Dear Editor:

A comparison between the Democrat Platform and Republican Platform should leave no doubt as to which policies you personally support, making election choices easier. Yet, when it comes to presidential candidates, confusion abounds.

Recently “corruption” arose citing “hundreds of millions” raised by the Clinton Foundation to help Haiti. Coincidentally, this flooded airways right after veterans claimed they never received hundreds of millions raised by the GOP candidate. Michael Cohen, executive vice president of the Trump Organization, provided this charge, earning himself four Pinocchios by the Washington Post.

Today the media has a number of fact checkers who quickly determine if statements are accurate or inaccurate — the Washington Post is no exception. When nature strikes in New Orleans, or in Haiti, chaos prevails for one or more years before life returns to safe living. Many wait for rescue, but are unaware when and where it arrives. Frustration, sickness and death strike. As secretary of state, Hillary Clinton led the response in Haiti, but the Clinton Foundation did not raise “hundreds of millions of dollars” for any Haitian project.

What did happen — former presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush established a Clinton Bush fund to be used for Haitian assistance. “Relief efforts” where physical building destruction occurred, includes “immediate humanitarian aid” and “long-term development” restoring business, gaining back jobs lost. To the injured, hungry, thirsty and sick, it is never soon enough. Since 2010, the Clinton Foundation raised a total of $30 million for Haiti. The Clinton Bush Haiti fund helped established 30 cholera treatment centers that treated 41,000 of 100,000 cholera patients. Delays and mistakes occurred in both Haiti and New Orleans — no surprise to this writer who went to New Orleans three spring breaks on mission trips. The government had as many difficulties in New Orleans as they did in Haiti. Real humanitarian aid comes from large numbers of volunteers who are financially supported by foundations and government dollars.

That Cohen distorted truth in 2010 might be a mistake, but after six years details are fully known — four Pinocchios are fair.

Jarryl Larson

Edgecomb