I am responding to the commentary “Rallies prove many unfazed by big spending” (April 12). The article is filled with misleading information, accusations that cannot be substantiated, and far right radical interpretations of data.

First point, Social Security is no ponzi scheme. It is money we paid into our entire working lives, trusting it will then be there for us when we retire. It became law in 1935 in part to keep seniors out of poverty. It has expanded to include benefits to other groups, such as widows and individuals with disabilities. For nearly 90 years, it has effectively helped keep generations of seniors and disabled Americans out of poverty.

Unlike the claims by Elon Musk, Social Security has an error rate of less than 1%. No, there are no dead people receiving Social Security, rather those who were looking at the data did not understand the old computer code. Children can receive it if their parents are deceased or disabled. There is no fraud in children getting Social Security just like no dead folks getting it. Musk and his teen gang just did not know how to read the data.

The commentary goes on to state “the Biden administration issued over 2 million Social Security numbers to ‘illegal aliens’ last year, and perhaps 5 million altogether. These people have contributed nothing into Social Security but may be eligible for benefits.”

Nothing could be further from the full truth. Generally, only noncitizens authorized to work in the United States by the Department of Homeland Security can get a Social Security number. Immigrants who are not authorized to be in the United States are not eligible for such benefits. A new study by the Institute for Taxation and Economic policy shows that undocumented immigrants paid nearly $100 billion in federal, state and local tax revenue in 2022 while most are shut out of the programs their taxes fund. In 40 states, undocumented immigrants paid higher tax rates than the top 1% of the income scale in those states. Although they pay into the system undocumented immigrants are not eligible (in most cases) to enroll in federally funded coverage including Medicaid, CHIP, or Medicare or to purchase coverage through the ACA Marketplaces. We make money (lots of it) from undocumented individuals by collecting taxes for services they are ineligible to receive.

Although the commentary did not address the crime rates of undocumented persons I feel it is needed here to clarify facts. When an undocumented person commits a crime, particularly a vicious violent one, they are headlines. However the facts are the undocumented person is way less likely to commit crimes than the U.S.-born. This is true at the national, state, county, and neighborhood levels, and for both violent and non-violent crime.

The letter goes on critical of the subsidies to the American Clean Power Association, with no explanation as to the goal of the subsidies. “The American Clean Power Association (ACP) is the leading voice of today’s multi-tech clean energy industry, representing energy storage, wind, utility-scale solar, clean hydrogen, and transmission companies. ACP is committed to meeting America’s energy and national security goals and building our economy with fast-growing, low-cost, and reliable domestic power.”

The subsidies are to fund innovative creative ways to harness green energy. I think by now everyone understands climate change, fueled by fossil fuels, is a leading threat to our planet and all who call it home. Climate crisis is real, it is here and it is destroying our land, our waters and our atmosphere. All one has to do is Google climate crisis impact to see the severe damage the changes in our climate are having on our planet and all who call it home. I wonder why the authors also failed to mention that globally, fossil fuel subsidies have reached record levels, exceeding $1 trillion in 2022. The real question should be why do we continue to subsidize an industry that has proven so profitable?

Perhaps the greatest and most dangerous misinformation in the letter is the money that goes to USAID. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was set up in the early 1960s to administer humanitarian aid programmes on behalf of the U.S. government. USAID plays a critical role in tackling poverty, hunger, and inequality worldwide. The funding helps people around the world in various ways, providing food, health care, education, economic development, and disaster relief. It is in our national security to continue to fund programs that provide real assistance to those in such desperate need. To me it is also our moral obligation.

I will not address each of the claims found in the letter against USAID. However, there is one I think must be highlighted, the idea that USAID funded an uprising to remove a democratically elected president of Ukraine.

They cited that such money was used to fund an uprising in Ukraine to overthrow the democratic elected president. This claim comes almost directly from a Russian narrative used for propaganda. The Meridian uprising was a spontaneous grassroots protest. The narrative from the Kremlin is the uprising was all due to the west, trying to deflect Russia’s responsibility for the invasion. Make no mistake, Russia started this war and Ukrainians are fighting for their country and their freedom. We support that fight in part because we know if they lose, the gateway for Russia to invade other European countries would be wide open. Think of what the outcome of WWII might have been if we had joined the war efforts after Germany invaded Poland.

Although not cited in the letter, my outrage centers around the disregard for our own Constitution and the rights and freedoms outlined in the document. Since Trump was elected the page with the U.S. Constitution and its history has been removed from the White House web page. At the same time we are seeing blatant violations of our Constitution carried out by this administration. Foreign students here on student visas have the same rights to free speech and due process as citizens. Yet we have seen too many students arrested, detained and even threatened with deportation for merely speaking out against policies of our Country. Speaking out against the genocide in Gaza should not be confused with support for Hamas. You can be both … for a cease fire and against Hamas. Recently we witnessed men accused, with no evidence of being gang members and violent criminals. Yet 90% of those sent to El Salvador had no criminal record.

Many were waiting for a day in court, which sadly can take years, to show reason for asylum. Due process is guaranteed to all of us, including those here on student visas and those waiting for their asylum hearing. Yet due process was not given to any of them. None had a day in court where they would see the evidence presented against them and have a chance to present their own defense. Due process is one of our key rights, our right to face our accusers and present a defense to the charges. Yet not one of the so called gang members was given this fundamental right. I ask, why not?

I also wonder why we would be sending anyone to a foreign country, paying for them to be incarcerated in a prison known for its cruelty and inhumane conditions. Why are we paying another country to take prisoners from our country without any due process? I am reminded of the courage of John Adams when he defended British Soldiers accused of killing colonists in an uprising in 1770. At the time defending the soldiers was very unpopular and many questioned why he would defend those many considered to be the enemy. Yet Adams later considered his defense of the soldiers to be one of the most important acts of his life. He believed that it demonstrated the importance of upholding the law and ensuring a fair trial, even for those who were unpopular.

Some of us still hold that belief. We have faith in our Constitution and in our justice system. We uphold the law ensuring fair trials even to those who are unpopular and have been demonized. It is our Constitution that makes us stand apart in the world. We have laws, rights and freedoms, all outlined in that document our forefathers so brilliantly drafted. Let us ensure it still is our guiding principle.

Judi Lutz Woods is a Fredonia resident.