Rankin To Offer Official-English Resolution Today Critics Say Proposal Reinforces North Idaho’s Reputation

North Idaho is threatened with bilingual workers, highway signs in both metric and U.S. measurements and ballots in multiple languages. Making English the official language of Kootenai County would prevent those problems, says Commissioner Ron Rankin.

Today, he will ask fellow commissioners to approve such a proposal.

“This has to do with economics in government,” said Rankin. “Any time you have to do something twice, it costs twice as much.”

But opponents say his proposal is another blow to North Idaho’s racist reputation.

“I see it as real xenophobia,” said Marilyn Shuler, director of Idaho’s Commission on Human Rights. “I think it’s divisive.”

“While there’s a lot of rhetoric around English as the official language, it frequently gets tied back to bigotry,” added Bill Wassmuth, executive director of the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment.

Some human rights activists laughed at the need for such a resolution. Everyone knows he or she has to speak English in order to succeed in America, they said.

Others can’t figure how government has time to tinker with such matters. “It’s too bad he isn’t paying attention to infrastructure, the lake, education, police,” said Ernie Stensgar, chairman of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe.

“It seems to me a Kootenai County commissioner would be cognizant of the reputation of North Idaho, and now he is coming up with a statement that almost reflects that,” Stensgar said.

Even “if English is official, then Coeur d’Alene is the original,” tribe press secretary Bob Bostwick added.

Xenophobia is a “boogeyman under people’s beds,” Rankin said. He has a daughter married to a man with a Spanish surname and has two grandsons speaking Spanish and living in Peru and Guatemala - proof that he’s not racist, he said.

Rankin’s proposal would inoculate the county against the coming epidemic of controversy he predicts. “This is a pre-emptive strike against having to hire people that are bilingual to conduct the county’s business,” Rankin said.

“We don’t want to have to have a bilingual ballot. We don’t want to have to put up street signs.”

The Federal Highway Administration is going to require Kootenai County to put up signs with distances in both metric and U.S. measurements in order to get federal funds, he said. “We like to be just plain folks, that know what 55 mph is not 61 kilometers.”

Another problem, Rankin said, is the way bilingualism is ruining Canada. To that end, his resolution says “Canadian bilingualism has resulted in two attempts to divide that country and Idaho is one of 15 international land border states with open borders.”

That reinforces the unnecessary nature of the resolution, opponents say.

“I have not heard of people from Quebec coming down here to encourage people to learn French,” said Shuler. , DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

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This sidebar appeared with the story: RANKIN’S RESOLUTION Kootenai County Resolution 97-111 reads as follows: To resolve, that our national governing language be our local governing language. Whereas, a common language in government is practical policy, allows communications between residents, encourages English, uniting people under one nation committed to freedom; and, Whereas, English is the language of our Constitution, our currency, our national debates and our great nation would not have remained together today if it began without a common language; and, Whereas, 191 groups, 92 organizations, 35 cities, 41 counties and 23 states endorse English as their common language of government, Canadian bilingualism has resulted in two attempts to divide that country, and Idaho is one of 15 international land border states with open borders, understands the importance to maintain a common language; and, Whereas, adopting an official language is a unifying action recognizing the courage of our ancestors of all nationalities who learned English, and maintains the right of all individuals to develop their language and culture. Therefore, be it resolved, that Kootenai County hereby adopts English as its official language. Native languages will be provided when needed for emergency, health, safety and justice services without bilingual pay for employees, while official acts and records will be conducted and printed in English. Be it further resolved, that the county clerk is hereby directed to send copies of this resolution to news media, school board members, state representatives, state senators, Lt. Gov. Otter, Gov. Batt, U.S. Congress members and U.S. Senators.