NationStates Jolt Archive

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070319/ap_on_re_us/adult_literacy
Study finds one-third in D.C. illiterate
WASHINGTON - About one-third of the people living in the national's capital are functionally illiterate, compared with about one-fifth nationally, according to a report on the District of Columbia.


Adults are considered functionally illiterate if they have trouble doing such things as comprehending bus schedules, reading maps and filling out job applications.

The study by the State Education Agency, a quasi-governmental office created by the U.S. Department of Education to distribute federal funds for literacy services, was ordered by Mayor Anthony A. Williams in 2003 as part of his four-year, $4 million adult literacy initiative.

The growing number of Hispanic and Ethiopian immigrants who aren't proficient in English contributed to the city's high functional illiteracy level, which translated to 170,000 people, said Connie Spinner, director of the State Education Agency. The report says the district's functional illiteracy rate is 36 percent and the nation's 21 percent.

Adults age 65 and older had the lowest literacy score of any group, the report found.

The District of Columbia Chamber of Commerce, which contributed to the report, said the city lost up to $107 million in taxes annually between 2000 and 2005 because of a lack of qualified job applicants.
:eek:
Now can somebody please tell me what the fuck is wrong with this country when 1/3 of the people in our fucking capital are illiterate? And 1/5 of the fucking country is illiterate!? That's like 60,000,000 fucking people! What the hell is wrong with this country!?

I really need to go someplace quiet to calm down now....:headbang:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070319/ap_on_re_us/adult_literacy
Study finds one-third in D.C. illiterate
WASHINGTON - [I]About one-third of the people living in the national's capital are functionally illiterate, compared with about one-fifth nationally, according to a report on the District of Columbia.

What the hell is wrong with this country!?


You keep voting illiterate people into government office, who then employ other illiterates it would seem.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070319/ap_on_re_us/adult_literacy
Study finds one-third in D.C. illiterate
WASHINGTON - About one-third of the people living in the national's capital are functionally illiterate, compared with about one-fifth nationally, according to a report on the District of Columbia.


Adults are considered functionally illiterate if they have trouble doing such things as comprehending bus schedules, reading maps and filling out job applications.

The study by the State Education Agency, a quasi-governmental office created by the U.S. Department of Education to distribute federal funds for literacy services, was ordered by Mayor Anthony A. Williams in 2003 as part of his four-year, $4 million adult literacy initiative.

The growing number of Hispanic and Ethiopian immigrants who aren't proficient in English contributed to the city's high functional illiteracy level, which translated to 170,000 people, said Connie Spinner, director of the State Education Agency. The report says the district's functional illiteracy rate is 36 percent and the nation's 21 percent.

Adults age 65 and older had the lowest literacy score of any group, the report found.

The District of Columbia Chamber of Commerce, which contributed to the report, said the city lost up to $107 million in taxes annually between 2000 and 2005 because of a lack of qualified job applicants.
:eek:
Now can somebody please tell me what the fuck is wrong with this country when 1/3 of the people in our fucking capital are illiterate? And 1/5 of the fucking country is illiterate!? That's like 60,000,000 fucking people! What the hell is wrong with this country!?

I really need to go someplace quiet to calm down now....:headbang:

1 out of 2 DC resident males who grow up there end up being wards of the prison system.

DC government (local) is fucked up beyond your worst imagining. Right next door, there are two counties (in two different states) that have the best school systems in the US.

It's largely a matter of how effective your local government is. If it's good, you're in luck. If it's fucked up (as DC local government is), you're screwed to the wall.

You keep voting illiterate people into government office, who then employ other illiterates it would seem.
Actually, no..don't be an idiot. They government officials, though stupid, are literate and anyone they employ *is* literate. Please, lets stick to the topic at hand and not flame the American goverment officials and talk about their intelligence at any chance you get, which, by the way, has NOTHING to do with my thread.

So, shhhhh. Thanks.

public school system, outcome based education, social promotion, apathy, etc.

you know I know kids who don't have books at home....let that sink in for a minute, they don't have books, any books. pathetic isn't it.

1 out of 2 DC resident males who grow up there end up being wards of the prison system.

DC government (local) is fucked up beyond your worst imagining. Right next door, there are two counties (in two different states) that have the best school systems in the US.

