Food for Thought: What's Really Scary About America

Do you sometimes wonder why Americans, as a group, come up with such stupid ideas about themselves and the world they live in? Here's the reason: Americans are amazingly uneducated.

One in 20 adult Americans can't read a newspaper or a prescription label. That's the result of a new federal survey - the first comprehensive look at literacy since 1992. Recent immigrants are responsible for the bulk of those 11 million illiterates, but dismally educated "inner city" people are also a significant factor.

The illiteracy rate in the U.S. is disturbing. But the semi-literacy rate is even worse. That same survey indicated that 87% of Americans can't compare the viewpoints of two editorials or interpret a table showing the relationship between blood pressure, age, and physical activity. Only about one in two Americans can "look at a heating bill and figure out that a 5-cent-per-gallon deduction on a purchase of 140 gallons of oil would yield $7," reported USA Today.

"It's a stark snapshot," admits Dale Lipschultz, the president of the National Coalition for Literacy. "A more literate America would be more competitive and prosperous."

- Michael Masterson