It is almost an unquestioned assumption, of educational theory and practice both, that the first three years of a child's school-life shall be mainly taken up with learning to read and write his own language. ... It does not follow, however, that because this course was once wise it is so any longer. ... The plea for the predominance of learning to read in early school life because of the great importance attaching to literature seems to me a perversion.--John Dewey (1898)
John Dewey also said that a literate population is more difficult to control.
Whole Language has served very well in this area. The juvenile detention centers and jails are full of illiterates. Larger and larger segments of the population are dependent on the government because they are illiterate.
Whole Language has also provided many, many extra jobs for teachers. The method creates the problem and then the system hires more people to "correct" it.
I have followed this in Canada for years. I assume the same is going on down there.
Patton didn't learn to read until he was 14.