The Hispanic-i-zation of English?

(A letter to J. D. Hayworth)

Here in Phoenix, the traffic reporters have started speaking strangely. Instead of reporting an accident on U.S. 60, they say it's on "the" 60. Huh? You get your kicks on Route 66, not "the" 66. And people have picked that up and now say they are on "the" 101 instead of Route 101... I guess now I live a the corner of "the" Hayden and "the" McDowell in "the" Scottsdale? Wacky.

At first I thought this was all, like, dude, you know, umm, like, some Valley Girl Speak, gag me with a spoon. But now I wonder if it's not the subtle Hispanicization of English.

Instead of "Here comes Immigration" we have to say "la" Migra... "Here comes the Immigration." What's next?

Yours sincerely, "the" William