I am disappointed that Paul Smith stated in an email sent to the Utah Investigative Journalism Project that Utah is an English-only state, as published in The Salt Lake Tribune on Feb. 14. Smith, who is the executive director of Utah Apartment Association by his statement, appears to be misinformed.
Utah is a diverse cultural state and as such, has several businesses that employ bilingual workers. I have also been to a Domino’s restaurant in Riverton, and they have a bilingual menu for customers to look at.
There is nothing in the Utah laws or the United States Constitution that says Utah or for that matter, the United States, is an English only state or nation. I do not have the math to document fully that people who speak a different language spend a lot of money, but with the higher number of minorities that speak a different language and want to be here in Utah, we need to respect people regardless of language. This includes doing business with people fairly and honestly.
I would like to see Smith spend a month in another country where English is not the main language and see how he would feel if he were not of the majority language. Maybe he will understand and have empathy for non-English speaking people, and be more respectful.
Bill J. Gropp, Jr., Draper
