[extropy-chat] Psychology of investments in infrastructure

[spike]

> bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Samantha Atkins
...

> > Everywhere in the maternity hospital,
> > everything had Spanish.  But I saw something I had never seen in
> > America: a sign posted in Spanish only.
> >
> 
> I think this is a travesty.  The "melting pot" is no longer
> maintained or seen as a good thing...   With heavy identity with one's
> "tribe" individuality is lost.
> 
> - samantha

Since then I have given this some thought.  In all the English and Spanish
signs, the message is simple enough that most Taxifornians already know the
message even if they offer no Inglese equivalent.  For instance we all know
that Cuidado caliente is Caution, hot.  But this Spanish-only sign in the
hospital started with Cuidado, then had a bunch of Espaniol I didn't
recognize and couldn't easily decipher, so I didn't comprehende for what
they were cuidadoing me, but it was a mucho big sign that cuidadoed me, muy
grande.  So I asked la nurse: que pasa senorita, oye como na?

The Taxifornia maternity patients are majority habla Spanish now.  If an
expectant madre has sufficient pesos in Mexico, it makes a lot of sense to
take a muy poco vacation in the Norte, visit relatives and friends for a few
weeks, in about the ochoeth month of pregnancy.  No visa is required, no
verde card, nada, only a passport, since the madre is not actually getting a
job here.  The doctor bills will be picked up by la hospital, the baby has
dual US and Mexican citizenship forever, as will all of the baby's
offspring, so her options are many.  All this can be bought for the price of
an airline ticket.

There is one other wild card here.  Spanish is a far easier second language
for Asians to learn than Inglese.  The Japanese guy that runs the local
sushi bar commented that he is far more fluent in Spanish than English, even
tho he wasn't really trying to learn it.  He worked at English, but absorbed
the Espaniol.  Spanish might become the defacto favored second language for
the melting pot that is Taxifornia.

spike-o