Ever struggled listening to all the facts and figures that political candidates spout off? Particularly during debates, one candidate claims they have reduced crime or increased funding for some pet program by so much only to have the next candidate refute it with his/her own figures. How do you and I - as “we the people” - know the truth so we can make an intelligent judgment?
I discovered a website during the last presidential election that helped me sift through all of the “spin” and get to the truth (if there is any) of what the candidates are saying.
Factcheck
helps you sift through all of the statements made by political candidates and give you the “skinny” on what is really believable.
The great thing about this website is that it appears to be pretty independent in the sense that it is seems to be equally tough on both political parties.
Here's an example of how Factcheck holds each party accountable…
Holding Republicans accountable:
Guiliani's Cops:
Several times on the campaign trail, Rudy Guiliani has claimed to have increased the size of the police force in New York City by 12,000 during his time as mayor. Factcheck.org points out that this is just simply not true. Their analysis shows that Guiliani is taking credit for about 7,100 housing and transit police that were simply folded into the New York City police department. It was not an actual increase. In actuality, the police force only increased by about 3,660 or about 10%.
Holding Democrats accountable:
Kucinich Overstates Military Budget:
Rep. Doug Kucinich has falsely made the claim that under the current administration, taxpayer dollars are being spent overwhelmingly on war and military buildup. Again, according to Factcheck.org, this is not true. In 2006 (the last available numbers), military spending came in at 23.6% - a far cry from the 46.3% being spent on the government's many entitlement programs.
Through such analysis, Factcheck is helping the average American decipher the rhetoric that so often accompanies presidential campaigning.
And anything that helps to inform “the people” about the facts…
That's a win for America.
