The Associated Press: FACT CHECK: Republican debate strains some facts
Associated Press writers Erica Werner and Alan Fram in Washington, Brian Bakst in St. Paul, Minn., and Philip Elliott in Ames, Iowa, contributed to this report. By CALVIN WOODWARD
12 August 2011 circa 3AM CST [more like they strained some facts]
Fact: The writers of the article are a bit slow, I wont be surprised if the article disappears so i clipped what bothered me. Here are some excerpts made by team "Impolitic" from the derisive article concerning last night's GOP debate, followed by my retort.
1. their statement regarding Mrs. Bachmann: "THE FACTS: Nothing is unconstitutional until courts declare it to be so."
this implies that the President and any supporters/advocators of the legislation have the right to remove personal freedom from purchasing action when it does not harm others. Incorrect.
2. their statement regarding Mr. Romney: "But that proposal had no chance of becoming law and settling the crisis, and leaders in both parties knew it. It was one of several initiatives brought forward by both Republicans and Democrats for show before both sides got down to the authentic bipartisan negotiations. During that process, Romney did not lay out a prescription that was achievable in a time of divided government"
this is simple conjecture, this quote's 'chances' are theoretical, and knowing what others knew is purely hypothetical-logic. I think mentioning 'authentic bipartisan' was fairly honest if not biased, if these items are untrue then mentioning Romney's plan as not 'achievable in a time of division' is purely partisanship.
they continue writing, "Supporting the earlier GOP bill was a far cry from stating whether he would have signed or vetoed the final debt limit legislation,"
but Romney gave an official statement opposing the action, and in the debate had mentioned it just moments prior. A clear case of prejudice by the authors.
3. Their statement regarding Mr. Santorum: "THE FACTS: The former Pennsylvania senator might have been mixing statistics on federal spending with federal revenue. The White House budget office has estimated that federal spending this year will equal about 25 percent of the country's $15 trillion economy — the highest proportion since World War II. But federal spending has averaged nearly 22 percent since 1970. In fact, federal spending has not been as low as 18 percent since 1966. Since the 1970s, federal revenues have averaged nearly 19 percent of the U.S. economy. This year's revenues are expected to equal just over 14 percent of the economy, the lowest level since 1950."
federal spending cannot be 25% of a $15T economy, because the federal government doesn't collect 100% in taxes. classic liberalism, i was pleased that facts were presented in this portion, but very disappointed that they were irrelevant. simply put, case in point any one with a foot can tell you that the federal budget is in deficit, if it were merely 25% than the entire debate would be in 'Back to the Future 4: Ancient Future'... to mention percentages of revenue as federal spending omits that of what is collected, public debt consumes the remaining revenue (and in this case, more money than we have) + they are missing statistics.
- the impolitic article is volatile and detracted into leftist propaganda - i think their school of thought is 'if you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit.'
4. Ombudsman:
(Wikipedia) An ombudsman (conventional English plural: ombudsmen) is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests. An ombudsman is an official, usually appointed by the government or by parliament, who is charged with representing the interests of the public by investigating and addressing complaints reported by individual citizens.
(Merriam-Webster) One that investigates, reports-on, and helps settle complaints.
I guess these FIVE liberals missed the memo, or they shouldn't write/post papers at two in the morning desperate to slander republicans.
"...Wicked-minded, out of control, And guided by their hunger, They will find new ways to betray us, Your corruption is like a cancer growing inside, You owe the world an apology, You've been taught all your life, That truth is easy to hide, You face your judgment another day, And suffer eternally..."
Innocence - Disturbed