Alabama currently offers driver's license tests in 12 languages, including Russian, Arabic and Farsi. Tim James, a Republican candidate for governor of the state, thinks that is a bad policy. "This is Alabama — we speak English," he says in a new campaign commerical. "We're only giving that test in English, if I'm governor." The spot has caught the attention of the national media. What a "pitch-perfect example of small-government foolishness," sighs Tim Fernholz at the American Prospect. Hasn't James considered the "basic public-safety issue" that if non-English speakers can't take the test, they'll drive illegally? But what's so wrong with asking people to learn English, says Don Surber at the Charleston Daily Mail. Or is that "just another item on the long list of American traditions that liberals oppose?" Watch James' "This is Alabama" ad here:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
How to travel in the wake of a natural disasterThe Week Recommends Stay safe while being respectful
-
How to figure out when your tax refund will arriveThe explainer How long do you have to wait between submitting your return and receiving the money?
-
'It also means the start of a virtuous ecological cycle'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
