Liberal Talk Radio

That’s what the anti-immigrant folks say, right? “They oughta learn English, or they should go back home!” Well, they’re trying to learn English, but there aren’t enough classes. ESL classes are chronically underfunded. Kudos to Sen. Lamar Alexander for doing the right thing, putting money where his mouth is:

Advocates for more English classes say the state-federal financing split leaves an adult education system whose quality and reach vary widely from place to place — and is lacking most everywhere. Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, where the immigrant population has tripled since 1990, largely because of an influx of Mexicans, sponsored a bill last year that would have given legal immigrants $500 vouchers to pay for English classes since so many of the free ones were full.

“Most education policy is the prerogative of state and local governments, but I would argue that the prerogative to help people learn our common language is a federal responsibility,” said Senator Alexander, a Republican who was education secretary under the first President George Bush. “If we make it easier for people to learn English, they will learn it. I think that ought to be a priority of our government, and I don’t think it has been.”

Sounds like the bill didn’t pass. Maybe next time he and his Republican buddies put up a show-pony bill making English the official language, they’ll provide the funding to make it actually happen.

Ah, who am I kidding, it’s too easy to demagogue to actually waste time legislating.