https://literacyinc.com/about-us/

15% of the United States population has specific reading disorders.
46% of American adults cannot understand the labels on their pharmaceutical prescriptions.
56% of young people claim they read fewer than 10 books a year.
50% of U.S. adults are unable to read an eighth grade level book.
33% of U.S. high school graduates never read a book after high school.
80% of U.S. families have not purchased a book this year.
50% of books started are never read to completion.
70% of adults have not been in a bookstore in the past five years.
15% of U.S. students are dyslexic.

These stats are sad.

system" in this country has been deliberately, intentionlly, dumbing it down since at least since the 1960's, when I became aware of it. In second grade, I was put in an 8th grade reading class, much to the annoyance of said 8th graders. I have been a bit behind on my reading. .only about 60 books since Jan 1. .some days I just watched movies because I really had to take a break.

Does that article talk about library use, and the threat to public libraries?

because every book I checked out smelled so strongly of cigarette smoke that I couldn't stand even touching them.

....the first thing I did was pick up a local newspaper to see the headline: "Litracy Council Meeting Thursday" (sic) .

Edit to add: That isn't a joke, it actually happened, I wish I saved that paper.

Many years ago, my father was laughing after going to a parent teachers meeting where my brother's teacher talked about teaching, and this was pronunciation, not spelling, "enagy" to the children. 😹 My mother tried to stop him from laughing too much while they were there. * Actually now remembered she also wrote it on the black board as enegy!!!

She later became engaged to the gym teacher whose main concern was that all students wear white socks and sneakers etc. A real fascist type. I think it was the teacher above who sent my brother, easily the brightest child in the school, out in the hallway to clean the walls because she didn't like something he said.

I know lots of college graduates who are insufferable Trump supporters.

Stop blaming schools for parental upbringing and for many having a certain religious outlook.

Tired of the school-bashing b.s.

...not about the U.S. education system in general.

If you know college graduates who voted for trump, you should see the problem right there.

Nothing is absolute. I have a cousin who went to college to be a history teacher he voted for trump.
Just an observation of the abysmal literacy rate of the US. Should we pretend it does not exist?

People that do not read are getting all their information from audio or video. Which on average skims the surface of the subject or is outright propaganda.

Generally we want to come out no higher than seventh grade, as most people can comfortably read that high, but no higher. This means leaving out the "fancy" words and using less-complex sentence structure.

Even those with high education levels tend to not read that well. Sad commentary on the world, isn't it?