Well there's that and the fact that if you're a tradesman --or woman, or whatever-- having a truck or van can be pretty crucial to your ability to make a decent income.
I currently have a company vehicle, but for years, prior to my current position and when I was a contractor, I was obliged to own my own truck or van for very basic practical reasons.
But how is this supposed to happen in high-density cities like NYC or SF?
I don't have any answers, but as someone who lived in SF for 7 years back in the 90s and early oughts as a student, I know for a fact that "there are no simple solutions for the problems that we face."
Yeah, I just quoted a DRI song; guilty as charged!
I don't argue that there aren't any better solutions, but SF is on a peninsula (called Yerba Buena if anyone cares) and is already the 2nd most densely populated city in the US, which is just to say that it's a limited space without a lot of options for housing short of building in more density.
You could "still have strong critical thinking skills," but you probably don't, especially not in the information-dense and highly complex environment that is contemporary life.
That's why it's smart to hedge our bets and try to make sure that everyone can read at least at a 12th grade level.
Lol. That's why, as explained in the Wiki article you linked to, it's a requirement in many states that auto insurance policies be written at no more than a 9th grade reading level.
But sure, having 6th grade reading skills is perfectly fine.
What a joke.
This is simply untrue. There is no world in which someone with 6th grade reading comprehension is going to be able to read, absorb and parse a 3000 word article on a complex political or scientific or economic issue, no matter how simple the language used. It's just not going to happen. Full stop.
If you want to be a well-informed citizen, you have to be able to read at least at a 12th grade level.
The last two decades have underscored this.
It matters because being a responsible citizen in a democracy requires having good enough critical thinking and reasoning skills so as not to be easily misled or manipulated by bad-faith actors. If you can't read well, and it's not due to something like dyslexia, it speaks to your ability to follow complex ideas and fact-patterns and themes which in turn means that you're more likely to make poor political decisions.
That seems a little generous. While I know it's challenging, I don't think law school is quite the same thing as a PhD program.
My dues are automatically paid out of my PTO account and are basically an hour's worth of wages per month.
I don't even notice it.