I would like to add a personal experience to the well thought out comments of Alok Sharma in his June 8 letter. I am retired after 33 years in the apparel manufacturing industry traveling to more than 40 different countries, mostly second and third world.
India is a great example, where I spent many weeks and months traveling between Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Calcutta, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Tiripur, etc., and their neighbors in Pakistan and Bangladesh. I never experienced a problem communicating with anyone in the factories, hotels, or restaurants, because these countries know that to do business with the U.S. market they must have English-speaking personnel.
Why should we spend our tax dollars teaching a language course that is not needed now, and I believe will not be needed in the future, when the intended country is already equal to us in teaching English to its students? Education budgets are tight, and now is not the time to spend where the return will be so minimal.
Tom Linkimer
51 Murano Drive, West Windsor
