This week, readers sent us comments about our article on the deficit debate.
In the FactCheck Mailbag, we feature some of the e-mail we receive. Readers can send comments to editor@factcheck.org. Letters may be edited for length.
Fans of 'Fiscal FactCheck'
After following a link and subsequently using your RSS feed, I have been reading all your articles for a few months. As an engineer, I love the complete, detailed view of each situation (especially involving money), and gain a perspective on how politicians can use error-by-omission to create emotional arguments.
In particular, the section "Who Pays?" of the recent "Fiscal FactCheck" article [July 15] was quite enlightening about the difference between the payroll tax and individual income tax "no payer" percentages. I have since quoted this section twice. (Personally, I feel we cannot ignore the working poor and their contributions to SS & Medicare, and anyone who says "everyone should pay!" ignores that remaining 18.1% who truly have no income.) The article as a whole was an insight into federal finances.
Please keep up the good work. If only everyone would take the time to read your articles (especially the major media outlets).
Brian Malerich
Detroit, Mich.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have created the first and definitive trustworthy compendium of taxation in America. I promise it will be forwarded to every person in my contact list.
Gary Bell
Jericho, Vt.
Thanks for the excellent article on federal spending vs revenues as a percentage of GDP, with historical context. Just the sort of information I need in the midst of all the current confusion and overheated rhetoric on the subject. I also liked the article from a few months ago, analyzing the impact of health care reform on the federal deficit ["A 'Budget-Busting' Law," Jan. 19].
The site seems to strike just the right kind of analysis and the right tone. I prefer your site now to Politifact, which — I think — overdramatizes and misses the point by using a kind of "scorecard" approach to fact-checking. FactCheck.org is my preferred site now as a way to cut through all the noise and get good information. Thanks very much!
Jim McElwain
Kansas City, Mo.