[geeks] geeks Digest, Vol 86, Issue 11

[Jonathan Patschke]

On Wed, 20 Jan 2010, Dr. Robert Pasken 300a wrote:

>> Or how about let people keep the money they earn and spend it educating
>> their children as they see fit?  Money doesn't have to go through
>> nearly as many politically-connected hands that way.
>> 
> And then we would end up with the majority of the population unable to
> read or write. The libertarian/free-market philosophy has been shown
> over and over and over again to be a total disaster

Has it?  Would you please cite examples?

Only 20% of US adults were illiterate in 1870[0], prior to most states
funding their schools with taxation, and certainly prior to any large
percentage of the population passing through school in the states that
did[1].  That's nowhere near a majority.  Also in 1870, the US was a far
more agrarian society--many people simply didn't have a daily need to read
and write.  There are market incentives for people to develop some degree
of literacy in the 21st century.

Not that the school system has done much better.  In 1983[2], the Department
of Education noted that 23 million US workers were functionally illiterate
(ie: no reading comprehension or notable writing skills).

Even in 2003, 14% of adults living in the US are functionally
illiterate[3].  These are people who, yes, can sound out words, but have
no real proficiency in reading comprehension or written communication.

In 130 years, we've gone from 20% of adults claiming they can't read or
write to 14% of adults who, according to the Department of Education's own
numbers can just barely read or write.  This isn't a disaster in and of
itself?  Thanks, but if that's the best we can do, I'd rather the
government stop stealing from people.


[0] http://nces.ed.gov/naal/lit_history.asp
[1] Massachusetts started that in, what, 1854?
[2] http://www.ed.gov/pubs/NatAtRisk/risk.html
[3] http://nces.ed.gov/naal/kf_demographics.asp
-- 
Jonathan Patschke  ) "Science is what we understand well enough to explain
Elgin, TX         (   to a computer.  Art is everything else we do."
USA                )                                    --Dr. Donald Knuth