what the hell is wrong with you people?! --- a smallish rant type post

from a letter to the editor, local paper, describing how things are in california: "Jobs in the public sector, such as teaching, medicine and public service, now require employees to speak Spanish, a foreign language. I might add that Spanish is not the only prevalent secondary foreign language in California. All official state documents must be printed in 16 different languages at the taxpayers’ expense! People who have jobs in public service, including welfare, health care and other social services are all required by law to speak fluent Spanish."

i'd like to reiterate a few points. i realize this country was built by immigrants [founded on the blood & bones of the natives], so "we" are all essentially immigrants. i realize that not making accommodations for languages other than english in our govt & public sectors is isolationist at best and xenophobic at worst. i realize we live in a global society, with global business.

i do not advocate that we require everyone to learn english. i advocate that we establish english as the first language for govt operations, and that the burden of all translation be borne by the one requiring the translation. i do not advocate that public [i.e., your & my] money be used to provide translation services.

who needs translation services? private citizens? since learning english is a requirement for earning usa citizenship, it is not likely citizens that need this accommodation. tourists? tourists come prepared to be confronted with a language foreign to them. businesses? it's highly likely that businesses require translation services, but they can & should supply these services for themselves. immigrants? again, highly likely that immigrants would require translation services, and i have nothing against providing translation services for immigrants or businesses -- i am just saying they should pay for this themselves.

let's revisit the letter to the editor -- "People who have jobs in public service, including welfare, health care and other social services are all required by law to speak fluent Spanish." required to speak fluent spanish. so, usa citizens who work for the govt of california, essentially supporting their paychecks through their own tax dollars, could lose their jobs b/c they do not speak fluently a foreign language? i realize i may not be explaining this well, but... if learning english is a requirement to become a citizen, who the hell are they serving by speaking spanish?