More than 20 percent of Alabamians reach adulthood without learning to read. These adults are functionally illiterate, meaning they cannot read a newspaper or complete a job application. More than 55 percent of adults in Alabama function at literacy levels inadequate to meet the demands of technical society. The literacy level of workers affects the state’s ability to retain and attract business and industry.
Nearly 90 percent of the students who take the college placement test to enter the community college where I teach are required to take remedial reading and math courses. Many of my students avoid answering short essay questions in exams. More than 62 percent of 10th graders are incompetent in reading. Seventy-five percent of small business owners report that many applicants for job openings do not have basic reading, writing and math skills.
Illiteracy contributes to poverty. The effects of illiteracy and poverty cost the state about $500 million a year in Aid to Families with Dependent Children and food stamps.
There is also a strong link between illiteracy and crime. The state supports over 30,000 prisoners costing over $300 million per year. The number of prisoners increases by 1,000 prisoners per year.
Educational achievement is the gateway to a better income and a better life. Even more importantly, literate parents can participate in their children’s education
To improve the economic and social conditions of its residents, the state of Alabama needs to encourage and support literacy and adult education programs. The state should develop an understanding and awareness of the existing local literacy programs such as The Literacy Council, Alabama Reading Initiative, and Alabama Reading Association. Nearly 72 percent of Americans don’t know the name of a local literacy organization. New initiatives should also be encouraged.
Salman Elawad
Phenix City
Think before voting
We will soon be electing a new state representative for our area. Although he ran unchallenged for most of his 17-year tenure, I believe Vance Smith did his best to represent his constituents fairly in the state legislature. And his young son, as well as all the other gentlemen running to fill Smith’s vacated seat, appear to be persons of good character.
But a political office is not a birthright. It should be earned, not inherited. It should go to the most qualified candidate, not necessarily the one with the most political connections or wealthy benefactors. Life experience should matter. Individual achievement should matter. These all factor heavily in understanding the many issues legislators must face. Consequently, now may be a good time to infuse a new surname into local politics.
The best candidate should have a healthy mix of experience, education and community involvement. Ideally that candidate should live, work, and worship centrally in the district in order to understand the pulse of his constituents and avoid favoring any one locality. He should be neither too old to consider new ideas nor too young to have any. Having children in the local public school system would be a plus. Experience in both the public and private sectors would be valuable.
Strongly advocating fiscal and personal responsibility, a candidate ought to understand that a limited government should be beholden to the individual citizen, not the other way around. He should have the maturity, experience and backbone to think independently about issues affecting his district, not allowing himself to become a pawn of heavy-handed special interests or influential power brokers.
I believe an objective analysis shows that the candidate who best meets the preceding criteria is Steve Earles.
Mark P. Smith
Pine Mountain
Heathen ritual
The pagan feast of Halloween is foreign to Christian tradition and has become a superstitious and empty way of imposing mindless triviality.
The day has its origin in the Celtic New Year which celebrated the return of the spirits of the dead to their homes. Hence, those who observe Halloween, though they are probably ignorant of what they are doing and why they are doing it, are in reality celebrating death, the devil and Hell.
The observance of Halloween is mixed with Christian festivities whose meanings are totally contrary to Halloween. On November 1, Christians celebrate belief in the communion of saints. On November 2, we make visits to the cemetery as a religious and profoundly human gesture, inspired by the hope in the resurrection.
I encouraged Christians to celebrate the Christians truths of these days with renewed faith as a response to the real concerns of mankind today. Also, as an alternative to Halloween I might suggest that parents not allow their children to go trick-or-treating, but instead attend costume parties where they can dress as Biblical figures.
Tim Storey
Columbus
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