From 1942 to 1944, 18 million men were tested on basic literacy to enter military service. 17,280,000 were judged to have minimum competency to read basic roads signs and directions. This is a 96 percent literacy rate (and a drop off of 2% of WWI applicants). These men were educated in the 1930s

From 1951, for the Korean war, several million more were tested and 600,000 failed basic literacy tests. The basic literacy rate had dropped to 81%. These men were educated in the 1940s, and had more years in school with more professionally trained personnel and more scientifically selected textbooks than the WWII men, yet it could not read, write, count, speak, or think as well as the earlier, less-schooled contingent.

From the mid 1960s to 1973, more men were tested for military service. The basic literacy rate was down to 73%. These men were educated in the 1950s and 1960s, an era when Public schooling was expanding rapidly and expenses on government education was increasing exponentially.

The more money we spend on education, the less literate we become. I know some who read here suggest that the "poor" won't get educated if there's not a public education system. I would suggest that NO ONE is getting educated since there is a public education system, and somehow we all managed to learn A LOT more and were MUCH more educated before the government started public education.

Posted by: Ogre at 04:04 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 Amen to that Ogre. At the University I have taught at on a part time basis, some of the junior and senior students write and read less well than the members of my graduating class. In 1964, the education was much more solid than it is now and even more so when my dad was in school in the 30's. So your point is well taken, and factually true. Good post amigo. Now, about those Red Sox!

Posted by: GM Roper at October 22, 2007 04:43 PM (CglRh)

2 I think I'll have to pull for them in the series... I gotta support the AL East. But I'm telling you, public schools do NOT exist to educate! I have a hard time explaining that to people, but it's simply true. The more public schooling we have, the less learning and education we have.

Posted by: Ogre at October 22, 2007 04:48 PM (oifEm)

3 If our taxes weren't going to a public school, we could spend (SOME of) that money on our kids' private schooling. If there must be a public school (debatable), there should be an option to opt out.

Posted by: Lysol Pionex at October 22, 2007 05:37 PM (T/8Ac)

4 There is an option to opt out now -- but you have to keep paying into the horrible system -- because if you could opt out and take your money with you, the public system would fail VERY quickly -- which would be a good thing!

Posted by: Ogre at October 22, 2007 06:39 PM (oifEm)

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