We live in an era when speaking one language just isn't enough.

And yet, it's safe to say that unlike Europe, most Americans are only able to speak one language (English) fluently for various reasons: Foreign languages are too difficult, too boring and everyone around the world speaks English anyway, right?

Apparently it's a given that the National Security Language Initiative will steadfastly promote the study of foreign languages in U.S. schools, both K-12 and post-secondary, and will cure the country's foreign language ills.

While any funding of higher education is a positive thing, these funds would be better spent teaching young kids so extra money won't be needed at the college level.

When we're talking nickels and dimes, this particular prescription's price tag will be about $114 million, with money allocated to various programs, such as $24 million to create incentives to study and teach critical need languages and $13.2 million to produce speakers of Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Russian.

And what's even better is that Penn State can pat itself on the back for "being ahead of the curve" when it comes to mandating certain language requirements, but it's all for naught.

Until learning a foreign language is a phenomenon that catches on throughout the country, in the backwoods of Alabama, the plains of Montana and the inner city of Philadelphia, little headway can be made with respect to broadening horizons.

There are many logistical problems one can associate with a nationwide initiative to teach foreign languages to 5-year-olds.

Where will all these language teachers come from? For starters, the U.S. government could emulate the French government's program of recruiting English-speaking students in the U.S. to teach French students.

Such an initiative at this point would seem to be the only feasible way to get the number of Chinese, Japanese and Arabic experts needed to teach children the array of languages spoken throughout the world.