To speak more than one language or not to speak more than one language- that is the question. The dilemma between making English the only official language in America or having multiple official languages is an important issue that affects everyone that speaks a language in America, especially those that drive or go to school. There is nothing wrong with people venturing to America in search of a better life, but the history of America was founded on and has always perceived English as the prominent language. English should be the only official language in America in order to keep from spending money and to avoid problems in the schools.
             A possible loss of culture and a fear of losing what they left behind haunt immigrants who hear that English may be the only official language in America. The hard truth is that they should expect nothing less when they enter a strange land. When you leave a country physically, you also are choosing to leave it mentally. This is not to say that an Irish pub house or a Spanish jewelry store will never be unsuccessful or rejected by the American population, but nothing should be expected. The same goes for the previously spoken languages of the newly arrived immigrants. Speaking Spanish or Japanese will always be tolerated and certainly not condemned in America, but immigrants should not arrive and expect their language to represent an already founded country.
             Making an unknown language official in America is as hard to fund as it is to be accepted by the American people. Canada "has estimated its bilingual costs to be nearly $400,000,000 per year" (Hayakawa 564). With America having a much larger population, the cost of bilingualism here would be crushing to an already unstable economy. Even if one other language besides English was made official, the other unofficial languages would feel unrecognized and fight to have the government dish out billions more to even up the score...