Letters to the Editor

Problem solved

Bob Jones recently wrote the following regarding Common Core Standards: “And it’s not President Obama extending federal reach in the schools. The governors of 48 states developed the standards when President Bush ordered up the No Child Left Behind program in 2001.”

In reality, Common Core was developed by National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. (Source: Common Core State Standards Initiative FAQ.) So two bureaucracies filled with unaccountable bureaucrats actually developed the standards. The main thrust of Common Core was to find a measurable way to rate students in all 50 states.

Would it surprise you to know that this claim, often made by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, that the U.S. needs a way to compare the performance of students in different states ignores the fact that Federal National Assessment of Educational Progress already exists to do precisely that (Source: National Center for Education Statistics). So, basically, Common Core is a solution in search of a problem already solved by another nameless, unaccountable bureaucracy.

Our taxpayer dollars at work.

Mark Felman
Kapolei

B.B. the veteran

Mahalo to Don Chapman for his nice column on B.B. King’s life and passing. I was working at the Sheraton Waikiki in 1995 when he stayed and performed there — one of the concerts Mr. Chapman mentioned. The following day, he was going to visit Pearl Harbor to pay his respects as a World War II vet, and we chatted about “vet things” and about his guitar “Lucille” and the story behind it. He was very approachable and never forgot his roots.

Me Ke Aloha No ia, B.B. King, and thanks to Mr. Chapman for his kind words.

Wayne Hinano Brumaghim
Mililani

Honor Damien

Tony Gonzales’ letter honoring our Marcus Mariota, Heisman winner, with a stadium or rail as an island monument to inspire is as unique as it is creative.

On a similar note, a street in New York recently was renamed Damien Way. Why can’t we have Damien Day, May 10-11, in Hawaii? Perhaps we can become sister cities in this cause — why not?

Promoting Hawaii’s rare heroes, and uniting with our Mainland and international fans as we both celebrate Hawaii’s heroes, what could be better for us all?

Ruth Freedman
Punahou

Talking doggie

Reading Bruce Cameron’s column “A Wiki Dictionary Of Dog Words,” I literally laughed out loud, more than once, and then called my friend to make sure she read it too. She did, and also cracked up. (Yes, we are dog people.) Humor is in short supply in today’s world, so thank you for publishing Mr. Cameron’s columns.

Terry Lee
Honolulu