Dear Editor:

Good is acquired knowledge that helps us solve problems. What we do with what we learn is important in life. Both presidential candidates were raised Protestant Christians. Both completed high school and undergraduate university degrees. Below are summaries of their educational achievements.

Hillary Clinton-Education: Born October 1947, a contributing member of Maine East High School (Illinois), student council, and newspaper, graduating in 1965. Clinton majored in political science at Wellesley College, graduating in 1969. She served as president of the Wellesley Young Republicans. Clinton attended Yale Law School, receiving a postgraduate Juris Doctor degree in 1973.

Donald Trump-Education: Born June 1946, attended the Kew-Forrest School (K-12). Due to behavior issues, Trump left the school at age 13, enrolling in and graduating from New York Military Academy. In 1964 Trump attended University of Pennsylvania’s Fordham University for two years, transferring to Univ. of Penn’s Wharton School of Business, graduating in 1968 with an economics degree.

Hillary Clinton-Religion: Hillary’s mother was a Methodist Sunday School teacher. Clinton taught Sunday School at First United Methodist (FUMC) in Little Rock, Arkansas. She was fond of John Wesley teachings - “To do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, for all the people you can, for as long as you can." Clinton’s understanding grew in sixth grade when she attended Bible classes and participated in the Altar Guild at FUMC. She had similar experiences in College volunteering to help achieve family rights sought by the Children’s Defense Fund.

Donald Trump-Religion: Trump has a mixture of two church affiliations during his life, including early Bible study and confirmation at a Presbyterian Church and later Marble Collegiate Church (MCC), a Reformed Church where Norman Vincent Peale was the minister who often preached “Think positively and good things will come your way.” Trump was drawn to stories the minister told in the pulpit about successful business executives “overcoming difficulties.” Sometimes Trump states – "I am Presbyterian Protestant. I go to Marble Collegiate Church," but he is not active in the Marble Collegiate Church.

Step one - finding the greater good in acquired knowledge. Next step is looking at life’s good experience and accomplishments of the two candidates.

Jarryl Larson

Edgecomb