Yes, this is America, where English reigns as the dominant language. After all, the road signs are in English.
But a proposal at the Tennessee General Assembly to require the written portion of the driver's license exam be administered only in English makes no sense.
Sure, immigrants should learn English if they hope to take advantage of the educational and employment opportunities in America.
Yet I imagine anyone passing the written portion in one of four non-English languages administered by the state -- German, Korean, Japanese and Spanish -- safely can navigate Tennessee roadways.
Several times I've driven in foreign countries without knowing the language well. Somehow, though, I managed to travel about safely.
Some English-only proponents argue immigrants should be required to learn the language through immersion programs.
You will find no debate here that immersion learning works well for languages. But it is clear that many immigrants come to America because economic and educational opportunities in their homelands are limited.
Many of those adults find that landing a job is a more pressing need than English proficiency. To get work, they need mobility. To have optimal mobility, they need driver licenses. With economic advancement and American-life immersion, they ultimately will find more opportunities to learn the language.
That does not yield a perfect solution. The only other option is closing this free nation to immigrants.
If that ever happens, I'll be looking to live in another country -- one where I can take the written portion of the driver's license exam in English.