The congressional bill that would establish English as America’s national language should be defeated. In theory, America is a melting pot of peoples from all over the globe. It is an ideological place, inclusive of everyone, where all can get a fresh start and have a chance at least to realize the American dream.

In practice, we all know that’s not reality. However, a government dictating how people communicate is going too far.

As Americans we have above all else one thing in common: diverse backgrounds. Aside from Native Americans, the rest of us need only go back a few generations to find ancestors that weren’t born on American soil. Many of them didn’t have a mastery of the English language. Should they have been shunned?

Different languages and ways of communicating are part of what makes America a great place to live. Where else can you find whole communities that speak Spanish, French, German, Vietnamese, Laotian, Chinese, Japanese, Finnish and yes, English, among others?

We have no more need for a national language than we do for a national religion. Mandating that all those who choose to live in the United States speak English will only serve to isolate America for the rest of the world and segment those who deviate from the “norm.”