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Sorry, I simply don't buy it. You can argue until you are blue in the face, but we see through most of your silly and illogical arguments.

You began by suggesting that we revise the spelling system to help dyslexics. That didn't fly. Now you are trying to suggest that illiterate thugs got that way as the result of our spelling system. Our spelling system is responsible for all our social problems. Bull. It isn't that simple, unless you have blinders on and the argument, however illogical it may be, helps to promote your pet cause.

But it won't. Kids aren't learning for much deeper reasons than our spelling system and most know this. We all have the same spelling, but we don't all suffer from it's detrimental effects. Illiteracy is a basic social and cultural problem - not one resulting from a poor spelling system. Some kids choose not to learn. Changing the spelling system will not alter that fact. Changing things that affect their attitude and belief system might.

Your NEW argument doesn't wash any more than your last one.

Actually, I somehow feel like I am arguing with a troll. Is that the case? Did I fall victim to a troll? Sheesh, it almost feels like it b/c certainly no serious person could be advancing the silly ideas that you are floating.

You write "You began by suggesting that we revise the spelling system to help dyslexics. That didn't fly. Now you are trying to suggest that illiterate thugs got that way as the result of our spelling system. Our spelling system is responsible for all our social problems. Bull. It isn't that simple, unless you have blinders on and the argument, however illogical it may be, helps to promote your pet cause."

I originally wrote, in my very first post:

"Illiteracy often leads to poverty, desperation and crime. The USA has 2.1 million prisoners behind bars, the highest incarceration rate in the whole world. Is this due to spelling and illiteracy? Well, 60% of our prisoners are illiterate -- judge for yourself."

So while I may be expanding on those arguments I am not switching arguments. And I do not claim our spelling is responsible for all social problems, but that it increases illiteracy -- it about doubles it -- and illiteracy increases social problems. This is not new with me, it's generally known, it's an axiom, almost a cliche. Practically everyone who has ever been in a jail remarks on the prevalence of illiteracy. A US Supreme Court Chief Justice wrote "The percentage of inmates in all penal institutions who cannot read or write is staggering... The figures on literacy alone are enough to make one wish that every sentence imposed could include a provision that would grant release when the prisoner had learned to read and write."

But of course that was Warren Burger and since he was a liberal I guess you won't accept that he knew anything about criminology, even though he was Chief Justice. Sigh. There must be *some* way to convince you. Hold on while I look for a quote from Gabriel. Or maybe Attila :-)