Three current views of the English orthographic system defend this system as adequately spelling contemporary American English. The validity of these views is questionable, as are the implied presuppositions on which they are based. The three perspectives may also be investigated in terms of their adequacy and internal consistency. The major thrust of the inquiry stems from the suggestion that a spelling system such as the one used by English speakers discriminates against the children of the lower classes because they do not live in an environment which gives occasion to use the linguistic forms enshrined in the orthography. Children of the upper classes, however, live in an environment which gives them greater opportunity to use the forms reflected in the English orthography. Based on these assumptions, current English spelling favors the children of the bureaucratic elite and thus has an implicit racist bias. (SW)