Public thinking and writing about literacy in recent years has served to confuse and mislead. Facts which support the "decline in literacy" belief and facts which support the opposite view are presented. Phases and statements made publicly about literacy are discussed and placed into four categories: those which use syntax to posit certainty where none exists; statements which are plainly false or which imply generalizations that have no basis in reality; those which treat language and writing as organisms; and those which propose to give causes and explanations for the "decline in literacy." It is argued that perhaps the "decline in literacy" is related to the broadening base of the educational system--expanding to admit previously excluded groups to higher levels--and that translates partly into an increase in equality and social justice. (TS)