A tale of two immigrants.

The Washington Post had an interesting article about a California Town that is trying to get it's residents to learn English. Here is the money quote:
"Most immigrants want to learn English, Pulido said, but "culturally, there is a disincentive" in Southern California. "I can go to the bank in Spanish, the store, the laundry, read a newspaper, listen to the radio, watch TV -- all in Spanish," he said. Even many Asian immigrant merchants speak Spanish. Workers can build houses, trim lawns, cook in restaurants and work on assembly lines for years without speaking a word of English."

Stories like this show why the current immigration wave is different from previous immigration influxes into the U.S. Here is a very revealing video it is an interview of two immigrants and the gap in their communication skills:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Olz9sLlZ0E