[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 84 (Tuesday, June 17, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1233-E1234]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            STATEMENT BY SARAH WACHTEL REGARDING ILLITERACY

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                          HON. BERNARD SANDERS

                               of vermont

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 17, 1997

  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of my colleagues I would 
like to have printed in the Record this statement by a high school 
student from Vermont, who was speaking at my recent town meeting on 
issues facing young people.

       Ms. Wachtel. Two years ago an elderly New York City woman 
     almost died. Why? She ingested too much medication because 
     she could not read the prescription label on the bottle. This 
     woman is not in the minority. One-quarter of the world's 
     population, 905 million people, cannot read. One in five 
     American adults is functionally illiterate and 44 percent of 
     American adults do not read even one book in the course of a 
     year.
       Statistics clearly show that illiteracy is on the increase 
     and that fewer than ten percent of those in need are being 
     reached. in 1985 Proctor and Gamble spent more on advertising 
     than the U.S. Government spent on adult basic education.
       The truth is by cutting funding for literacy programs we 
     are threatening the future of our nation. The cost of 
     illiteracy to business and the taxpayer is estimated at 20 
     billion dollars per year.
       President Clinton has made literacy a priority with his 
     America Reads initiative. He says such efforts will help us 
     to reach a critical goal, that every American child will be 
     able to read on his or her own by the third grade, but there 
     are large numbers of people who cannot even read to their own 
     children.
       Public awareness is key. Parents must realize the 
     importance of education and of literacy. They must know they 
     are their child's first teacher. Illiteracy is a very quite 
     problem which needs attention.
       Illiteracy plagues rural areas, not only urban ones. 
     Literacy programs are needed not just in cities but all 
     across the country. Programs for employees can be installed 
     at large corporations. The library system must

[[Page E1234]]

     be supported. It encourages and provides great opportunities 
     for education.
       As President Clinton said, literacy is more than reading. 
     It is about opportunity and giving people the tools they need 
     to make the most of their potential. Literacy is one things 
     that can never be taken away. It determines the future of us, 
     our nation, our world.
       This is necessary not only because it's literacy but 
     because we need literacy to understand all the problems that 
     we face today, and without an understanding, we have no way 
     of solving them.

                               

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