So, is one of three languages NOT English? There are something like 120+ languages spoken in DC, so it makes sense that they would not try to accomodate everyone. We have some pretty specific large immigrant groups here (Hmong, Somali, Hispanic/Latino). Would you rather they got lost on the way to their job, which keeps them off public assistance while they take English lessons at the corner church 3 nights a week?
Reliant/Minnegasco (whatever they're called these days) has several languages on their envelopes because they want to make sure people pay their bill. We want to make sure people get to work on time, so we make it a little easier on folks. Why on earth would this upset you so much? Recent data suggests that over 90% of recent US immigrants speak English enough to function in American society. Another 7% are learning English actively and the rest are mostly older folks who can be taken care of by younger folks. Reminds me very much of when my Norwegian ancestors arrived here. My great-Grandfather, who was born in Wisconsin, didn't know English when he started Kindergarten. But, he learned, especially after he peed his pants because he didn't know how to ask for the bathroom. At the same time, the teachers knew some Swedish, German, Norwegian, etc., in order to help the kids come along quicker. Contrary to whatever you may think, immigrants do their level best to learn English in a timely manner. Consider that many immigrants take the citizenship test, which many native-born folks would easily fail, in English, only 5 or so years after they arrive. The only exclusions in MN that I am aware of are Hmong war veterens, who would be dead in Laos/Thailand if they hadn't been granted asylum. As to the 'honor system', I have been to many cities that have such systems. The one that comes to mind right now is Prague. In Prague, you buy a transit ticket that is good for 3 hours. It's a little slip with a time stamp on it. That's all. You can use it for trolleys, buses, or subways. It's totally on the honor system. Every once in a while a cop hops on the trolley, checks tickets for 3 minutes and hops off. The ticket costs about $.25. The fine for getting caught with an expired ticket is about $50. People don't cheat. It's not worth it. -- Eric Oines Green Party Endorsed Candidate State House Seat 58A A REAL Choice for the Northside www.OinesForHouse.org 612.521.3482 "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." � �~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) >>> "Stephen Jester" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote... When I read this story yesterday, I nearly punched my monitor. It made me that angry. Why? I'll tell you why. My wife and I were in Washington DC a month ago celebrating our anniversary. Neither of us had used the subway in DC before, but all of our travel books said that it was cheap and easy to use. And the books were right. The station was four blocks from our hotel, and was located in the George Washington University area. You would take and esclator down, and the first thing you notice is farecard machines. Guess what? They are in ENGLISH!!!! All the maps? ENGLISH! Anyway, you would stick your money in the machine, press a button for a farecard and the machine would spit it out. And typed on the card is the value. Then you walk to the gates that lead to the platforms. You take your farecard stick in into a slot in the front of the gate, and it reads your card and spits it out through the top, and the gate opens. You get on the train, and once you arrive at you destination station, you have to use the gates again. Why? Fares are based on how far you have gone from your original destination. So you stick your card in again, just like before, and if you have enough value on your card, it comes out the top and the gate opens. It's very cheap, considering a cab from our hotel was 10 bucks, the subway was 2.20. Why this all ties into our LRT is the story in yesterdays paper. Feeling like I have some knowledge now of how this form of transportation works, I just couldn't believe my eyes. All fares are going to be based on the honor system? HELLO!!!!! This thing is not going to make a dime. It won't even be able to pay for itself. What kills me is you have the machines and instructions in different languages, and the way you enforce the fares is by using police officers?? I guess we better get officers that speak Hmong, Spanish, Somailian, Russian, Hebrew, Yiddish, French, Ect.. I can see the stories now... "Blacks sick of be profiled on LRT." "Somali community upset that officers held fare busters that cannot understand English." It just goes to show that as an American society, we all need to be able to communicate in one lanaguage. English. Period. End of Story. Stephen Jester McKinley __________________________________________________________________ The NEW Netscape 7.0 browser is now available. Upgrade now! http://channels.netscape.com/ns/browsers/download.jsp Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Mail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com/ _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
