Rant #1...if this post is too long, not many, if any, will read it.

Hello Friends!
Let me begin by saying that I think you're great. This being my first blog post in years, I feel like I should let you know right off the bat that even though you're great, you also may be offended at some of the things that I will say. I am nice sometimes but when I'm just typing whatever I want to type without knowing exactly who's going to read it, I will censor myself less. Now that you know that, I will begin my first rant...if I haven't already lost you.
Intelligence is so rare. I would like to know, and perhaps will keep track of someday, the exact number of times I get a perplexed/disappointed look on my face every single day from hearing and/or reading stupid comments. We've all heard that there's "no such thing as a stupid question." Actually, there is. Any question that is asked when the answer is 1) obvious, 2) readily available, or 3) already known (with the exceptions of rhetoric and quizzing others) is most likely a stupid question. I say this because I am pretty sure we are all guilty of asking stupid questions. Asking, "Where is the ketchup?" while staring right past it is stupid. Asking the same question while standing in front of the refrigerator that you know ketchup is normally kept in without looking in the regrigerator. OPEN the refrigerator and LOOK. I am guilty of doing this; however, myself, my mom, and several others I've spoken with agree that the second scenario I presented you with is very, VERY, VERY typical of guys. But that's beside the point. There are such things as stupid questions. Also, while I'm on the subject, have you ever heard the acronym "JFGI"? If you have what you feel is a legitimate question, chances are, there is probably not going to be many intelligent people around to ask. Hence the phrase..."Just Flippin' Google It." While sometimes this is good advice, perhaps you should pick up a book on the subject. Which brings me to the reason for the title of this post. Not many people actually read any more. This is most likely the number one reason for the ignorance that is gaining so much prevalence among us.
I cannot wait to teach my children to read and write. It is my hope that they will grow up enjoying reading as much as I did as a kid, and that their intelligence level at age four will be far superior to the average twenty year old's. It doesn't seem like that should be too difficult for my babies to achieve. I say this with great regret. It really seems like anything that is more than four lines long is passed over for shorter things that are written for the less intelligent, by the less intelligent, thus contributing to even less intelligence. I will now be so proud as to say that you, dear reader, are among the elite, because you have now read twenty entire lines (if the posted blog is the same as it is as I'm typing it) of reasonably thought out text. Congratulations. Don't let it go to your head.
All you parents, out there, go buy your kid some books. Kids' books are ridiculously expensive, so save up and buy them as Christmas presents. And if your kids get mad at you for buying them books for Christmas, beat them, and then make them read as punishment. Just kidding. Reading should never be portrayed as a bad thing to your children. But I wasn't kidding about beating them. Anyone who complains about any gift should be beaten.
By the way, it doesn't hurt if you read to them every once in a while, even if they are at the age where they can read themselves. I like being read to and I'm 22 for Pete's sake. Have them read out loud to you, too, because it will help them gain a skill that is an almost entirely lost art. When I was in college (granted, it was community college...), in a class of thirty people, there were maybe 3-4 who could competently read out loud. That is sad.
I have one more thing to say on the subject. I mentioned earlier that reading should not be portrayed as a bad thing. You may disagree with what I'm about to say. I don't care. I do not think that reading specific books should ever, EVER be required of people. Any teacher who says, "Read The Scarlet Letter," should just know right now, flat out, no one (or very few) will read it. They will read cliff notes, or the bare minimum of someone else's report on it, to get the gist and to know enough to answer a question or two about it. Tell them to find something that interests them to read. Not everyone will, still, but I can guarantee you that in college if I was told to read something about dogs, I would not have done it, but if I was told to find an article about something that was interesting to me and write a half page summary, now THAT...that's some fun stuff. And that was my way of transitioning into what my next blog post will most likely be about: dogs and other disgusting things.