Are Americans too dumb to learn to spell?

I learned to do it with no difficulty. My brother and I both are actually pretty anal when it comes to spelling errors. Grammar doesn't need to be perfect during informal conversation, including online message boards; but you should at least try to follow the basic rules. I do believe that one should make every attempt to spell words correctly, though. There's just little excuse for misspelled words. Some people disagree. Apparently, American's are too dumb to learn to spell properly, and instead of working to teach this skill, we need to just rework our entire dictionary.
Push for simpler spelling persists

I'll confess that I didn't even finish reading that article. My head started to ache.
Kelly's tip of the day: For those of you with elementary school children who have difficulty with spelling, I'd recommend my mother's method. I can only assume that it's at least partially why my brother and I cringe at bad spelling. Whenever we'd say, "Hey Mom, how do you spell 'onomonopeai'?" She'd direct us to the dictionary.
And yes, I did check that spelling before submitting this entry, and am proud to say that I did spell it right all on my own.
Disclaimer: Yes, of course I make exceptions for those with learning disabilities.