As I've related before, I work with the public. I manage a restaurant in the evenings, but in the mornings, two or three days a week, I work at a dollar store.
I had an Hispanic gentleman come up to my register today. He plunked down his three items. I said "Hi..how you doin'?" Nothing. Not even eye contact. I rang him up, gave him his total, took his money (which he counted quite well for himself, thank you), and handed him his bag. "Have a good one," I said. Again, nothing.....then, he turned to look for the guy he came in with and hollered something in Spanish. I had realized, of course, that he didn't speak English, but this just clinched it for me.
You know......I have no problem whatever with people coming here from other countries (as long as it's legally). After all, that's what America is all about. None of us would be here if our ancestors hadn't come from somewhere else......even the ancestors of the American Indians came from Asia. They came here and opened convenience cave-stores, operated mastodon and Woolly mammoth taxis, lots of things.
Anyway. Come here if you like, but PLEASE................LEARN OUR LANGUAGE!
You're coming here to live....the native language here is English. Learn it, for crying out loud! If you want to speak your native tongue at home, fine; but you're going to have to interact with the locals sooner or later. It would be nice if you could at least converse with some other words than "no comprende".
I see signs all over town in both English and Spanish.....we're told that we have to be "sensitive" to their needs, so we have to learn to be bi-lingual. Bullshit. They're coming here, we're not going there. Why should we be expected to accomodate them?
They want to taste the good life of American living? Let them learn to speak our language, so they can be real Americans.
When our grandparents and great-grandparents came here from other nations, the first thing they wanted to do was learn English, so they could be "good (or real) Americans".
That's the way it should be; we shouldn't have to worry about whether or not Pablo can read a stop sign or a restroom designation.....he should be able to read English for himself. Hell; he shouldn't even be able to take the driver's test anyway, unless he can read it in English (they give them orally in Spanish here to the Mexicans).
All this adaptation to accomodate other languages...where does it end? Will we evetually need enormous billboards or signs, with their ads or messages in English, Spanish, French, Russian, German, Japanese, Chinese, Bulgarian, Czech.....?
Having to print all these new, bi-lingual signs has to cost money. Where does money come from? You and me, Joeuser....our taxes, the prices we pay for our goods......where will it end?