FEEDBACK: On books for kids, President Obama

Begin With Books sounds fabulous

To the editor:

What a fabulous program [1/9: A nourishing rain of books for Charleston County].

Getting children to enter pre-school or kindergarten on a much more level playing field is key to helping the early disadvantaged to keep up with their peers.  Pouring money into school “catch up” programs for the lives of the disadvantaged students only seems to make a small dent in closing their peer gap.

I’m positive this program would also have an impact on reducing a feeling of low self-esteem for those children who first enters their formal education venue and become quickly aware that they are behind their peers.  I’m very interested in the measurable impact this BWB program is having on the Charleston community children.  As with any program, the level of success must be measured in some manner.

— George Graf, Palmyra, Va.

President Obama will be missed

To the editor:

Thank you for your salute to President Obama.  It is much appropriate and appreciated.

He is going to be missed even more sorely around the globe (Syria, Yemen and a few other terrible messes notwithstanding). His Nobel Peace Prize was a tad stretched (2009!), but overlooking his many accomplishments and failures, he left hundreds and hundreds of pages of history-making speeches on many of the most pressing issues of our times. He lived and enriched the best of the American political tradition, which might well be the only and truly exceptional facet of this country.

His leadership and “amazing grace” will hopefully — and courageously — shine for many more years and when he will be gone for real, I also trust our children’s children will call him a Founding Father.

— Filippo Ravalico, Charleston, S.C.

Editor’s Note:  Andy Brack’s column on Obama got a few negative letters, but the writers didn’t want to provide their contact information to be able to be published.  You can, however, see several other people’s thoughts in the Comments section of our sister publication’s  website.  Or you can head over to the letters section of papers like the Florence Morning News, which published this reaction.

Rant.  Rave.  Tell us what you really think.  If you have an opinion on something we’ve offered or on a subject related to the Lowcountry, please send your letters of 150 words or less to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com. Our feedback policy.