Where’s the beef?

This is what a befuddled audience must have wondered after Wednesday night’s debate on making English the official language of the United States.

The debate, scheduled as part of National Hispanic Month, wandered around various topics but spent little time on the subject.

But that didn’t prevent University of Colorado’s Cordelia Candelaria and Linda Chavez of the National Commission on Migrant Education from squabbling about language.

Chavez began by flinging aside maturity saying she wouldn’t debate people who called her names like “political extremist” and also wouldn’t debate people who she called names like—”political extremist.”

Candelaria called her names, anyway. She then criticized Chavez for not supporting financial aid cutback studies and funding education for children in their native tongue.

Chavez could have asked Candelaria who gets to pay for all this, but she was too worried about being labeled.

This petty bickering could have been solved by the Organization of Latin American Students who sponsored the event.

To have a debate, there should be two people who disagree on an issue. If this isn’t the case, then the “debate” should be a panel discussion.