We need a grass roots campaign targeted towards parents to have books around the house. Reading times where TV is turned off and kids are reading. The parents can read what ever they want, the newspaper, a novel, picture book, magazine, perhaps mix it up a little something different each night. With plenty of reading material around the house. There should be public service announcements in the Media and the Media should also be involved along with the TV and Movie industry.

There should be consideration also from entertainers. Sports people, leadership in government. Carrying books around with them to and from an interview, etc. Show kids that reading is important and part of what is not only expected but how you do things in this life.

Usually when you meet someone who is smart and has it together they are readers and they are readers because their parents were too and their parents, the grandparents also. You see, reading starts at home, with a desire and understanding. Kids emulate what they see and if they see parents and friends parents reading, that is what they will do. On TV sit coms, the people should be seen holding and reading books, discussing topics in the book as part of the act and there should be book shelves on the set too. DVD and Big Screen Movies too. Talk shows should have books behind them in the background. Think what a large statement, which can be made in such a non-obtrusive, subliminal way.

When discussing this with teachers who have gone to the parent's houses for parent meetings, they have told me that the smartest and best readers of their classes were those kids whose parents had books around the house. My parents had books around the house, did yours? How did this affect you? I guess we shouldn't be surprised about this at all should we?

If parents are going to take the kids out for snacks, why not a Barnes and Noble or Borders Book Store? Parents should have books in the car too. So when they drop the kids off or have to wait for them returning from various activities that they drive them around in their SUVs then the kids and their friends will see them reading, this is a very good thing.

We must plead to the parents, we need their help. We need continued passion from the top of the food chain leadership and PR teams working on inexpensive simple ways to touch home with America on this issue. Let's talk to America about reading.

Encourage kids to read and the kids will encourage the parents to read and we can raise the literacy rates 30% in a single decade. It can be done and it ought to be a continued focus to do so.

We know from reading that many of the outstanding super star achievers of our time were big time readers. Remember the story of Bill Gate's who read the entire encyclopedia in grade school? Think of it, when we get everyone back reading again how many new innovations will propel this country to greater heights>? We will not have to worry about the up and coming generation when it is their turn to take control of the wheel. A little extra effort now, will change the world for the better in the next period. We can make it so.

Much work has been done and more must be done as this is so very vital to the future of America.

http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=1951767

http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2001/01-070.html

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/20...20040512-8.html

After which time all the name calling is done in the newspapers during this election season and thank god so many people cannot read yet as we often are our own worst enemies carrying on like this, we all need to bury the hachet and support reading and help the First Lady in her continued efforts to put books back in front of Americans again. We must all be committed to this program and all reach out to our children and all Americans to boost the literacy rates. This maybe the single most important thing we do for the future of our nation. Without strong academics and it all starts with reading we will see our job base erode away to other lands where they take things more seriously. The future workforce of America will need to be smarter than ever before and I believe we are up for the challenge, now is the time to act.

By bringing the literacy rates, grades, expectations, I.Q.'s and awareness up, we can keep the prison population, unemployment rates and crime stats down. Surely you must agree that this is by far one of the most worthy endeavors of our present period. One, which is worth every Americans time to pursue indeed.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs