Maybe my first post on this wasn't quite clear enough. I wholeheartedly agree that people who live in this country, as well as visit this country, should make an effort to speak english (since it is the language spoken by the majority). I tried to back this up by saying that when you go to another country (visiting or living there), you should make every effort to speak that country's language.
I also said that many American's will vacation anywhere without knowing even an inkling of the language of the land which they are visiting. All I am saying is that there is a bit of a double standard between what we expect of those who visit/immigrate to this country (that they speak english or not bother coming), and what we expect when we visit other countries (that the people in those countries should speak english for our benefit).
When I taught middle-school level Spanish last year, I was asked by several students why they had to study the language. My response typically consisted of "so you can be more knowledgable of different cultures other then your own; so you can travel the world without a language barrier; and so if a foriegner you meet in this country needs your assistance, you can help them out (and they will be more receptive since you know their language)".
Think about it... when you travel to far off lands and come upon someone in some remote village who speaks your language, how does it make you feel? I automatically get a sense of comfort, despite how little of my language that person knows.
I think it's the same way in this country. If someone from Columbia comes here to work and they see signs that they can read, and encounter people they can talk to in their own tongue, they automatically feel more welcome.
An effort to understand a language or a culture (and be accepting of the differences inherent in that culture) will do more to propel this country (and the whole world) forward as we cross the cultural boundaries that we have drawn up around ourselves. This applies to English, Spanish, French, Japanese... take your pick.
I hope this clarifies my viewpoint a bit...
