This week, readers sent us letters about President Obama’s record on taxes, and charges of racism in a video from Arkansas Rep. Tim Griffin.
In the FactCheck Mailbag, we feature some of the email we receive. Readers can send comments to editor@factcheck.org. Letters may be edited for length.
Tax Raiser? Tax Cutter? Or None of the Above?
What Brooks Jackson fails to mention [“A Bogus Tax Attack Against Obama,” May 18] is that the president of the United States, no matter who he is, does not control the purse strings. Congress does. And while the president can veto or sign a bill, he does not do anything other than that. The ideas and the bills come from Congress, get hammered out in Congress and end up on his desk. Saying that Obama raises or doesn’t raise someone’s taxes is actually misleading. Telling the truth is what FactCheck should be about. I would like to see more of it.
Michelle Newman
Tallahassee, Fla.
Racist Video
Your review [“Congressman’s Slippery Cell Phone Claim,” May 22] failed to identify the racist nature of the video. All the so-called free loaders are represented by black actors. This so reinforces the stereotypical degradation of black people in this country.
Phyllis Aston
Houston, Texas