'Press 2 for Spanish' costs billions; Trump can save money by pressing pen to paper

[redleghunter]

'Press 2 for Spanish' costs billions; Trump can save money by pressing pen to paper


There’s no telling how much money the government could save if it were to stop asking Americans to “Press 2 for Spanish.”

What is clear, according to those pushing the change, is that President Trump could do it with the stroke of a pen. Why he hasn’t done so remains shrouded.

Since the dawn of the 21st century, the U.S. government has operated under mandatory translation rules for its documents and services, a pricey option that President Clinton imposed via executive order near the end of his tenure in August 2000.

In essence, the order meant that if a person with limited or no English language skills had a problem with accessing federal services, then that was the government’s problem.

Mr. Clinton’s move “required federal agencies to examine the services they provide, identify any need for services to those with limited English efficiency (LEP), and develop and implement a system to provide those services so LEP persons can have meaningful access to them,” according to the description provided at LEP.gov, a website created to help the process.

The last time federal officials took a look at the cost, during the first term of President George W. Bush, the Office of Management and Budget fixed it at $2 billion annually. If that price has held steady, then it would mean taxpayers have shelled out more than $30 billion on mandated translations of the government’s business.

More at the link:
Donald Trump can end ‘Press 2 for Spanish,’ save billions

 

[usexpat97]

Press 2 for Spanish' costs billions;

Wow, had no idea. I'm surprised the entire EU hasn't gone bankrupt already. Their entire infrastructure has to support 4 languages for everything. Plus their public school system graduates almost all the kids to be fluent in two. AND they socialize their health care.

 

[redleghunter]

Wow, had no idea. I'm surprised the entire EU hasn't gone bankrupt already. Their entire infrastructure has to support 4 languages for everything. Plus their public school system graduates almost all the kids to be fluent in two. AND they socialize their health care.

Yeah I’d like to see the details of what makes this expensive.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Maybe save money by cutting spending on areas that aren't essential to the lives of the American people. As of 2015 13% of Americans are native Spanish speakers. And while I think offering programs to teach people English are a good idea, denying the Spanish-speaking population options in their own language is hardly a good thing.

If people in the government are serious about cutting spending waste, then they should do it on things that aren't essential--like our military spending waste. There is absolutely zero reason to waste over half a trillion dollars of tax payer money the way we do. We spend more than China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, India, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Germany, and South Korea--the nine highest military spenders after us--combined. That is ludicrous. We could half our military budget and still be spending more than China, the Saudis, and Russia (combined).

The amount of money that could be saved and instead go to actually improving the lives of Americans would be monumental.

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some fifty miles of concrete pavement. We pay for a single fighter plane with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people. This is, I repeat, the best way of life to be found on the road the world has been taking. This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron. These plain and cruel truths define the peril and point the hope that come with this spring of 1953. This is one of those times in the affairs of nations when the gravest choices must be made, if there is to be a turning toward a just and lasting peace. It is a moment that calls upon the governments of the world to speak their intentions with simplicity and with honesty. It calls upon them to answer the question that stirs the hearts of all sane men: is there no other way the world may live?" - Dwight D. Eisenhower, "Chance for Peace" speech, 1953

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Petros2015]

lol. I can see the executive order now:

"Press 2 for ICE"

 

[The Barbarian]

Why not just put a limit on the number of vacations a president can take in a month? That would save even more.

Without an official language, there's no justification for not providing Spanish. If it costs billions to have a Spanish recording and English recording, I'd say a friend of Donald got the contract to do them.