Thanks for your comment. You’ve identified precisely why I think spelling is important–largely because it’s only just the first indicator of larger literacy problems– and I hope you don’t misread my post as a variation on the tired “I can spell” triumphalism– great phrase, by the way! You’re right; that kind of posture gets us nowhere.

I was thinking more about people who do know how to spell and who have the resources available to them to check their written words before putting them before an audience. Mainly, I wrote this post from the perspective of an editor who reviews academic papers and articles for publication and who is constantly bowled over by what appears to be not a spelling problem, but a carelessness problem. To me, that kind of disregard for spelling is a disregard for the power of words.
And that’s something that we can all work on a little bit more, I think.