[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Kitsune

The signs are government required and in some cases are produced by the government. "Wash your hands. Lavarse las manos." You'll see this one in any workplace that deals with food. Minimum wage and disability signs are all dual language. It is common sense to provide your taxpayers with information they can understand.

Yeah, I noticed all the janitorial supplies are almost entirely in Spanish. If I checked them closely, I'm sure there would be a small panel in English. Six years ago it was exactly the opposite.

The forcing of private businesses to have signs in a specific language can get tricky. In Gwinnett County, GA, the issue came up some years ago because emergencies at some Asian businesses couldn't be responded to since emergency workers were unable to read the signs along crowded highways populated by international businesses and restaurants. The measure to have all private business signs have readable English as well as the Asian characters was defeated. You might not agree these businesses should be forced to have dual language signs, but there is a public safety factor involved.

Do they make them clearly number them? Most businesses I drive by, around here, I couldn't find the number without stopping. Must be hell for EMTs.

Confusing street signs for yard sale signs? Stopping in the middle of the road to argue? This sounds more like bad driving habits than anything language-related.

Around here and in New England, I've seen it too. Driving down the street the car in front of you stops dead because they've seen a yard/garage sale. Usually the passenger will then get out and bee-line for the sale then the driver looks for a place to park. Thats what I was referring to with the yard sale sign. My bad, I though that was universal.
But my point was when people get confused by signs the natural reaction is to slow down and sometimes full stop...right in the damn road. I've even seen a woman on the Cross-Bronx Expressway (I-95 near the George Washington Bridge) stop and when the horns started, she rolled her window down and waved me around her, while she looked at the map. Unusual? Yes, but an example how dangerous confused people can be.

City/county/state/federal signs all have regulations on lettering size for visibility reasons, so this simply isn't an issue.

Of course it's an issue. If they say x by y maximum, you have to squeeze twice the information on it. If they state the minimum lettering then the sign has to be twice as big, as do the supports. Bigger signs, less visibility if you have many in the same area. Some urban intersections can have dozens of official signs competing for your attention.

...so, you want to clear up confusion about what signs mean by making them unreadable by a significant percentage of the population?

No, I want to clear up the confusion by not issuing licenses to people that can't read the goddamn signs or rules.

In many other countries, the signs are in two languages and I've not heard of any traffic issues related to that aspect. Important signs are usually simple, internationally understood symbols. Everything else, not a big deal.

like in Paris where the cars are burning? Or Canada? Mexico has all the signs in English,too....right?

We're talking about Spanish speakers, right?

Only because they are the one making the demands. Every other ethnicity that came here learned English, because they wanted to be Americans.

But, alright, I will ask about them. What of the children that grow up surrounded by families that don't speak English? What of the children that grow up in a community that doesn't speak English and interact with businesses that speak only Spanish? Have you ever sat in on an ESOL class and spoken with the kids that come out of it?

If they were born and raised here and go to public schools here, English should not be a second language. That's what I was referring to in my last answer, they wanted to be Americans.

I refuse to believe they are coming into this country legally, at a rate they can't assimilate, but they don't want to. They want to recreate back home, right here. They don't want to be Americans. Why should they be catered to? No other group ever was, were they?

Of course it's not only a familiar surroundings, it makes it easier to hide illegals, Even employ them in the underground economy. I don't remember hearing about any other group coming here and taking down the flag at the post office to put up there own, either.

"No comprendo."

I understand the need for clear communication between people, but it can't be forced, especially in many communities across the country. Passing a law that makes English the standard language and removes Spanish from documents and signs is simply going to put people in the dark. You might think isolating groups of people like that would force them to learn English, but the effect is exactly the opposite.

What, they'll gather in enclaves, hoods, and only speak their own language? Do business, and interact with each other in Spanish? Create their own underground economy, hide and employ illegals? Run their flag up at the Post Office permanantly?
btw, I said nothing about passing a law making English the official language.