It's largely a matter of how effective your local government is. If it's good, you're in luck. If it's fucked up (as DC local government is), you're screwed to the wall.
Also, take into consideration that D.C. is extremely poor, extremely dangerous, and extremely Black.

However, there's still no excuse for 1/3 illiteracy and 1/5 in the country!

public school system, outcome based education, social promotion, apathy, etc.

you know I know kids who don't have books at home....let that sink in for a minute, they don't have books, any books. pathetic isn't it.

Pathetic, yes ---> http://www.scribd.com/doc/5107/They-didnt-study

Also, take into consideration that D.C. is extremely poor, extremely dangerous, and extremely Black.

However, there's still no excuse for 1/3 illiteracy and 1/5 in the country!

DC spends more per student than the county I live in.

My county is one of the top ten in the country. DC is at the bottom. Go figure.

Spending money isn't the answer. Fucked up parents and fucked up teachers and fucked up government can blow that money.

Actually, no..don't be an idiot. They government officials, though stupid, are literate and anyone they employ *is* literate. Please, lets stick to the topic at hand and not flame the American goverment officials and talk about their intelligence at any chance you get, which, by the way, has NOTHING to do with my thread.

So, shhhhh. Thanks.

:)

Chill.

I don't have anything against the US, it was ment mostly as a joke - I do find it funny that the seat of government is the least literate state particulary since a huge portion of the states population is employed by the government or exists due to the government being seated there.

Pathetic, yes ---> http://www.scribd.com/doc/5107/They-didnt-study
That's actually something I would do, lol.

Anyway, thats actually funny, and isnt threatening to National stability like a 1/5 illiteracy rate.

I find that literacy starts at home. It has to do with a variety of factors, including how well funded the school and libraries are and if the parents take an active role in encouraging their children to read, and not just books, but maps and the like.

DC spends more per student than the county I live in.

My county is one of the top ten in the country. DC is at the bottom. Go figure.

Spending money isn't the answer. Fucked up parents and fucked up teachers and fucked up government can blow that money.
I think the blame lies here. I think in areas like D.C., where you have overwhelmingly poor Blacks residents....the parents are just terrible parents, and don't raise there kids properly..and it goes on.

You can get a good education at a bad school, but a school can't teach a bad "student".

Now can somebody please tell me what the fuck is wrong with this country when 1/3 of the people in our fucking capital are illiterate? And 1/5 of the fucking country is illiterate!? That's like 60,000,000 fucking people! What the hell is wrong with this country!?

I really need to go someplace quiet to calm down now....:headbang:

thank you public schools and nutcase political correctness (ie you can't give a kid a bad grade because he might feel offended/inferior etc...)

I bet no one who went to private school is illiterate.

and for some reason, democrats oppose school vouchers.

DC spends more per student than the county I live in.

My county is one of the top ten in the country. DC is at the bottom. Go figure.

Spending money isn't the answer. Fucked up parents and fucked up teachers and fucked up government can blow that money.

You're quite right. Gordon "bellend" Brown has spent profligately upon the NHS, and has simply made it a soulless, inefficient monstrosity.

You're quite right. Gordon "bellend" Brown has spent profligately upon the NHS, and has simply made it a soulless, inefficient monstrosity.

I love the accounting system your NHS has. They only have to make the books balance from day to day - borrowing against future days to make up for today's shortfall.

I love the accounting system your NHS has. They only have to make the books balance from day to day - borrowing against future days to make up for today's shortfall.

I'm glad you can find the NHS so amusing....:)

Try living with the bloody thing, being a burden on every government since 1945.

I'm glad you can find the NHS so amusing....:)

Try living with the bloody thing, being a burden on every government since 1945.

Ah, but over here, Hillary says it's the best thing since sliced bread and the microwave oven!:rolleyes:

I'm glad you can find the NHS so amusing....:)

Try living with the bloody thing, being a burden on every government since 1945.
You know, some of have had our encounter with universal health care. Don't know about Eve, but my family had to suffer trips to the Navy hospital while I was on active duty. They would sit there for hours, while everyone and their brother would come in for coughs, colds, conjunctivitis, and the like. Only a major injury, lots of blood, or a friendly nurse(corpsman) could get you moved up a little.

Most people here, in the U.S., don't realize that when they ask for universal health care, they're going to get just what is being investigated at Walter Reed, right now.

