This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

In his letter to The Tribune Public Forum, M. Donald Thomas asserts that the Common Core initiative is merely a ploy to "control public education and to ridicule schools," supported by scurrilous special interest groups such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ("Common Core supporters providing misinformation," March 7).

Yep, if a group like the Gates Foundation that spends billions of dollars working to eradicate polio and malaria from the face of the planet is behind it, you can be assured that Common Core is an initiative with evil intent.

David Draper

Riverton