Fiscally it may not be easy, but what sort of message do we send when we essentially give up on a class of people?
I think it a sad day when we even have to debate a topic such as this: how can it not be the job of the government to try and aid the margainilized and less fortunate in our society?
There was a time when an illiterate adult could find a job in a factory or as a janitor, usually because their parents or neighbours would secure the job for them. That's not the case anymore. People need basic literacy to apply for any job, no matter how menial, and if they are going to participate in a technological society on anything like an equal level, they need more than basic literacy.
It's in the best interests of the government to help people get fulfilling jobs that pay the bills, and literacy is an important part of that. I'd be interested to see figures on what percentage of welfare recipients were considered functionally illiterate; I would not be surprised to find it is double or triple the percentage of the population as a whole.
So am I. You accuse him of a vicious crime without a shred of proof - cast about the most henious accusations without evidence - merely to amuse yourself. That is unacceptable, it is slander and it has no place in this dicussion.
Is it the government's responsibility to help functionally illiterate adults?
I wouldn't say it was their responsibility, but it is certainly in the gov't's best interests to help them become independent and productive in our society.
I just find the statistics shocking. One in seven adults can't read? That's pretty high numbers.
As far as the topic title "children vs adults" - all of the illiterate adults started as illiterate children. We should be having a prevention strategy that is stronger *as well as* targeting the adults in society now, imo.
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Fiscally it may not be easy, but what sort of message do we send when we essentially give up on a class of people?
I think it a sad day when we even have to debate a topic such as this: how can it not be the job of the government to try and aid the margainilized and less fortunate in our society?
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With the risk of sounding melodramatic, this is as close to 'too bad so sad' as we can get as a country.
Remind me again how illiterate adults help their children learn how to read?
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It's in the best interests of the government to help people get fulfilling jobs that pay the bills, and literacy is an important part of that. I'd be interested to see figures on what percentage of welfare recipients were considered functionally illiterate; I would not be surprised to find it is double or triple the percentage of the population as a whole.
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I wouldn't say it was their responsibility, but it is certainly in the gov't's best interests to help them become independent and productive in our society.
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As far as the topic title "children vs adults" - all of the illiterate adults started as illiterate children. We should be having a prevention strategy that is stronger *as well as* targeting the adults in society now, imo.
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I think I titled the post the way I did because the Harper government has literally pitted children and adults against each other.
'You're worthy. You're not.'
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