Are we that gullible? | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The news that unemployment dropped to 7.8 percent last month was both heartening and discouraging ("Conspiracy theories about job numbers," Opinion, Oct. 9).

It was great to see the economy growing this year at an average of 150,000 jobs per month (60,000 more per month than is needed to just keep equal with population growth). President Barack Obama's recovery plan is working. America is moving in the right direction.

However, I am discouraged that right-wing bloviators are accusing Obama of having rigged the good job numbers. What?! There is not an ounce of truth to that smear, and they know it.

Are Americans that gullible? I guess so — 30 percent of Republicans think Obama is a Muslim and half of them think he was born in a foreign country.

That explains why Republicans aren't troubled by former Gov. Mitt Romney's flip-flopping — they'll believe what they want to be true, the facts be damned.

Grant Matthews

Salt Lake City