Ah, but over here, Hillary says it's the best thing since sliced bread and the microwave oven!:rolleyes:

In theory it's a good thing. That way your bank account doesn't dictate if you can see a doctor or not. In practice it still has kinks that need to be worked out, but it's better than a pay-as-you-go system.

It does explain how the patriot act got passed, though.

You know, some of have had our encounter with universal health care. Don't know about Eve, but my family had to suffer trips to the Navy hospital while I was on active duty. They would sit there for hours, while everyone and their brother would come in for coughs, colds, conjunctivitis, and the like. Only a major injury, lots of blood, or a friendly nurse(corpsman) could get you moved up a little.

Most people here, in the U.S., don't realize that when they ask for universal health care, they're going to get just what is being investigated at Walter Reed, right now.

Speaking of Walter Reed, I've known it was fucked up since the early 1990s, when I went there for some simple care.

The formulary they use at their pharmacy is ancient - no modern medicine there, because "the old ones cost less".

And one of the ortho surgeons told me, "if you want to see socialized medicine in action, this is it."

I wasn't surprised when I saw the report about the fucked up conditions there.

No one should have been surprised - it's been like that for over a decade.

Yeah? well its higher than the literacy rate in Zambia. advantage=US.

In theory it's a good thing. That way your bank account doesn't dictate if you can see a doctor or not. In practice it still has kinks that need to be worked out, but it's better than a pay-as-you-go system.
Damned if I haven't heard that song about Communism, too. I've heard the 'few more kinks' refrain, as well applied to education and medicare/medicaid. Just add a few more dollars and everything will be great. That's fine until it is clear that the first few more dollars didn't do the trick, now we need a few more and a few more. It really never ends. That's why we don't want the government to do anything but butt out of health care. Fix Medicare/Medicaid so that a real safety net exists, but don't ruin what works for the rest of us.

Yeah? well its higher than the literacy rate in Zambia. advantage=US.
Yeah, but Zambia is a piece of shit....

Damned if I haven't heard that song about Communism, too. I've heard the 'few more kinks' refrain, as well applied to education and medicare/medicaid. Just add a few more dollars and everything will be great. That's fine until it is clear that the first few more dollars didn't do the trick, now we need a few more and a few more. It really never ends. That's why we don't want the government to do anything but butt out of health care. Fix Medicare/Medicaid so that a real safety net exists, but don't ruin what works for the rest of us.

You mean what works for the upper middle class. I don't know about you, but I don't certainly like being without health care because my family nor myself cannot afford. I'm royaly screwed if i have to go to the doc anytime soon.

edit: misread post.

Yeah, but Zambia is a piece of shit....

My point still stands.

Pathetic, yes ---> http://www.scribd.com/doc/5107/They-didnt-study

Roflcopter!

You mean what works for the upper middle class. I don't know about you, but I don't certainly like being without health care because my family nor myself cannot afford. I'm royaly screwed if i have to go to the doc anytime soon.
Most counts put the number not covered by a health care plan at about 40 million. That's a minority, no matter where you learned math. That means about 260 million do have a health care plan. I clearly said we need a safety net, not an overhaul. Don't demagogue me about health care.

I'm glad you can find the NHS so amusing....:)

Try living with the bloody thing, being a burden on every government since 1945.
Better make it work than abolish it. There isn't a single country with universal healthcare that runs it like like we do, and I'm positive there are good examples abroad that could be implemented in the UK.

Cuba has a higher literacy rate. America needs communism.

Cuba has a higher literacy rate. America needs communism.
But Melton Mowbray has a higher literacy rate. Therefore America needs Melton Mowbray's famous pork pies?

http://www.formanandfield.com/images/categories/f3020_lg.jpg

But Melton Mowbray has a higher literacy rate. Therefore America needs Melton Mowbray's famous pork pies?

http://www.formanandfield.com/images/categories/f3020_lg.jpg

Yes. And we will divide them equally among the people.

Most counts put the number not covered by a health care plan at about 40 million. That's a minority, no matter where you learned math. That means about 260 million do have a health care plan. I clearly said we need a safety net, not an overhaul. Don't demagogue me about health care.

260 do have a health care plan, but what does that all cover? Dental? Eye care? or just the most basic of stuff? and just because 40 million is a minority doesn't mean that they shouldn't be taken care of. 40 million is the population size of a medium sized country. Could you imagine all of the people of france ( I think they are around 40 million, i could be wrong) being with out health care?

