Passports

Let's talk about passports.
I have one. Have had one for a couple of years now. Had one when I was younger... and given the current state of the world, I'd say I'll have one for most of the rest of my life. No big deal.

The form for a passport here is pretty straightforward. Fill in some pertinent information, address, birthdate, etc. Send in some money and a couple of really bad photos of yourself. And voila, they'll mail you a passport that will let you travel to and from the States at will.

Now you may be wondering what brings up this topic. I was in the post office, waiting in a line that went out the door. And at the counter was a young man trying to renew his passport. Nothing noteworthy there. Except for one thing, the entire process took about five times longer than it should've.

Why you may ask? Because he could not speak English well enough to communicate with the staff at the post office!!!! He is an American citizen. He has a United States passport. But he cannot communicate in English.

Yes... I know.... English is not the offical language of the United States. Too bad. It is the language spoken by the majority of the population here. It is the language spoken by our forefathers.

If I moved to France, guess what? I'd be expected to learn French! If I lived in Spain, you better believe I'd be saying buenos dias every morning.

Is it so unreasonable that people who come to America be expected to learn English??