As the debate and discussions about the health care bill take front and center positioning, it is important to note that at the core of being alive and a human being, it is our innate will to survive. Yes, times are tough these days. But it is the inner desire of oneself to survive, to make it happen, to succeed that is vital to our existence. When one chooses to rely on government, then the pure sense of being alive, of being in control of one's own life begins to erode.

Sure, government is needed to provide for roads, infrastructure, safety, the rule of law, but hand-outs? By hand-outs, I don't stop at welfare. It includes providing translators and translated documents. The current health care legislation now pending in Congress would require doctors and hospitals to provide interpreters and translation services free of charge to non-English speaking patients.

Why should it be free?

Why is it the burden of government to provide for these things?

Well, it's free to that end-user but at a cost to us as taxpayers.

Hey, in a free market society, why not charge a user fee for the translations? Before anyone begins to reply with, "What about those that cannot afford it? Then I revert back to saying that that particular person find someone, a friend, to do the translating.

Back when I was growing up, my parents were responsible people and took it upon themselves to find friends who spoke English so that these friends could translate or interpret for them. To this day, I am proud that my parents sought out those friends for assistance when they had to deal with the local, state or federal government.

Perhaps they knew or maybe not, but their task of locating friends to translate for them instilled in me the sense of pride to fend for myself, to stand up for my rights and those of others and to keep marching on as long as the Lord blesses me with life.

Among the many areas of government interaction where English must be utilized for the safety of all, for the assurance that there is no confusion and to ensure that we as Americans communicate about important things affecting our lives and our country, is the privilege of driving.

We all know in order to drive and to adhere to laws, we must have a valid driver's license. Why is it that a language other than English should be allowed to take the license examination? By taking the examination in another language, isn't that putting at risk the lives of millions? To some, that may evoke a laugh or a comment such as "Come on, are you serious?"

But think about it this way.

Would you be distraught if your friend, relative or close family member was harmed or killed by a person driving who took the license exam without understanding English well enough and who cannot fully understand the many written signs on our roadways?

If your state isn't on this list, please contact your state legislator and urge them to add your state.

You may use this link to quickly identify your legislator.

http://capwiz.com/proenglish/home

States requiring English for driver's licenses:

Alaska
Kentucky
Maine
New Hampshire
Oklahoma
South Dakota
Wyoming

Please visit my Blog at www.proenglishusa.blogspot.com to learn more.