Stan Hinkley implied in his letter in last Wednesday’s Times that there is some sinister intent behind the president’s support of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

He says Obama’s whole reason for the law is to “socialize our healthcare and drive all of us into the clutches of the federal government.” Oh my!

I am tired of reading these false conspiracy theories accusing our president of being everything from a Socialist to a Nazi and always a Kenyan Muslim bent on destroying our country. But, in the case of the ACA I’d like to point out the following facts:

1.) The ideas behind “Obamacare” were dreamed up by the Heritage Foundation, a right wing conservative think tank, and were first implemented as Romneycare in Massachusetts. Only after Obama began to support it (over the protests of many liberals who believed a single-payer plan was the best option) did Republicans decide to oppose it.

2.) As far as “driving all of us into the clutches of the federal government” is concerned, all military and their families, all elderly people on Medicare, and all poor people on Medicaid already are under those dreaded clutches and have been for many, many years.

3.) Private for-profit insurance companies will still provide the policies, only those policies will now have to meet minimum standards so we can’t continue to be ripped off with preexisting restrictions, lifetime caps, higher rates for women, high administrative costs, or junk policies with low payments but virtually no coverage.

4.) In excess of 40 million people in our country are without any health insurance and unexpected exorbitant medical expenses have accounted for 40 percent of all bankruptcies and pushed many people into homelessness. Our president’s big sin appears to be that he wants to remedy this. How absolutely un-American! He must be stopped!