Why are people outraged that PRIVATE Businesses have signs in Spanish?

Isn't this just being responsible business owner, knowing you have a sizable population that speaks Spanish and not English or at most very little English wouldn't you do the same thing. Also if there is an English sign and a smaller Spanish sign below it what is it to you. The last thing I want is government telling a private business what it can and cannot do. I am for the government saying the Official language is English, what I am not for is the government telling private businesses what language signs, call centers and other things they can have.

Hawk have you ever been to a place in the US where a sign wasn't in English. I am just annoyed when people complain about the press 2 for Spanish. TO me it is just nonsensical to complain about it when you have the English option.

Have you been to or heard of the company called IKEA??
It's a "PRIVATE" furniture company from Sweden that sells all over the world. Many of their products have explanations in at least 6 languages because of it's international customer base. Now, If any of these private companies that you are talking about have any sense of the number of languages being spoken in this country, they would have done the same thing as IKEA.
But they are simply too ball-less to do so.

Nezahual:
Don't make me throw up calling youselves an "American Family", when most of you don't even respect the Language and the culture and the legal system of this country, please, don't make me throw up!!!!!

Countless generations of immigrants have come to America and learned American English. People expect to be able to understand what they see.

If the businesses are based in the US, the proprietor should at least have one section of the sign in English. Otherwise, it's frustrating for English speaking consumers and indicates for many, a lack of respect for the nation.

The primary language is English and it should be acknowledged somewhere in the sign.

This is an English speaking country... the businesses are just showing their greed by making signs in Spanish too.

Personally, I will never again step foot inside any business that has signs in Spanish.

This is my country.. I am happy to have anyone of any nationality come here.. LEGALLY, but then they must adapt to MY COUNTRY.. not try to make me adapt to theirs.

Why would any business have to have any other language than English. I am tired of calling places and have to enter 1 for english or 2 for spanish. I live in America where english is the language.

People are insecure and they fear what they dont know. It is just a load of BS. All these immigrants are dying to learn English. Heck everyone wants to learn English. People are just being ethnocentric and paranoid. It has happened a millions times throughout history and it will continue to happen. You are right though, the government should not dictate how you want to cater to your customers...This isn't France...

because this is America and people should know some english before coming here

It's not the sign. It's the Spanish. America is a melting pot, but we're in the middle of a huge hispanic influx. Illegal aliens are a huge issue right now, so the fact that we even NEED signs in Spanish is enough to upset people. Why don't we have signs in German or French? We DO have signs (here) in Laotian, Spanish, and Somali. Now...think about this. Laotians, Hispanics and Somalians come to America for what? To become American? Not generally. To take advantage of America, to make American money to send home or to get a free education...which will either eliminate a good job (doctor or computer engineer etc...) for an American who can't afford college, all while never becoming a citizen? You bet. Why wouldn't that be annoying? Do you realize that an American can't own land in Mexico? How is this fair?

Spanish is now slowly becoming the preferred language of the u.s.Take a walk thru any shopping center and notice the ratio of the two languages being used.

I own a business. I am Mexican, my signs are in Spanish because most of my customers are Mexicans like me.
We are more than a brotherhood or a kinship, We are a big American family.

I refuse to push a button for English in my country.
Let someone that doesn't speak English press a button for assistance if they need it.

Why the thumbs down?? This is MY country.
I don't even say what language...so why the thumbs down??
There are people that speaks dozens of languages here. It is discrimination to offer a language option to one on the phone and not all.

because this America, and in America we speak English not Spanish..that's the problem with this country we will hire people who cant even speak our language...and us Americans have to deal with this bull s h i t if you want a job learn English, if your not going to learn then go the f u c k back..... i should not have to cater to you....

There is a strip mall 2 minutes walk from my house where all the signs are in spanish only. Doesn't that discriminate against non spanish speakers? Isn't that arrogant and racist?

Besides that,this country was founded on English so if you can't or wont speak it, I say get out!

I'm not.

I do wonder why 'bilingual' seems to mean fluent in Spanish and often unintelligible in English, however.

I don't think I deserve less consideration than their Spanish speaking customers.

However, I am perfectly able to vote with my buying habits on that one.

It may be a PRIVATE business, but if they supported LEGAL immigration, they would have all their signs in english. Private businesses having signs in both english and spanish only help the illegal immigration process. All Private businnesses need to take the stand but unfortunatly they care more about money than they do about the immigration issue and the future of America.

because it's hypocritical for them to demand we have everything written in spanish but refuse to reciprocate.

what kills me is the inevitable newspaper interview with a fat, squat Mahican baby swilling mexican ***** that's says , with babies dripping off both cellulite riddled arms, (thru a interpreter) I want my benefits I lived here 20 years. The dumb ***** cant speak English in 20 years of being in America. How is that possible.

why are you outraged by the outraged? outrageous!

Your PRIVATE business, isn't PRIVATE, when you put it in the public sector. People travel and there are tourists and vacation spots and even though the Spanish speakers refuse to acknowledge English as our nations language....everyone else in the world knows it's English. I am a citizen in this country, I know other languages but Spanish isn't one of them. If I'm traveling through my country it would be nice to drive through a town and not have to pull out a darn language translator to get through it. Spanish people cater only to Spanish people and seem to forget there's a whole lot of other people out here as well who don't speak Spanish. You guys seem to be fine catering to your people in your little community and expect everyone else to cater to you in ours as well. When I go to McDonalds I want someone to understand my order in ENGLISH. English is the OFFICIAL language of my state and I expect ANYONE working in a PUBLIC business to SPEAK ENGLISH. I don't care what OTHER language you speak but speak ENGLISH! I may have my car break down and it's not going to do me a darn bit of good if all your signs are in Spanish or if none of the employees speak English because you're only concerned about catering to "your people". The government does tell private business owners what they can and cannot do. When you are a business you are in PUBLIC domaine and you can't discriminate by color and we have laws for that and next thing up is going to be language since these people don't seem to realize you aren't in Mexico anymore. I can understand it to a degree when you are a border state but I'm way far away from the border so there's no excuse.

Because it shows that there are WAY too many hispanic immigrants here, legal or illegal. It wasn't that way in the 50's. I live in Los Angeles and it's like living in Mexico. It used to be nice here. Illegal aliens are ruining this country. NO AMNESTY!

if the earth splitz in half and you suddenly find yourself in a non English speaking country,lets say you have to speak mowie wowie what do you do?

We live in a nation of immigrants, it would be helpful to have those signs up for them who don't know English very well.

Because they are catering to spanish, and not catering to English. The country is English. Whoever comes here should learn it. Why would we have to learn spanish or whatever language for people coming here?

People are outraged because we were here first and they chose to come here, but demand that we speak their language. It is ridiculous.

You are right about the government telling businesses what to do-but if the country made the primary language English, we would not have the problem in the first place.