To the editor:
In an Aug. 16 letter to the editor, the writer made some unfounded claims about President Obama. She questioned the legitimacy of his passport, Social Security card, and birth certificate, all to show that he is foreign and since he is not born in this country, therefore not qualified - a clear attempt to undermine his authority.
These accusations have been debunked over and over again and found to be nothing but poppycock. To strengthen her argument that he is not one of us, not a real American, she further claims that he received a Fulbright Scholarship which is only granted to foreign students, ah! The smoking gun.
The only problem with that argument is that it was a chain email April Fool's Day hoax. President Obama was never on a Fulbright Scholarship.
She also asked why the Obamas lost their law license, implying that they had done something wrong. This assertion is based on another Internet rumor that has no basis in fact. The Obamas can practice law again if they choose.
She also repeats the Romney line that Obamacare will take funding away from Medicare. Although that is not untrue, it is misleading. Both Obama and the Ryan/Romney budget plan will result in reductions in Medicare funding of $700 billion over 10 years. But the difference is significant in how they do it.
With Obama the reductions apply to the medical providers by eliminating inefficiencies and waste in the system. The savings are plowed back into the health care system to close the "donut hole" in the prescription drug plan for senior citizens. No Medicare recipient under Obama's plan will lose benefits.
Under the Ryan/Romney plan the reductions apply to the beneficiaries meaning seniors will have to pay more when they get sick. These reductions are not plowed back into the health care system but used to pay for draconian tax cuts for the super wealthy.
I know which political party and which candidate for president to trust to protect Medicare.
Gary Gill
Lewistown
