Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Spend More To Pay Less?
States spend nearly a quarter of a billion dollars a year on remedial writing instruction for their employees, according to a new report that says the indirect costs of sloppy writing probably hurt taxpayers even more.I don't know quite what to make of this. Most people don't write very well. I am amazed when people tell me I do, I think of myself as very average in the writing department, but then I read and find out I am at least above average -- astonishing!
The National Commission on Writing, in a report to be released Tuesday, says that good writing skills are at least as important in the public sector as in private industry. Poor writing not only befuddles citizens but also slows down the government as bureaucrats struggle with unclear instructions or have to redo poorly written work.
But this is a government commission designed to find out what bad writing costs so they can squeeze more money out of congress to save the money lost to poor writing. Does anybody see a problem here? If you do, you are probably an above average writer.
