or independence.
"With very little debate, without consulting the American people, and at 10 o'clock at night, Congress took the first step toward forcing Puerto Rico to become our 51st state," Mujica said. "Swallowing up a Latin American nation is a recipe for disaster. Less than 25 percent of Puerto Rico's population speak English, and only 16 percent consider themselves American. This is after 100 years of association with the United States. In the rush to grant statehood, we could be creating our own Quebec.
Mujica also made a direct appeal to House Speaker Newt Gingrich. "I realize the Speaker has presidential ambitions, and is trying to reach out to Hispanics. But the only polls that suggest that this vote will appeal to Hispanics are those conducted by Frank Luntz. Let's not forget that he's a paid employee of the Puerto Rican statehood party." Luntz's questionable methods recently brought him an unprecedented censure from the American Association for Public Opinion Research.
Mujica also urged Gingrich to immediately schedule a vote to make English the nation's official language. "Will the federal government have to become completely bilingual to accommodate Puerto Rico? If so, how long will it be before every other language group demands equal treatment? With 329 languages spoken in the U.S., we must make English official. If Speaker Gingrich doesn't schedule this vote, he will be guilty of the worst kind of political opportunism."
U.S.ENGLISH is the nation's oldest, largest citizens' action group dedicated to making English the nation's official language. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa, U.S.ENGLISH now has over 1.3 million members nationwide.
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