Wow! Rick Gagliardo is one angry man (Oct. 23).

First he ridicules Democratic President Lyndon Johnson's secretary of HEW, John Gardner, then calls all Republicans, and me in particular, liars to be scorned and mistrusted.

Perhaps he is being a little harsh, or maybe he is just intoxicated from drinking too much Obama Kool-Aid and is misinformed or naive, and in typical liberal fashion, tells only part of the story. Here's the rest.

Mr. Annenberg, who died in 2002 at age 94, was indeed a friend of President Reagan. However, like many wealthy individuals who fund foundations, Annenberg's successors have taken a more liberal bent.

Factcheck.org cites section 246 of the House bill that states "nothing in this bill shall allow federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully in the United States." (Does this tortured language disallow them?)

Factcheck.org also states that there is no enforcement mechanism. Since it is illegal to require proof of citizenship while applying, an amendment to require such proof was offered by the Republicans. It was voted down by the Democrats. (As an aside, factcheck.org also declares Obama's claim that federal money will not be used to pay for abortions is untrue. Ditto his claim that the bill will be revenue neutral.)

The question of the constitutional validity of excluding illegal aliens from participation has also been raised. It is naive to believe a court that rules that foreign terrorists captured on the battlefield are entitled to the same judicial rights as American citizens would declare illegal aliens ineligible to participate in a national health-care program. After all, it is already illegal for hospitals to refuse them emergency care.

Gagliardo rested his case. He was wise to do so.

Jack Olsen

Foxfire Village