Tom Scarritt (no, not that Tom Skerritt) talks about Creating lifelong readers:

If you are reading this col­umn, chances are you are more successful than the average person, more involved in your community and less likely to be in prison.

That is not because of anything I have written. It is because you have chosen to read.

A new study by the Na­tional Endowment for the Arts suggests that reading transforms lives. "Regular reading not only boosts the likelihood of an individual's academic and economic success -- facts that are not especially surprising -- but it also seems to awaken a person's social and civic sense," wrote Dana Gioia, chairman of the NEA.

While correlation is not the same as cause and ef­fect, it is clear from the new report, "To Read or Not To Read," that all kinds of posi­tive measures go along with voluntary reading. Those who cannot read, or choose not to read, do not fare so well.

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It still amazes me that some people don’t read at least something each day. I would think it obvious that reading more stimulates the mind and creates a greater sense of civic responsibility. Even so, Americans are spending less time reading and more time staring at the tube. Damn you Reality TV!

Nothing more to say really, I just liked Scarritt’s commentary.