260 do have a health care plan, but what does that all cover? Dental? Eye care? or just the most basic of stuff? and just because 40 million is a minority doesn't mean that they shouldn't be taken care of. 40 million is the population size of a medium sized country. Could you imagine all of the people of france ( I think they are around 40 million, i could be wrong) being with out health care?
Y'all are dense this day, aren't you? Do the words "fix what's wrong" mean anything to you?

Most counts put the number not covered by a health care plan at about 40 million. That's a minority, no matter where you learned math. That means about 260 million do have a health care plan. I clearly said we need a safety net, not an overhaul. Don't demagogue me about health care.

Ah, 40 million people...that's like...not much, really. It's not even 50 million or anything.

Oh dear, I think I am functionally illiterate:

*reading bus schedules: okay, i have no problems with that
* reading maps: I normally fail here due to their size (or lack of)
* filling out job applications: I always ask for help here. While I can formulate the letters, I am terribly unsure about the quality of the formulations.

So, I fail 2 of 3 listed criteria. Does that mean I am functionally illiterate despite the fact that I enjoy reading books (in both German and English)?

Y'all are dense this day, aren't you? Do the words "fix what's wrong" mean anything to you?

Y'see, the way you say this...it's strange...it's as though you try to imply there's nothing wrong with 40 million people being without coverage. Now, that's silly. That's obviously not what you're implying.

I think the blame lies here. I think in areas like D.C., where you have overwhelmingly poor Blacks residents....the parents are just terrible parents, and don't raise there kids properly..and it goes on.

You can get a good education at a bad school, but a school can't teach a bad "student".

Everyone is always blaming parents for everything. Blame Marilyn Manson for once! :headbang:

You keep voting illiterate people into government office, who then employ other illiterates it would seem.

Washingtonites, (IIRC), have no say in Federal government. That's one of the reasons why the District of Columbia is such a sinkhole.

It does explain how the patriot act got passed, though.

Explains why no one's approval rating can drop below 20%. Hitler would get 20%.

Washingtonites, (IIRC), have no say in Federal government. That's one of the reasons why the District of Columbia is such a sinkhole.

Local school quality has little or nothing to do with the Federal Government, contrary to popular opinion.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070319/ap_on_re_us/adult_literacy
Study finds one-third in D.C. illiterate
WASHINGTON - About one-third of the people living in the national's capital are functionally illiterate, compared with about one-fifth nationally, according to a report on the District of Columbia.


Adults are considered functionally illiterate if they have trouble doing such things as comprehending bus schedules, reading maps and filling out job applications.

The study by the State Education Agency, a quasi-governmental office created by the U.S. Department of Education to distribute federal funds for literacy services, was ordered by Mayor Anthony A. Williams in 2003 as part of his four-year, $4 million adult literacy initiative.

The growing number of Hispanic and Ethiopian immigrants who aren't proficient in English contributed to the city's high functional illiteracy level, which translated to 170,000 people, said Connie Spinner, director of the State Education Agency. The report says the district's functional illiteracy rate is 36 percent and the nation's 21 percent.

Adults age 65 and older had the lowest literacy score of any group, the report found.

The District of Columbia Chamber of Commerce, which contributed to the report, said the city lost up to $107 million in taxes annually between 2000 and 2005 because of a lack of qualified job applicants.
:eek:
Now can somebody please tell me what the fuck is wrong with this country when 1/3 of the people in our fucking capital are illiterate? And 1/5 of the fucking country is illiterate!? That's like 60,000,000 fucking people! What the hell is wrong with this country!?

I really need to go someplace quiet to calm down now....:headbang:

What's wrong with this country? SUpport structure. There simply is no opportunity for poorer older adults to take classes to learn how to read or write English. Even if the local adult education has classes available for little or no cost, there are only so many hours in the day, and the people who would benefit most from these courses often work at least one full-time job AND have children to care for. Worst of all, there are certain aspects of corporate and evn politcal America that LIKES it that way. After all, who else is Wal-Mart going to hire? They can't afford me. :p

The problem, as I see it, is that inner city minority culture creates an atmosphere actively against learning. I went to an elementary school 90-95 percent black and hispanic, with the vast majority of them coming from very poor families. They are taught from a young age to distrust and beware of white, powerful people. Many of the black people who I have encountered are convinced that most white people look down on blacks and actively try to suppress them. Alot of the kids made fun of people who got good grades, or didn't talk "ghetto", for being too "white", or an "oreo". A traitor to the rest of them. Many of the children come from single parent homes where the mother is too busy or has too many kids to give any attention them, with the only discipline coming in the form of sporadic beatings. The successful male role models in the children's lives, if they exist at all, are primarily drug dealers and criminals or live off welfare. The only celebreties that they can relate too are rappers who have "street cred" and act uneducated. There wasn't one male teacher at my elementary school. My elementary school wasn't too bad, compared to how it used to be, because it had just hired a brand new, very good principal, but many of the teachers really didn't care about the education of the students. When I got into a really good high school in 7th grade (it's a 7-12 high school), I found that I learned nothing compared to kids from other neighborhoods and better schools. I was the first person in 17 years to get into my high school from my elementary school, and I was not even the smartest person in my grade. There were plenty of kids just as bright and quick as I was, but they were never given any type of support from the school or from their families. A few of them got into decent high schools, but I know at least a few of my old friends went to the local, inner city high school for a few years, and dropped out, probably without any proper education. Many of them never even considered the possibility that they might live a different life than what they saw around them. The ESL program, which taught around a quarter of the kids at my school, was a joke.

There somehow needs to be a change in the overall atmosphere of the lives of inner city minority children. They need to learn that being educated isn't going to make them "white". They need to have exposure to a better life, so they have something to work towards. The boys need succesful, decent male role models. They really, really need dedicated teachers.

And thats my little rant.

functionally illiterate =/= illiterate.

Better make it work than abolish it. There isn't a single country with universal healthcare that runs it like like we do, and I'm positive there are good examples abroad that could be implemented in the UK.

Yeah, like any country that privatised it.

Yes. And we will divide them equally among the people.
But only among the literate. Then soon everyone will be literate!

Cuba has a higher literacy rate. America needs communism.

QFT.

The fact is, a regime that the US has called impoverished has managed to out do the US in healthcare, social support, education and numerous other areas. Despite being excluded from US markets.

People should know that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is not an ethical/moral or political goal, it is an economic goal. The US was founded on the back of the selfishness of a few greedy tax evasionists. This is why the disproportionality of wealth between the upper and lower classes will only widen and sharpen further into the future. US economic imperialism is therefore a threat to education.

QFT.

wow.

QFT.

The fact is, a regime that the US has called impoverished has managed to out do the US in healthcare, social support, education and numerous other areas. Despite being excluded from US markets.

People should know that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is not an ethical/moral or political goal, it is an economic goal. The US was founded on the back of the selfishness of a few greedy tax evasionists. This is why the disproportionality of wealth between the upper and lower classes will only widen and sharpen further into the future. US economic imperialism is therefore a threat to education.

What bullshit.

What bullshit.

Thanks for your well thought out contribution to this thread.

In a case of high irony, I respond to everyone's complaints about the DC education system with the following, from the original post:


Adults age 65 and older had the lowest literacy score of any group, the report found.

If you want to make the best impact on improving functional literacy, you tackle the functional literacy among retirees, not students.

I can't believe four pages in that I'm the only one that noticed that . . .

Foreigners from what I read...and cheese maybe?

Bus schedules can be damn hard to read. I don't think that makes me functionally illiterate...

Thanks for your well thought out contribution to this thread.

To be fair, he's got a point. You made a leap in logic about the size of the Grand Canyon in that post. It'd be better if you went back and filled in the empty space.

Also, take into consideration that D.C. is extremely poor, extremely dangerous, and extremely Black.

However, there's still no excuse for 1/3 illiteracy and 1/5 in the country!You know, by that definition, I could be considered functionally illiterate. To be honest, I doubt other countries will have much lower figures. The complexity of German bureaucratic paperwork is rather confusing and plenty of people have trouble with it.

Before mandatory schooling, the literacy rate was 98%. The solution is obvious.

Bus schedules can be damn hard to read. I don't think that makes me functionally illiterate...I still don't understand the Charlottesville Transit Service schedules, actually...

My county is one of the top ten in the country. Go figure
It must be the Deep Kimchi connection? :D

functionally illiterate =/= illiterate.

