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What would Paris and Montreal Do?
[D.C.]Metrorail officials are considering adding permanent Spanish-language signs, system maps, fare-card machines and announcements in stations after a push by immigration advocates. ... The estimated cost of the changes is at least $500,000 per station and as much as $900,000 for a large, multilevel station such as Metro Center or L'Enfant Plaza. ...The region annually draws 1 million tourists from overseas, the U.S. government-run Office of Travel and Tourism Industries reports.
...the region's immigrant riders, ...represent 193 countries and speak languages including Chinese, Korean, Farsi, Urdu and Amharic. Chicago, New York and other U.S. cities with sizable Hispanic populations use bilingual signs in their train stations.
...John Fonte, director of the Center for American Common Culture at the Hudson Institute, called it "strange" that Metro officials are willing to spend so much on the change. He noted that they initially resisted changing maps to reflect the name change for the airport Metro stop from Washington National Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport because of the cost.
"Strange" indeed, if we are expected to spend yet more money kowtowing to the illegal immigrant crowd.
But since DC is such a draw for tourists, let's consider only the tourism aspect of the decision. And while we're about it, let's examine how things are set up in Canada and Europe, since this nation's leftoids are so desperate for international approval of every damn thing in the USA.. Montreal--a few signs in English, and speaking English is tolerated. Quebec City--utter a word in English and you are courting a poke in the eye. Paris--the entire country is noted for its non-hospitality. Most of the Middle East--women risk assault and rape merely by wearing western-style clothing or driving a car. US women working in some cities must resort to wearing the burkha to and from their homes as a matter of survival.
Now, the American left is really high on the notion of parity--equal pay etcetera. Thus, we should demand parity in the treatment of our citizens when they travel abroad, in trade for this expensive sop to the Latino lobby, which after all does not account for the panorama of non-English languages.
Here's an equally sensible idea: rip down all the English language signs and make everyone learn Esperanto.
(Suggested reading: Kurt Vonnegut's short story, "Harrison Bergeron.")