Exactly. The literacy rate is still 99% using the international standard listed in almanacs. With our demographics, it's not surprising a good number have trouble understanding certain documents.

Before mandatory schooling, the literacy rate was 98%. The solution is obvious.
IIRC, that high literacy rate was due to Blacks and Indians (Women in some areas as well) not being counted as people.

What bullshit.
Indeed.

Now can somebody please tell me what the fuck is wrong with this country when 1/3 of the people in our fucking capital are illiterate? And 1/5 of the fucking country is illiterate!? That's like 60,000,000 fucking people! What the hell is wrong with this country!?

I really need to go someplace quiet to calm down now....:headbang:
This is not entirely surprising, considering that of 18 OECD countries, the US ranks 17th in poverty (15.4% of the population).

Perhaps more money should be spent on books and ballpoints rather then bombs and bullets??????

Can you imagine how many ballpoint pens you could buy for a single bunker-buster? You could give every hobo in America 200 pens. ;)

This is not entirely surprising, considering that of 18 OECD countries, the US ranks 17th in poverty (15.4% of the population).

I think it's only 12.6%, isn't it? Even so, it's still pretty high and income inequality's still a significant problem.

Perhaps more money should be spent on books and ballpoints rather then bombs and bullets??????

We actually have the highest per-capita education spending in the world; I think the problem isn't so much the amount we spend as it is other problems that make the school environment worse to begin with.

I mean, money is meaningless if it's not translating in to results or is being offset by other problems.

I think it's only 12.6%, isn't it? Even so, it's still pretty high and income inequality's still a significant problem.
I got the figures from this resource:

http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/statistics/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_USA.html

We actually have the highest per-capita education spending in the world; I think the problem isn't so much the amount we spend as it is other problems that make the school environment worse to begin with.

I mean, money is meaningless if it's not translating in to results or is being offset by other problems.
Again, I think you might be wrong on your per capita claim?

Throwing money at something is one thing, making a passionate commitment to care out the program is another?

"Staying the course" in education might be more winnable then trying to get Iraqis to think about the benefits of western "democracy"?

Again, I think you might be wrong on your per capita claim?
Just thowing out some numbers:

In 2001 the TOTAL spending was:
1. US $500 billion
2. Japan $139 billion
3. Germany $89 billion
4. France $82 billion

In terms of persentage of GDP:
1. Saudi Arabia (Over 9%)
2. Norway
3. Malaysia
4. France
5. South Africa (All over 5%)
The US ranked 10th at 4.8%

In per capita:
1. Norway $2,850
2. US $1,780
3. France
4. The Neatherlands
5. Canada (all over $1,200)
http://www.oclc.org/reports/escan/economic/educationlibraryspending.htm

This kind of problem has too many things associated with it.

First, people get the idea that you can 'eliminate' poverty or similar things. You can't eliminate something that is based off an average quality of life in that society.

Second, the government causes these problems to worsen themselves, by making more and more laws to 'fix' society. All the law-happy idiots actually believe by creating restrictions, society will be better than it was before.

Third, the re-distribution of wealth (welfare) causes a lack of motivation in people, and overall decreased productivity in society. If someone else is working for you, taking the time to earn you money, why do you need to learn to read and write well?

As a side note - someone 'functionally illiterate' in the USA is still probably way more capable than almost all of the people in the same class in other countries.

Actually, no..don't be an idiot. They government officials, though stupid, are literate and anyone they employ *is* literate. Please, lets stick to the topic at hand and not flame the American goverment officials and talk about their intelligence at any chance you get, which, by the way, has NOTHING to do with my thread.

So, shhhhh. Thanks.

Hon, your own article mentions the very problem. There's a literacy problem, for a city of 5.8 million (according to wiki), that is planning to spend 4 million over 4 years on a literacy program.
Having worked in libraries in Germany and Canada and having come into contact with several literacy programs over the years, that amount is spent by an average medium-sized (between 700 000 and 1 million) German city in half the time.
If you keep chronically underfunding vital projects like this, don't be surprised if the results are practially nil.

IIRC, that high literacy rate was due to Blacks and Indians (Women in some areas as well) not being counted as people.

Way to pwn guy.

This kind of problem has too many things associated with it.

First, people get the idea that you can 'eliminate' poverty or similar things. You can't eliminate something that is based off an average quality of life in that society.

Second, the government causes these problems to worsen themselves, by making more and more laws to 'fix' society. All the law-happy idiots actually believe by creating restrictions, society will be better than it was before.

Third, the re-distribution of wealth (welfare) causes a lack of motivation in people, and overall decreased productivity in society. If someone else is working for you, taking the time to earn you money, why do you need to learn to read and write well?

As a side note - someone 'functionally illiterate' in the USA is still probably way more capable than almost all of the people in the same class in other countries.

Yep, cause German functional illiterates are all a bunch of unmotivated welfare dependents. :rolleyes:
The people I worked with were all either in employment or even owning their own businesses (mostly in rural areas). They did well enough in life, they just weren't what you would call "qualified workforce", and the people with their own businesses were mostly just fed up with having to pay someone to fill in their tax forms for them.

Word of advise : Get some facts before posting nonsense like this.

I got the figures from this resource:

http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/statistics/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_USA.html

It's a slightly different index. My number is actual material poverty in terms of income, while that one measures other important aspects like social exclusion, income inequality, education and so on.

Different measurements of the same problem.

Again, I think you might be wrong on your per capita claim?

I'm including public as well as private spending on education. Public spending is somewhere in the middle of the developed world. It's a little more accurate because private education does make a significant contribution in our system.

Throwing money at something is one thing, making a passionate commitment to care out the program is another?

"Staying the course" in education might be more winnable then trying to get Iraqis to think about the benefits of western "democracy"?[/QUOTE]

Oh, it definitely will. It would be absurd to cut education funding for any reason, because we do know that cuts in funding have immediate negative effects even if increases don't.

I think it's only 12.6%, isn't it? Even so, it's still pretty high and income inequality's still a significant problem.

THE significant problem.

The economically marginalized tend to be politically marginalized, and public services for the politically marginalized will always be awful.

public school system, outcome based education, social promotion, apathy, etc.

you know I know kids who don't have books at home....let that sink in for a minute, they don't have books, any books. pathetic isn't it.
thank you public schools and nutcase political correctness (ie you can't give a kid a bad grade because he might feel offended/inferior etc...)

I bet no one who went to private school is illiterate.

and for some reason, democrats oppose school vouchers.
Blaming public schooling is ridiculous. Public schools are so common they are not at all noteworthy. For a modern, industrialised, '1st world' area to have a 30% illiteracy rate is sufficiently uncommon to be noteworthy. Surely you can see that if X is exceedingly common, and Y is exceedingly rare, X cannot be a sufficient cause of Y.

Third, the re-distribution of wealth (welfare) causes a lack of motivation in people, and overall decreased productivity in society. If someone else is working for you, taking the time to earn you money, why do you need to learn to read and write well?
I call BS. Plenty of nations redistribute at a greater rate than the US, yet have better literacy rates.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070319/ap_on_re_us/adult_literacy
Study finds one-third in D.C. illiterate

Now can somebody please tell me what the fuck is wrong with this country when 1/3 of the people in our fucking capital are illiterate? And 1/5 of the fucking country is illiterate!? That's like 60,000,000 fucking people! What the hell is wrong with this country!?

I really need to go someplace quiet to calm down now....:headbang:



Where did they get the study?

The US has a 97% literacy rate.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070319/ap_on_re_us/adult_literacy
-snippage-
The growing number of Hispanic and Ethiopian immigrants who aren't proficient in English contributed to the city's high functional illiteracy level, which translated to 170,000 people, said Connie Spinner, director of the State Education Agency. The report says the district's functional illiteracy rate is 36 percent and the nation's 21 percent.

Now can somebody please tell me what the fuck is wrong with this country when 1/3 of the people in our fucking capital are illiterate? And 1/5 of the fucking country is illiterate!? That's like 60,000,000 fucking people! What the hell is wrong with this country!?

I really need to go someplace quiet to calm down now....:headbang:
Immigrants, it's always the immigrants!

Where did they get the study?

The US has a 97% literacy rate.

It isn't a study on literacy. It's on functional illiteracy. There's a huge big difference. And where's the study that concludes that 97% of USAmericans are literate?

I apologize, Cabra. It's 99% of Americans that are literate.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/edu_lit_tot_pop-education-literacy-total-population


Also, what is 'functional illiteracy', who gets to decide it, and what methodology did that study use? Who did the study? And if we don't know, why should we care?